The LA Rams have Seattle’s number.
The three games previous to this one were back-and-forth shoot-outs. And while they won the last meeting in week five, the fact is they ended up playing LA’s game.
The Rams are happy to have a points race. Their foundation is built on a great offense with Sean McVay. Their defense is capable, thanks largely to Aaron Donald, of aiding the offense just enough to win a lot of football games.
In the last five games between these teams, the Rams have scored 42, 33, 36, 29 and 28.
In other words, the Seahawks were either going to need to turn this into their type of game or they needed to score a lot of points.
They did neither. They’ve now lost four of the last five games to LA with the solitary win coming off a missed field goal.
The Seahawks aren’t chasing the Rams in the NFC West this year but they’re still chasing them on the field.
The Rams marched to an early advantage and almost immediately the Seahawks were chasing. Any hopes of being able to run the ball against a much lighter defensive front evaporated. The game plan quickly switched because they had to keep up.
They ended up playing to LA’s tune. The Rams tee’d off in the pass rush with a strong lead to defend. Seattle became one-dimensional. The offense looked discombobulated all night and failed to score a single touchdown.
The defense had no answer in the first half to slow things down. After half time they rallied with the two Quandre Diggs’ interceptions and the Rasheem Green blocked kick. Any opportunity to get back into it extinguished because the offense couldn’t do anything.
For a long stretch earlier in the season it really felt like Wilson was destined to win the MVP this year. His season, unfortunately, is stalling. In the last four games he has four touchdowns and four interceptions. He hasn’t had a passer rating above 100 or a QBR above 58.
If this version of the Seahawks are going to roar into contention in the playoffs, they need Wilson and the offense at its best.
Seattle has done extremely well to get to 10-3. It’s charring, however, that in all three of their losses they’ve been clearly second best. New Orleans, Baltimore and now LA were more physical on the day and won the LOS battle on both sides. They looked tired today, possibly due to the short week.
This loss doesn’t really cost the Seahawks provided they get back on track quickly. Three wins to end the regular season will secure the NFC West and — potentially — the #1 seed. The Seahawks didn’t look much like a #1 seed here tonight though.
If anything, this performance illustrated how miraculous it is that they’re 10-3. Baltimore destroyed the Rams 45-6 two weeks ago as they march towards the #1 seed in the AFC. The 49ers just beat the Saints in their own backyard. It’s hard to imagine either losing a game without scoring an offensive touchdown like Seattle here.
Even so, the Seahawks weren’t realistically going to finish 14-2. They were going to lose one at some stage. The key now is to hit back quickly against the Panthers and make sure the week 17 contest against San Francisco is as meaningful as everyone’s been expecting for several weeks.
A final point — this is why it was thoroughly bizarre that it was even a question on who to root for in the Saints vs 49ers game. Forget the #1 seed for now. They need to focus solely on the NFC West. The difference between being the #5 seed and needing to win three road games to make the Super Bowl vs needing to win a home game and one other home or away game is enormous.
This was a great weekend for San Francisco. The only crumb of comfort is perhaps the Rams will be able to play as well against the Niners in week 16. San Francisco seems to be gaining a second wind though. We’ll see if the Seahawks gain their’s next week.
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Honestly, I’m really glad the Saints lost. As crazy as it sounds, a 13-3 Seahawks team would still be the #1 seed even if the Saints and Green Bay win all their remaining games (or they’d be the #2 seed if the Saints win out but Green Bay doesn’t). Conversely, Seattle still controls their destiny for the division even with the 49ers win and Seattle loss.
The only real cost of today’s outcomes is that Seattle could be in deep trouble by losing either of the next two games. With that said, each of those games is the equivalent of a Steph Curry free throw in terms of win chance. And if Seattle did lose one of those two games, it could be argued that Seattle has no business beating out SF anyway. Or at least I’d feel that way.
I think it’s also worth noting that since 1990 there have been twice as many #1 seeds to win superbowls than #2 seeds to do so, and in fact the gap between #1 seeds and #2 seeds is larger than #2 seeds and #6 seeds in terms of SB winners. I used to be a person that thought all you needed was a bye, but when I looked at the numbers I was shocked how much more successful those #1 seeds were. I guess it kind of makes sense, all three of Seattle’s previous SB teams were #1 seeds.
At the end of the day, Seattle is still in a great position. They control their destiny for at worst at #2 seed even now, and that’s not even factoring that the Saints still have to go into Nashville and beat a red hot Tennessee team on the road in a couple weeks.
The only real question is if Russell can snap out of his funk. That might be a little harder now with Penny likely out for the season.
My view on historical data regarding the #1 or #2 seed is pretty much the same as it is for ‘X position is usually not good in R1’. There could be a clear trend based on what has happened before but it never directly relates to the present or future. Even if no #2 seed has ever made the SB, history will not impact whether it happens this year. And I suspect the main reason the #1 seed gets through more often is because the best team ends up being the #1. This year I’m not sure there will be that much difference between #1 or #2.
The biggest issue is without doubt RW’s stalling form. Whether it’s on him, others or a combination of both —- the Seahawks offense needs to play better than it has in the last four games to stand any chance of winning any playoff game.
Do you believe in home field advantage?
Yes of course. Even at 6-1 on the road, the Seahawks will find it easier to win post-season games at home then on the road.
I get why people think that the road isn’t scary because Seattle is 7-1 on the road right now. I differ for several reasons.
The first is the simple reason that the postseason has a different vibe to it than the regular season. Poker pros often talk about how at the final table things actually become more basic and fundamental, and I think every playoff works in this way to some extent. The basic factors loom larger than in regular season games since everything is maximum intensity.
Not to mention, playing at home at least guarantees you get to avoid certain shenanigans, such as playing at -6 degrees at Minnesota before they got that new stadium, or playing on a suspiciously sodded field at Carolina.
Seattle might be 7-1 on the road this year, but Wilson is not a particularly great playoff QB in true road games (2-4). If Blair Walsh makes that chip shot, he’s 1-5, with the 1 win coming over a broken RG3. At home, Russell has yet to lose a playoff game (5-0), even if one of those wins was miraculous.
Russell actually has a winning road record for his career in the regular season, one of the best in the league currently. Yet it hasn’t really translated to the postseason in the past for some reason. It could be that Seattle plays with “house money” on the road in regular season games, but you can’t really use that mentality in the playoffs.
I get that Seattle has a tendency lately to really badly shit the bed at home, and it’s not just this year. Home field isn’t what it used to be. But overall, the wider view paints a very clear picture of Russ having more postseason magic at home than on the road. If anything, I think the history of #1 seeds succeeding is even more true for Seattle than for the average team.
*1-4, not 1-5
I agree. I think it’s imperative the Seahawks earn a bye to max out their 2019 opportunity. I cannot, not at all actually, imagine them winning three road games to make a Super Bowl. I can most definitely imagine them winning one or two home games or one home and one away.
I do think, however, that the difference between #1 and #2 will be somewhat minor this year. I’m not even sure that the #1 seed would win. For example, if it’s New Orleans (#1) vs San Fran (#5) in the divisional round, I’d back San Fran. In fact I think it’d be beneficial to avoid San Fran if possible. There’s an advantage, I think, to hosting GB as the #3 (assuming they win a home game vs Minnesota) than playing San Fran as the #5 (assuming they beat Dallas or Philly).
Hey Rob:
Wilson’s off day against the Rams was more about the constant pressure he was under, and about how the defensive front of the Rams dominated the Seahawk O-line. Wilson always seemed to face a 3rd and long with every set of downs. Some of the shortcomings that we all talked about earlier in the season came forth last night in L.A. The Hawks were unable to generate any pressure on Goff, especially in the first half.
I think both of our observations earlier in the season are still true. Even though the Hawks have exceeded our expectations, they are still a year away from being a serious Superbowl contender. They have done remarkably well with what they have so I’m enjoying watching them. I still compare this team to the 2012 Hawks, with a more experienced Russel Wilson.
I think the pass pro was generally poor last night but it’s hard for an O-line when a defense has a 21-3 or 21-9 lead to work with and they can tee-off. That’s not good. It’s even worse when you’re up against Aaron Donald plus extra rushers.
Wilson held the ball too long as well.
Agreed. Wilson holds on to the ball too long. That has always been part of who Wilson is.
Over a large enough set of data the clear advantage of the #1 seed is compelling. Not to mention, all 3 of Seattle’s SB appearances were as #1s. 12 of the last 20 SB appearing teams were #1 seeds.
And by DVOA, there’s actually quite a few #1 seeds that weren’t the best teams in their conference. A large amount of getting that #1 seed comes down to luck.
I am so sad because of Penny. He tore his ACL and he is questionable for start of 2020. And by Chris Carson tweet I think Penny even consider retirement.
He is so talented but he is not all in at football IMO(he admitted he didn’t take off season so seriousle, gaining weight etc)…. JS missed on that.
What did CC tweet about the situation. I cant seem to find anything
Do we know if its torn yet? Havent heard that news yet either or are we just speculating?
Nothing about it being torn. I saw something about a strain which I guess is technically a grade 1 or 2 tear but not a tear as most of us know it
He really didn’t tweet anything that would directly say penny is considering retirement. Just something along the lines of don’t trip you’ll come back stronger. I think mill is reading into something that isn’t there
At least we found Sea Mode!
🙂
😂😂 safe and sound
It was mind boggling why some people wanted to root for the niners to win.
2 scenarios:
1, 49ers win:
Seahawks chase them and need to win as much game as they to not be a wild card team.
The Hawks lost and 1 game behind. If the 49ers would win out Hawks is the wildcard
If niners win and Hawks lose, even if they beat the niners in standing they still need NOLA to lose one more game to be able to be the #1
The pro side if the Hawks win out they’re #1 seed, but that was unlikely
2, Saints win:
Hawks #2 seed with a win against the Rams and two games ahead of the niners. Without major flopping they can win the NFC west easily. For the #1 they need NOLA to lose one and they need to win out. Unlikely but it could’ve happen.
If the Hawks lose against the Rams they still #2 seed (or #3, not sure who gets the upper hand us or GB, but they could easily get to #2 with GB playing the Bears, Vikings and the Lions)
#1 seed is cool and everything but the swing between #1 seed OR wild card and #2 seed is crazy. I like taking risks but that would be a stupid risk to take. So the Saints lose hurt us bad and the flop against the Rams hurt us crazy
I think there are some positives off the back of this weekend…
1. I think the Seahawks are better off chasing the 49ers than being front runners.
2. The path to the #1 seed doesn’t change based on this game — they needed to likely win out either way.
3. This might be the kick up the arse that you need sometimes (they had two at the end of the 2013 season).
That’s true…but it’s so sad that they always need 2-3 kick in the arse during a season. Why?
And I get the chip on the shoulder thing, but why need to chase another team to get that bloodlust?
RW could’ve chase MVP and SB, while national media still doubting him (OK recently he get some appreciation)
The WR group doesn’t get much love nationally, and all everyone can talk about Carson’s fumbling. Everyone, even the fans are sh*tting on the OL. Everyone criticize the DL production and question how good/bad are the CBs
I couldnt agree more with 2 & 3. This loss changes nothing in terms of winning the division and a beat down from time to time is a good thing.
This is the first proper kick up the arse this year IMO. And most of the Super Bowl winners have had a kick up the arse at some point. Pats had some classic kicks up the arse during their SB winning years.
First and most importantly: I LOVE THIS TEAM
But let’s talk about the bad:
This team sucks. Not as players, not as coaches, but as a whole. They cannot grab the opportunities. They play down to the opponent’s level. They are not building on success or momentum. They cannot capitalize when a good thing happens.
It’s the biggest issue and not sure who’s fault is this. It feels like a coaching/leadership issue.
They beat the niners, Philly game offense sucked, but they beat them. They beat the Vikings. Now would be the time to push and build on these wins. It’s fricking December. Wilson and the team should be the best in November and December.
It was a huge game: A win would mean #1 seed. A lose wild card. They cannot step up to the challenge and play to win. They usually play not to lose.
Diggs had an amazing game. 2 INTs. How many TDs come from those? None (OK one INT was near our goal line). Blocked punt – zero TD,
It’s not just this game. It feels like the defense and sometimes ST creates a ton of turnovers, but the offense get us only a FG or not even that.
This doesn’t feel like a championship team and the thing that sucks is that I have no idea what is missing…
WR? They have Lockett, Gordon, DK, Moore. Maybe not a dreamteam, but not totally awful WRs either
QB? They have Wilson
TE? They have Dissly and Hollister is pretty good too
RB? They have Carson and Penny
OL? Brown is a beast, Hunt plays well, Ifedi not sucks at all, Fluker and Iupati is either awesome or awful, but the whole OL can play pretty solid
K? Maybe, but I doubt they’ll kick out Meyers
P? Dickson is not a pro bowler, but solid
LB? BWagz, KJ, Kendricks, Barton, BBK? Nope, I don’t think so
DT? Woods OK, Reed is good, Ford plays well
DE? Clowney, QJeff, Green, Ansah are not awful and can play really well too
EDGE? Not even sure who plays EDGE for us…Griffin is OK, guess Clowney lines up some too… EDGE would be fine, but doubt that’s the only true missing piece which would make or break this team
CB? Griffin is solid, Flowers can play good or bad, nCB is a need imo
S? McDougald, Diggs playing really well. Blair is a nice backup/big nickel
I don’t really see any huge glaring hole. Yeah, some position is a bit thin, some could use a playmaker…but if the guys play well, this is a pretty good roster with ton of potential.
I really feel the issues are with the lack of leadership. Russ tries to be the leader, but to me it feels like a puppy trying to be serious and pump up the guys. Bobby too…
I highly doubt this team has a coach like Saleh. PC is excited and full of energy, but he’s more cute than a brutal madmen.
As I thought through I think you were right Rob. We need BAMFS, plural. Not in a trash-talky way, but in attitude. I think Carson is BAMFy the way he runs. I could use a “block into the ground” type OL on offense and maybe a WR/RB hybrid who runs through contact and seeks to hit defenders after he catched the ball.
We need an Angry Doug, a beastmode Lynch (although I think Carson is somewhat that)
And a player on the D with the intensity of ETIII, a guy who hits like Kam and put the fear into the opponent’s offense.
The offense, the defense, the whole team feels like eating up these kind of energies. The offense got better after a hard Kam hit. The defense got pumped up after a big Marshawn run.
I think the FO will smear the blame, some on them some on the players (execution), and they try to get better, but everything will stay the same. I really hope they realize this team lacks the “umph” they had and target BAMFy players in the offseason…but I have my doubts
And this team will never win SB until they get back the attitude…because not exactly players, plays, talent, scheme or else missing, but that attitude
Wow. There has always been an element of negativity on this site, and I understand you are a bit pissed after losing to the Rams, but that’s a bit harsh.
I don’t like the assertion this is a negative site. We’ve been negative about the defense at times this year (with absolute reason to be). Aside from that I think this site has always been positive and offered a perspective lacking in other parts of the internet.
Totally agree with you Rob. This is one of the best sites to discuss all-things-Seahawks.
I’m not negative. This is a pretty complete team. But the culture shifted too much from Doug, Kam, Bennett, Sherm, ETIII, etc to a bit much vanilla. I don’t want drama queens, but I feel we could use swagger and intensity
I think at this point it is clear we need to draft a WR round 1. We need to surround our best player with as many options as possible.. this is the perfect draft to do it. Look what has happened when Lockett is not playing like he usually does, the whole offense pretty much collapsed.
Also, its really strange to me that Pete can’t figure out the Rams offense. I totally get that Goff is great when there is no pressure on him, but I still feel like we should be able to contain them better given that we have played them so many times now. Why do those WR sweeps work every time.. Obviously Pete is a great coach and I am confident he will figure it out with the Rams, its just surprising it has taken this long. Maybe we just don’t have the personnel?
TBH Seahawks got a little lucky this year, I don’t think we have the talent that San Fran or New Orleans has.. we are just getting by being clutch and having great mental toughness. This trait cannot be understated but if we don’t get home field it will be very tough. Really proud of this team tho, I think overall they really came up big this year. I think this year sets up a nice 3-4 year window for the Seahawks where they will be contenders every year. Just gotta be wise with cap and draft picks.
Well said Sean!
Completely agree that we should be proud of this team, and avoid tearing them down or pointing out all their weaknesses. Like you said they probably don’t have as much talent as the other top teams, but which Seahawk fan wouldn’t have taken this 10-3 record before the season began? We all knew this was a team in transition, even a rebuilding team if you like. They need more talent in key areas, that’s clear. Maybe they need a new speed WR or another weapon, definitely could use some pass rush help, another offensive line piece perhaps.
Throw out this Rams game and move on! As Rob noted, the Rams always play the Hawks tough, and they desperately needed this game last night to stay in the playoff hunt. There is a lot of talent on that team despite their struggles this year.
So, on to Carolina. Let’s hope they can get it back together and take care of business against a team that’s down this year. Win that game and they can close with two home games, and a possible division showdown in week 17!
I was rooting for NO yesterday, but at the end of the day, after our loss, and taking into count that we and SF will win next two games, it was better for us that 49ers won yesterday.
To win division, after our loss last night we need to win last game(no matter what SF did yesterday). And we have greater chance to take No1 seed with that Saints loss.
I thought the Hawks would play their best game vs. L.A. and I was wrong on a very high level. It smarts this morning.
I know we were without Kendricks but good lord, where were Wagner and Wright all night?….The secondary also looked slow and out of place. Who does this fall on?..the players, coaches or both?
Guys like Hollister dropping first down catches right in their hands. Thats when I knew this was a loss. Iv’e seen it before and that is why I went to bed shortly after the second half started. I could see the offense wasn’t going to make some miraculous comeback.
Penny likely done for the year. Too bad, but it’ seems pretty obvious now that this years team isn’t elite yet.
Couple things stood out to me:
1) Defense looked confused, slow to diagnose and slow to react. I noticed a couple plays where they were still pointing and talking to each other when the ball was snapped. They had no answer or adjustment to the Rams scheme which really never changed all night. McVey was smiling all night as if to say, “you have no answer for me tonight”. Hope Kendricks isn’t out long and they can find a way to execute their Nickel package better.
2) Lack of toughness with a few exceptions. This is what stood out in recent wins, but they were bullied last night and couldn’t punch back. Not sure what it is week to week, but this part seems mental to me. Something about LA must be in their heads.
3) Hawks have won games this year with just the offense and just the defense. This game, like Baltimore, neither played well. It’ll happen. It would be nice though to see both sides play well in the same game for a change though.
Hard to believe as inconsistent as they’ve been, they are still in contention for a playoff bye. Two games coming up they they SHOULD win setting up a great Week 17 showdown.
Couldn’t agree more. It is interesting that even when they get down big they still are running these long routes. They didn’t even roll Russ until mid 2nd quarter. We haven’t seen the quick game in quite a few games and it is bizarre. It is like the coaches still don’t trust Russ to make quick reads unless it is against a particular defensive scheme. Rams played a lot of man last night so maybe that scared them off? The easy outs, hitches and slants simply cannot vanish from the playbook. A 5 yrd passing gain is huge for this offense. It keeps the entire playbook open and keeps them within their comfort zone. There is something to be said for “doing what we do” no matter the opponent but to not exploit opportunities and adjust game plans just makes this game harder than it needs to be.
If you recall in the first Jurassic Park movie the resident game warden had an ominous line about the raptors…………”They’re learning”. Going into yesterday both the Niners and the Hawks had roughly the same motivations/stakes…………fight for top of division, potential top of conference, and bye weeks in play offs. The Niners had the added “burden” of two Eastern road games in a row, so much so they stayed away from home to lessen travel and time zone change impacts. Just on the optics alone, even though the motivations and potential rewards were nearly the same, which team looked like they wanted the desired outcome? The Niners are learning…………….how to win when they want/need to. Our guys are doing what they do too often………….no show when they can build a cushion. The Cardiac Hawks seem incapable of not putting themselves in a position of dire necessity. As Rob pointed out, paraphrasing, you play too close to the edge you risk falling off. If the Rams game were the only weak offensive showing of the season it wouldn’t be as much of a concern as it should be. Russ hasn’t looked sharp since the SF game. He hasn’t forgotten how to be a winner, but something(s) out of whack. The defense is doing the “bend not break” thing, with too much slant to bend too early/easily. Theories abound as to what, but it doesn’t matter what outsiders believe needs fixing, it’s whether or not the team figures it out. I don’t see how people are fairly confident that SF will be beatable in the season ender. They’re learning how to win, the Hawks are just being scrappy. Scrappy might be entertaining at times, but it’s too close to the edge for comfort.
Couple strong points I wanted to make on RW:
1) He has not played well for over a month now. Very concerning trend. He is completely out of the MVP talk.
2) It is damn near malpractice what the Seahawks have done to RW. They have made life so incredibly difficult on him when it comes to OL play, WR talent, scheme. I watch the Rams and almost every other offense we play create easy completions for their QB. Never see that for RW and our offense. Everything is razor thin margin of error. Everything looks difficult.
This isn’t a fire Schotty post btw. All I’m saying is that yes, RW hasn’t played well, but we do him no favors when it comes to supporting cast and scheme.
I’m really hoping they get back on track in the next few weeks, otherwise this absolutely looks like a 1 and done team in the playoffs. WR AND TE are an absolute priority this offseason. RW needs to play better…he also needs significantly more help.
I think defense should be the priority in the 2020 draft. And we need a TE as that group has grown incredibly thin. WR would be nice, but without a pass rush, games turn into track meets where our offense has to constantly score just to keep us in the ball game. Opposing QBs have too much time. A strong, effective D-line benefits practically every other position group on the team.
Sadly, as Rob has pointed out, this is not a strong DL class. And DL is the second most coveted position in the NFL after franchise QB, which makes things tougher still. Don’t know what we’re going to do. But, without a top tier D-line, we’ll be a second tire team.
I think we are just going to have to live with these sacks as it will be this way forever as long as RW is our QB. Its the exact same in Houston as Watson does it to. When you hold onto the ball as long as he does you are going to get sacks and great plays. Plus about 7-10 of these sacks are of the 0-1 yard loss variety.
You’re looking inwards too much. The Seahawks have plenty of outstanding plays — including easy completions — that other teams would LOVE. They have excellent talent at WR and have been as aggressive as anyone over the years to add weapons. They have spent as much as anyone on their OL and while it struggled last night, this is a much improved unit. The scheme you complain about had Seattle as the #1 DVOA offense going into the Rams game and Wilson had the best year of his career in 2018.
Perspective please people.
Agreed perspective is needed as it has been a mostly successful year. I think what isfrustrating is not that Seattle is missing tools for the the job, but sometimes doesn’t know when to use them. Last night and going back to the Philly game, where did the short passing game go? This doubling down on the longer routes when they are behind or under siege sometimes makes the game harder than it needs to. I mentioned above, a 5 yard pass may not mean more to another team than Seattle. Allows them to play their style of ball.
Well in fairness last night they were taken out of their style of play when they fell into a 14-3 hole so early in the game. And then when it became 21-3 the situation got worse. They had to chase. And let’s be right, they didn’t exactly start taking shots downfield. There were plenty of short passes. But the Seahawks were knocked out of their game plan very early.
*First game all year that I was actually expecting a loss.
Why? Have you listened to players and coaches all week?
The Rams came out with urgency.
The Hawks came out with …..something other than “laser focus”.
All week they seemed to be talking more about resting to recover from the Vikings and special cleats …than about an urgency beat the Rams.
They played absolutely flat. They played like a team that didn’t practice. This game felt like a side show in the middle of other things.
Low focus. Low rhythm. And much too patient to begin giving their best effort.
I hope they all barfed. And riding back in coach the vets and leaders were able to motivate everyone to have real practices this week.
I know I’ve said a couple times already, but I’m more convinced of getting an RB early in the draft this year.
Penny’s injury coupled with Carson as a ticking time bomb leaves very little depth going to next year. We’ll be lucky to have Penny 100% by start of next season.
I was originally pegging an R5 or later pick for RB, but it seems like a nice draft class of RB to wait that long.
Bit of a reality check. This team is plucky, but very, very flawed. Probably fatally flawed at EDGE, and Russell hasn’t played like an MVP in some time.
That said, we control our own destiny for a playoff BYE and potentially a #1 overall seed. That’s what it’s all about, and more than we could or could’ve hoped to expect. Catch fire and summon some “old time religion” as Dave Neihaus once said, and you’ve got a chance to… win a Super Bowl? A completely insane idea. I’ll take it.
Like you said this game didnt really cripple anything for us. We were going to have to win our last three games anyways so the division is our for the taking. We play a Panthers team that is reeling, a Cardinals team that has lost 6 straight then onto week 17 for the division. The more concerning thing from this game is Penny. Is he gone for the season or just the rest of the regular season. Bad news is we are losing the 1-2 punch, good news as its been mostly Carson the whole season anyways. Side note as after watching these teams all year its clear to me that the 49ers and the Ravens are the best two teams.
Reading Rob’s post game synopsis and the posts in this thread is why I like this site. Some very good analysis and almost all the essential bases covered concerning the plight of this team of ours. I’m pretty much repeating what others have already said, but the Hawks just can’t seem to put it all together. Putting special teams aside for the moment, there are four basic elements to the rest of the team…
1) Pass defense
2) Run defense
3) Pass offense
4) Run offense
Just when our overall defense starts coming around, particularly our pass defense, our pass offense goes AWOL. You don’t need all four of the areas to be great to be a contender, but you can’t be as inconsistent or even bad as we’ve been in one or two of these areas as we’ve been off and on throughout the season. Like others have mentioned, we’ve playing playing too close to the edge in this way all season long, and our 10-3 record has a bit of a smoke-and-mirrors element to it for this reason.
One other thing about this team. I absolutely love this team’s never-say-die attitude. I mentioned this in the other thread, but we’re like one of those killers in a slasher movie to other teams: We just won’t crawl away and die. Having said that, however, this team, somewhat ironically after using that analogy, lacks a killer instinct. They can’t seem to handle good fortune when it presents itself, can’t seem to, to use a somewhat brutal metaphor, put its boot on a team’s throat when such a moment presents itself. Both the Philly and Minne games were glaring examples of this. It’s that alpha thing.
Anyway, nice reads all.
Just want this to be clear. If GB and NO and SEA win out, we would be the 3 seed.
Saints have the head to head tiebreaker and GB would have division record tiebreaker. GB would be 6-0 in their division
Do we think GB will win out? They still have to play at Minnesota which is most likely a loss.
Is it not conference record? The head to head thing wouldnt work as we all havent played each other. If we all won out the Packers and Seahawks would have a conference record of 10-2 and the Saints would be 9-3. Maybe Im missing something?
Couple of observations from last nights game.
-How does the OL go from playing well against a solid Philly and SF DL to that fiasco last night. I know Russ held that ball but the OL and right side (Ifedi and Fluker) was an absolute joke. I have been a Fluker supporter but Jemarco Jones needs to be the starter at RG IMO.
-The Hawks need to find a Nickel CB. Maybe that is Amadi but the fact that he is behind King on the depth chart is concerning. In todays NFL that nickel CB spot is critical and the Hawks are way below average in this spot.
-Michael Kendricks speed and versatility were sorely missed. Barton has lots of potential and I hope he can replace KJ (looks old and slow) next year it the LB spot was a liability last night.
-How can the Hawks not have a defensive answer for the fly sweep yet. Game after game they struggle with a play they know is coming. Makes no sense to me.
-Love Wagner but that massive contract could soon look like a big mistake. Perhaps he has been battling and injury or something but he looks nothing like the player we have grown accustomed to seeing dominate on that side of the ball.
-Hawks played on a sort week and did not practice all week. It showed and I hope this is the wake up call they need to start a run to playoffs.
-No pass rush yesterday is a major concern against a very average Rams OL. I keep hearing LJ Collier missed some time in training camp so he gets a pass on this year but I see absolutely nothing that makes me think he has the potential to be a starter much less an impact player.
-Metcalf is legit and going to be a legit #1 if he can clean up some things. Locket seems to be getting a little healthier and Gordon is starting to get incorporated a little more in the offense. This all give me hope if the OL can protect a little better and Russ gets back on track they could heat up at the right time heading into the playoffs.
-The Carolina game is huge and the Hawks offense in particular needs to come out and dominate. Schotty needs to scheme to try and get Russ going early. They need a truly dominant game to rebuild confidence heading into the rematch with SF and then the playoff stretch.
Finally I hate the Rams. I have always hated them even when Fischer was there. Sorry just had to get it out.
Agree on all points, esp. the LBs. Wagner looked like a bodybuilder chasing a protein shake most of the night. Wright has moments, but overall looks washed. Love Barton’s energy and enthusiasm, so I’ll leave it at that. IMO, playing in the NFC West, your LBs have to be fast, twitchy and able to cover. Our backers look like relics, better suited to the AFC North or West.
Good points Trevor. The jet sweep is maddening. KJ and Bobby are both looking a step behind to me. It’s frustrating to see Goof look completely bewildered and generally terrible two weeks ago and then watch him carve us up.
I’m not too upset that we lost. I thought this would probably be an L. The way we lost was pretty ugly though. Flat and never seemed to even be in the game.
That said, we’re right in the thick of it, and I would have happily taken 10-3 after we squeaked out a 1 point win against the Bengals in week one.
Metcalf is 12/13 (completions/attempts) in the last 2 games. That is really great to see, despite the fumble a week ago. People really need to start getting pumped up about DK’s future. Jalen Ramsey was assigned to DK for most of the game. That is awesome to see. Not to mention, he looks like a real worker.
That said, it does not negate the need for more dynamic pass catchers.
This was a pretty bad game after a pretty good one. The truth lies somewhere inbetween, I think.
The OL was dominated by our adversaries in 9 of 13 games. We are on course to break our negative record in sacks, QB hits and pressures taken (from 2018). The group is an assortment of veterans, the second most experienced line in the league. It doesn’t help.
The DL was not able to consistently penetrate in at least 10 games. We are on course to all-time lows under PCJS in sacks and pressures. We have an assortment of young players supporting a core of “names”, who are not delivering enough to warrant a name.
The Niners and Ravens are superb on both sides of the ball on the LOS. The last three SB winners plus their adversaries were superb in the trenches. You will not get to the SB without being good to awesome at least on DL and decent at OL.
This is the task at hand to propel this team to the next level.
Not pointy little targets, who will not offer more options than the ones already at hand. A deep high pointing target like TJ Vasher or a slot receiver like Ursua could add such options. The former is a late rounder or UDFA, the latter is already on the team.
Why do you post the same thing every week?
By the way, you might want to watch San Fran’s O-line.
The Hawks most certainly DID practice last week. They we’re outcoached and outplayed.
We just need to find a way to not let Robert Woods look like Jerry Rice, and maybe how to defend a jet sweep.
Yeah, that jet sweep killed us in the second half.
The Seahawks will have exceeded my expectations by making the playoffs. However, I don’t believe the hype and continue to think they’re a very flawed/average team.
Russell Wilson needs more weapons and a better OL. Carson, Lockett, Metcalf are core, but not enough. Brown, Moore, Turner, Hollister are JAGs. OL needs to get healthier; difficult to establish consistency if 3 of 5 are playing at 60-80% any given Sunday.
Defense needs more speed, pressure, better coverage (less base, more nickel). Front 7 (esp. LBs) is too slow to deal with the Ravens, 49ers, Rams, Saints. Evolve or die. Spend the Clowney/Reed money on Fowler and/or Griffen. Draft/sign some twitch, speed, BAMF-ery. Find a nickel CB (oh, look, there’s Amadi!) and give the base a rest.
Oh, well. Blue Monday.
As disappointing of a loss as it was, the Rams still only scored 28 points against us (most in the first half), in spite of the fact that they all too often had their way against us both running and passing the ball. Lest we forget, after that Diggs pick six, and being down 21-9, we had, I believe, three chances to make it a one score game and couldn’t/didn’t. For a brief moment there, I thought we were going to turn the game around.
On to Carolina. Let’s show some alpha dog in these next two games, shall we?
Go Hawks!
They were laughing at us. We got punked.
If there’s a team in our division that got punked this year, it’s the Rams. Let’s not forget the shellacking they took at home against the Ravens. That’s getting punked.
Oh, I thought your main point was “the Rams still only scored 28 points against us…” If it had been that other teams have gotten punked this year, I would have agreed and not replied.
I convinced myself that Diggs pick 6 was the momentum shift we needed.
LOL. I had already switched to Watchmen, but came back, believed for about 5 more minutes.
Tell the truth Monday: I didnt listen to Beethoven’s 9th
It will be interesting to see how they handle having only one running back to count on next week. Can’t count on Prosice. Will they doggedly run Carson up the middle until he is worn out ? Will Homer get some reps ? Will the coaching staff abandon the play book and come up with some new wrinkles in the passing game as the Rams did ? As for the defense, they are going to see a lot more of what the Rams did in the next three games. I hope they can find an answer.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Travis Homer get some carries.
Very sad about Penny, I have had high hopes for him since drafted. My wishlist for draft is now: trade back to early second and pick up an extra third; Jonathan Taylor or Dobbins with our early second; Devonta smith with our next second; Rashard Lawrence final second; chaisson with our third (Rob you seem to think he may last this long); Antoine Winfield or damion Arnette final third.
Klavon Chassion reminds me so much of Danielle Hunter. 6’5″ 240 lbs coming out, very freakish athletically but not much production. Maybe it is LSU not using them properly? I thought for sure Hunter was going to be a Seahawk and I think the same of Chassion.
I agree completely and I think we were both on the Hunter bandwagon with Vol12 and some others, but I think we are in the minority when is comes to Chaisson. I think he is exactly the type of athlete this DL is missing. They dont have a speed rusher and need one badly IMO. It may take him a year or so to develop but I think he had a ton of upside.
I don’t see the same players personally. Hunter was a clear DE and had all the physical tools but none of the production and not much in the way of good tape. Chaisson to me looks like a linebacker hybrid.
Just go and read this:http://www.hawkblogger.com/2019/12/the-morning-after-seahawks-have-fallen-and-they-can-get-up.html
GO HAWKS!
I went over and read the blog you referenced. And I agree with most of it. However it does not address the fact that running the ” rock ” is your major game plan and you only have one competent rock to run, what do you do ? How many carries can Carson handle and not break down? The Hawk brain trusts will have to come up with a lot of new wrinkles. The question is can they ?
Was that Seattle’s 1st road loss this season?
It truly was.
Wtf is up with the third down sacks? Seems like we’re too predictable or something. Maybe we just dont have the talent to block a good line when they pin their ears back in obvious passing downs and our run threat is masking a lot of errors on the OL
Ken Norton and Brian Shottenheimer were simply out-coached. The Rams took away our deep game on offense and gave Geoff ample time to pick us apart on defense. Nothing points to being out-coached like the Rams running the same end around play for good yardage twice in a row. Unlike last year the Rams didn’t look faster, they just looked better prepared and put their people in better positions to execute.
A subjective but non-homer analysis reveals that the Seahawks have done more with less than any team in the league while playing in the toughest conference. It also shows how important a resurgent Ansah was to our improved pass rush. Take him away and Clowney’s impact was reduced which emphasizes just how important finding a Clowney bookend in the off season becomes. This game also revealed how valuable Michael Kendricks has been and how his versatility changes our defense.
Why Norton and Schottenheimer and not Carroll?
+1
Let’s just say for kicks that we win the next two games and face the 49ers with an 12-3 record to their 13-2 record and the game is for the division title and at least the #2 seed. Can someone help me out here? What other final games of the season have had as much at stake as this potential game described? I’m drawing a blank at the moment.