Note: I have been remiss in not making any blog posts about our Seattle Seahawks  run to the NFL playoffs at the end of this 2019 season. With this article (really a series of articles) I am remedying that situation, starting with Seattle’s 37-30 nationally televised victory over the Minnesota Vikings in early December, and up to the NFC playoffs wild-card round victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday—a stretch of 6 games. Through these games the Seahawks have been frustrating yet thrilling; disappointing yet intriguing. They’ve also been riddled with injuries, and yet still find themselves with a real shot at the NFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. Can they do it? We’ll know a lot more after tomorrow’s Divisional Round game against Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Until then, I hope you enjoy this summary. Go Hawks!! MA

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3 December, 2019

Seahawks vs Vikings

Well, it’s been a long climb to get there, but with tonight’s nationally televised 37-30 victory over the Minnesota Vikings our Seahawks are at long last in 1st place in the NFC West. All the Hawks have to do now to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs is keep winning. Our team still has a tough road, with games vs the LA Rams, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and the 49ers to close out the regular season; but that bye, and possibly the top seed in the playoffs, is there for the taking. Tonight, the Seahawks won the game partially because, as with last week, they were able to run the ball and control the clock. Coming into the game the Vikings were giving up less than 100 yards rushing per game; yet the Hawks rolled up over 200 yards on them. With Carson going for 102 yards and Rashad Penny 74, Seattle controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game, an astounding 20 minutes more than Minnesota.

They also won the game partially because of turnovers, a Brad McDougald fumble recovery and a Tre Flowers interception of Kirk Cousins; plays which stopped Vikings drives and resulted in 10 Seattle points. And, the Hawks won because they stopped the marvelous Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, cold. Cook who has already rushed for over 1000 yards this season, was held to 29 yards rushing and finally had to leave the game for good with an injured shoulder. The Vikings as a team were held to less than 80 yards on the ground, which forced the game into QB Kirk Cousin’s hands, and he just wasn’t equal to the task. It is good to see the robust Hawks running game take some of the pressure off Russell Wilson. To get where the team wants to go they need to keep doing that.

Truthfully, Seattle should have won this game going away; but didn’t, primarily because of three major mistakes: a DK Metcalf fumble which halted a Hawks drive and gave the ball back to the Vikings; a blown coverage by McDougald which resulted in a long Vikings scoring pass; and a Russell Wilson sack that resulted when he held the ball for far too long while trying, and failing, to escape pressure. Those mistakes don’t happen and Seattle wins this game by 3 scores.

One of these days this team will play a complete game with no major errors. If they ever do they can be scary good; but for now we’ll have to settle for the wins, no matter how we get them. Go Hawks!! MA

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8 December, 2019

Seahawks vs LA Rams

It’s GAME DAY, BABY!! As I write this, the Saints and 49ers are battling it out in an amazing game, with the 49ers leading 35-33. Whatever happens in that game, the Seahawks just need to keep winning. Tonight, in another prime-time game, our team takes on the LA Rams, a team that seems to be regaining its mojo after a rollercoaster season so far. This will be just another tough game for the Hawks, as they all are, but fortunately I think the Hawks have the formula to win. That formula is:

1. use the two-headed monster of Chris Carson and Rashad Penny to run the ball and control time of possession. This keeps the ball away from Jared Goff and his great receivers AND mitigates Aaron Donald and the Rams fearsome pass rush.

2. Ball security by Penny and Carson (and DK Metcalf)–to this point in the season Seattle is one of the worst teams in the league in both fumbles and fumbles lost, and that cannot continue if the Hawks want to win the NFC West and home field playoff advantage. Uncharacteristically, ball security has been a real problem for the Seahawks. It’s got to stop now!!

3. Russell Wilson must play mistake free football; ie he can’t be taking 15 yard sacks and causing batted ball interceptions. My only critique of Russell is that sometimes he tries to do too much, particularly in trying to extend plays, which ordinarily is one of his huge strengths. 10-20 yard sacks, however, are drive destroyers, and just can’t happen.

4. The Hawks need to continue racking up takeaways; two or three more tonight would be huge. Clowney and company would help this a lot by getting pressure on Goff, like they did against the 49ers and Eagles.

There you go Hawks fans. To the degree our team does the above, our chances of another win increase. If they do all these things they can’t lose. Tonight, the Seattle Seahawks need to play like champions! Go Hawks!!

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Note: On Sunday, December 8^th, The Seahawks played one of their worst games of the season in losing to the Rams 28-12. It was an incredibly frustrating game to watch and I was so disgusted by the time the debacle was over that I didn’t want to write anything about it. With a possible #1 NFC playoff seed and resultant first-round bye on the line, I couldn’t believe our team would go out and lay an egg like that—but they did, and in front of a national TV audience to boot. After a few days I felt better about things, especially after the Hawks travelled east for another 10 AM start vs the Carolina Panthers…and so the narrative continues…MA 

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15 December, 2019

Seahawks vs Carolina Panthers: Playoffs clinch

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS ON CLINCHING A 2019 NFL PLAYOFF BERTH!! In addition, after today’s 30-24 win over the Carolina Panthers, AND the 49ers loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Hawks are back in 1st place in the NFC West, PLUS, for the time being they have the number one seed AND the coveted first-round playoffs bye and home field advantage (if the playoffs started tomorrow, which they don’t.) On top of all this, the Seahawks set a team record for road wins with 7, and are 4-0 in 10 AM east coast starts. Next week they take on the Arizona Cardinals at The Clink, who look better to me than their 4-9-1 record indicates. There are all sorts of possible playoff seeding combinations still in play, and I don’t pretend to understand them all, but if the Hawks keep winning it will take care of everything. Let’s hope they do, and GO HAWKS!!

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17 December, 2019

Seahawks vs Carolina Panthers Review

Hey Twelves!

It’s been a wild season to this point, that’s for sure. Though our team is currently 11-3 and in 1st place in the NFC West, and is one of just 4 teams left with a shot at the #1 seed in the playoffs, (the others are the 49ers, Packers and Saints), I’d be being less than honest if I was to say that I’m completely confident in them. All of the wins and excitement they have delivered this season notwithstanding, this team is, to me, quite flawed; and the stat that most represents this is the fact that they are only plus 26 in points scored vs points allowed. It’s been decades since a team with 11 wins at this point in the season has had such a small points scored vs points allowed differential. Seattle has something like 10 one score victories this year; good for the won-loss record but bad for the blood pressure of us fans.

The Panthers game this last weekend typifies Seattle’s bad habit of building up a big lead and then blowing it late in the game. The problem for the most part has been the defense, and specifically an anemic pass rush. Except for the 49ers game and the Eagles game, in which it seemed the team’s defense and pass rush suddenly resuscitated, it has been that way. Against the Panthers, the mounting injuries certainly affected Seattle’s defense late in the game. The Hawks finished with 6 defensive starters, including Bobby Wagner and Quandre Diggs (sprained ankles), on the sidelines with a bevy of rookies and 2nd year players replacing them. As a result, Carolina nearly came all the way back late in the game. But injuries or no, this sort of thing has been a common occurrence with these Seahawks. The same thing happened against the Vikings, the Falcons, the Steelers and the Bucs, and it must get corrected if they are to make any kind of a decent playoff run. But we are 14 games into this season, and it still isn’t corrected, so I despair that it ever will get corrected this season. With such a huge problem, the team has done well to put itself in this position at this point in the season. In fact, I’d say it’s almost a miracle. In the Pete Carroll era, however, the standard is getting to and winning the Super Bowl, and it’s hard for me to see that happening unless the defense and pass rush show dramatic improvement across these last two games and on into the playoffs. I hope it happens, but I’m not confident it will.

Can we get to the Super Bowl anyway?

I suppose it’s possible, but it won’t be good for my blood pressure…or yours. Go Hawks! MA

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22 December, 2019

Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals Preview,

Hey Twelves! Happy Game Day!

Some final thoughts before the Seahawks vs Cardinals game today at the Clink: First, the NFC is at last sorting itself out as far as playoffs seedings are concerned. With San Francisco’s win over the Rams last night LA is now eliminated from the playoffs. Also, as I write this the Saints are pulling away from the Titans, and with a win will tie the 49ers for the best record in the conference at 12-3. Obviously both those teams would still have a shot at the number 1 seed and first-round bye/home field advantage through the playoffs.

The Seahawks could still lose to the Cardinals today, yet win the NFC West with a victory over the 49ers next Sunday. In that eventuality, they would have the same record as the 49ers, but, would win the Division by virtue of having beaten the 9ers twice. However, if the Hawks lose today they will almost certainly surrender any shot at the number 1 seed for the NFC playoffs. To get to the Super Bowl we want that bye and home field, so the simple solution for Seattle is to just keep winning, and today it won’t be easy. (of course with this team, when is it ever easy?). The Cardinals and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray have been improving as the season has progressed and are no pushover, so the Hawks need their A game today. They’ll have to do it without 4 of their best players, as Duane Brown, Jadeveon Clowney, Shaquille Griffin and Quandre Diggs are all out with injuries.

To sum up, while a loss today to the Cardinals would not be fatal to our team, it would make things so much easier if we won.

Ok, I’ve said my piece. Enjoy the game and Go Hawks!! MA

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28 December, 2019

Cardinals Review/Marshawn Lynch/49ers Preview

With the Seahawks and the 49ers playing for the NFC West title this Sunday in a prime-time game at the Clink, I’ve got a lot on my mind, so I’m just going to let it rip.

First, it’s taken me a few days to get that bad Cardinals game taste out of my mouth; but on thinking about it, the result of that game becomes more understandable. Consider all that happened with the Hawks in the week leading up to the game, starting with the news that Quandre Diggs suffered a severe high ankle sprain and would miss the Cardinals game and maybe more. Since we’ve had Diggs at safety our defense has had a presence at the back end that its been lacking since the LOB/Cam Chancellor days, and he wasn’t there for the Cardinals. Of course, the Hawks were also missing their number one corner and best defensive lineman for that game as well, Shaquill Griffin and Jadeveon Clowney respectively. Add it all up and there is no way all that doesn’t have an impact on that game.

But, there are some other things I wonder about. A team, or any group really, has a certain esprit or culture to it, and two things happened in the week before the Cardinals game that may have affected this culture as far as the Hawks are concerned. The first was the news that wide receiver Josh Gordon was, once again, suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s drug policies. Maybe with Gordon’s history we should have expected it, but, by all accounts, he was fitting in well with the team and he was gaining Russel Wilson’s confidence as a route runner and because of his incredible hands, which were on full display in the Carolina game when he hauled in that 58 yard Wilson bomb with a diving fingertip catch. Just from the little we saw of him, Gordon’s talent is undeniable, and that itself is a big loss; but I wonder about the effect on the team’s spirit. Then, just a couple days later, defensive tackle Al Woods was suspended for 4 games for violation of the league’s policies on performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Woods was playing well for the Hawks on running downs. At 330 pounds, he took up a lot of space on the D line, and was another significant missing piece in the Cardinals game. As with Gordon, I wonder about the effect his suspension had on the team’s collective psyche. From where you and I sit as fans it’s hard to assess; but one thing for sure, it didn’t help.

On top of all this, we got the news late in the practice week that left tackle Duane Brown needed knee surgery and wouldn’t be there protecting Wilson’s blind side against the Cardinals and NFL sack leader Chandler Jones. The result? Jones had the game of his season and maybe his career, sacking Wilson 4 times. All of the above, plus the loss of both running backs, Chris Carson AND CJ Prosise, due to injuries during the game, made the Cardinals tilt one of the most frustrating I’ve ever witnessed as a fan. With the loss, and with the 49ers beating the Rams in a tight game the day before, San Fran took over 1st place in the NFC West and our team lost any chance at a number one NFC playoff seed and home field advantage through the post season.

Still, with a victory over the 49ers at the Clink this coming Sunday, Seattle could still claim the NFC West title, even though the two teams would have identical 12-4 records, on the strength of two Hawks wins in head to head match ups this season. In the first 24 hours after the Cardinals loss, however, the prospect of the Seahawks beating the 9ers this Sunday seemed too remote to contemplate. We still had Russell, Bobby Wagner and Tyler Lockett, but with no running backs, no Duane Brown, no Quandre Diggs, as well as the missing pieces already described, it just wasn’t realistic to think Seattle could beat the powerful 49ers. That’s how it seemed, but then Seattle GM John Schneider went out and signed as a replacement running back a local living legend, “Beastmode” Marshawn Lynch.

When I first heard the news I couldn’t believe what my ears were telling me. What? How? Where? Really? Lynch hasn’t played in an NFL game in 14 months. How could he possibly be in playing shape? Yet, after a few days of practice Pete Carroll is telling us in his news conferences that the old Seahawks back looks fantastic and that he is ready to go, as does another former Seattle running back from their glory days whom they also signed, Robert Turbin. Of course, Lynch’s signing with Seattle is big news in the sports world, with all the pundits in the NFL talk shows weighing in on the matter. Most seem to think that Beastmode’s return will have a positive effect on Seahawks morale that will wear off after the first sting of battle. Initially I agreed with them, but after looking at things, I’m not so sure. Both Lynch and Turbin are familiar with Seattle’s system which should lessen the difficulty in bringing them up to speed. And they have fresh legs, obviously. In addition, as I recall, both are excellent in pass protection, which could help offset the lack of Brown at left tackle, the side often inhabited by the 49ers’ superb defensive end Nick Bosa (9 sacks). The 49ers have also been hit by injuries, particularly at the defensive tackle position, and could be weak up the middle, which is where the Seahawks like to run it. If Lynch and company can scratch out enough yards on the ground and force the 49ers to have to pay attention to Seattle’s running game, then it should be enough to give our teams’ play action passing game some teeth.

That’s the theory anyway. To me this game falls on Russell Wilson’s shoulders primarily. For the Seahawks to win he must play great and play like a champion. That means he cannot hang on to the ball too long and can’t take sacks as he did against the Cardinals. He’ll have to throw the ball away when he needs to and fit it into some tight windows when he needs to, and all with no turnovers. At last report the Seahawks will have both Griffin and Clowney back for this game on defense, but Diggs is still doubtful. Without him, and with the 49ers great tight end George Kittle back (he missed the first game these teams played) we will be hard pressed to hold him down. (Defending tight ends has been a Seahawks weakness all season)

But, in the end, Beastmode, Turbin and all the rest notwithstanding, if Russell Wilson plays great in this game, then our team has a good chance to defeat the 49ers and claim the NFC West title.

After all this team and we Twelves have been through this season, I think that would be something special. Go Hawks!! MA

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2 January, 2020

49ers Review

OK Twelves, the playoffs are upon us. With back to back losses to the Cardinals and the 49ers to end the season the Seahawks have blown the chance for the NFC #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the post season. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I know our team is flawed, and so I didn’t really expect that they would actually pull off becoming the number one seed; but I was hoping for it. So now our Seahawks head to Philadelphia for a wild-card round playoff game against the Eagles this coming Sunday as the number 5 seed. Such is life in the NFL. I will post my comments on the upcoming Eagles match up in a day or so; but for now I want to share some thoughts on the loss to the 49ers.

Pete Carroll is fond of saying that you can’t win games in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd quarters, but that you can win in the 4th quarter. Of course, he’s right in the sense that no game is over until 4 quarters have been played, but I disagree that games cannot be lost in the 1st or 2nd quarters. Take this recent San Francisco game as an example. To me Seattle lost this game in the first two quarters. They scored zero points in the first half of a game for the first time in something like two years and barely mustered 70 yards in total offense for the half. The defense couldn’t stop Jimmy Garoppolo and crew and the offense couldn’t do anything against the 49ers vaunted D. Then in the 2nd half the Seahawks defense starts out by holding the bruisers from the Bay Area to a 3 and out, which is followed by Russell Wilson taking the Hawks offense on 3 consecutive scoring drives (all TDs) and nearly a 4th, which came within centimeters of winning the game. Had our team just done something—anything—in the first half; even a field goal, we would be talking now about a Seahawks win instead of a loss, and a home playoff game instead of one on the road. Complain all you want about Carroll’s incredibly bad clock management on that play near the end of the game; bitch all you want about the latest NFL officiating gaffe in blowing that pass interference call in the end zone on Hollister–the fact is if Seattle gets any kind of performance in the first half this is a different game. No one will ever convince me that that isn’t where we lost it.

One of the flaws of this team is that, and I don’t know why, it sometimes takes them a quarter and a half to get going. Another is that Seattle’s defense, with rare exceptions, just isn’t very good. Even with the great offensive play in the 2nd half our D kept allowing the 49ers to respond with scores of their own. Nevertheless, the Hawks played what may be the best team in football this year (the 49ers, though the Ravens may have something to say about that before it’s all over) to a standstill. When they play like they did against the 49ers in the 2nd half last Sunday night they can beat anybody. When they play like they did in the 1st half in that game they can be beat by anybody.

OK, Twelves, I’ve said my piece on the 49ers game; I’ve gotten it off my chest. I hope the Hawks had a good “Tell The Truth” Monday and confronted what went wrong in that terrible first half and are taking steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the playoffs. If it happens again in Philly we’ll be “one and done” for sure, and none of us want that…Go Hawks!!

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3 January, 2020

Eagles Wild-Card Preview

On Sunday, the Seahawks take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of this year’s NFL Playoffs. While Seattle secured a playoff berth a few weeks back, the Eagles needed a 4-game winning streak to end the season, a stretch that included a critical week 16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, to end with a 9-7 record and the NFC East title. Though the Seahawks have the better record (11-5) this first-round game will be played in Philly as the Eagles won their division, while Seattle, with last week’s loss to the 49ers, did not, and is therefore a wild-card team.

There are a number of reasons to feel good about our team’s chances this weekend against the Eagles. First and foremost, this game will mark the return of Quandre Diggs at safety after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. As I see it the return of Diggs is huge for Seattle, as with him at the back end the Hawks D has been noticeably better. In addition, Jadeveon Clowney came out of the 49ers game none the worse for wear and will play this weekend, whereas when Seattle played Philadelphia in week 12 in early December he did not. We will lose linebacker Michael Kendricks (out for season with an ACL injury) for this game, but his replacement, rookie Cody Barton, at least has some game experience under his belt and has shown he is capable.

On offense, Seattle will also have Luke Willson back at tight end to spell Jacob Holllister (41 catches), who has emerged as a real threat for Russell Wilson. The big loss will be the absence of left tackle Duane Brown, who will miss this game as he recovers from knee surgery. The Eagles defense has logged 43 sacks so far this season and you may recall that 5 or 6 of those came against the Seahawks during that week 12 meeting. Without Brown Seattle’s O-line will be hard pressed, but must find a way to protect Wilson. They simply can’t let that many sacks happen again and still hope to win. I expect that offensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer and Wilson will make liberal use of check downs, swing passes and screens to offset the Eagles pass rush and help the offensive line. Though the Hawks running backs have been decimated by injury, you can still expect Seattle to run the ball with rookie Travis Homer, who had a great game against the 9ers, and Marshawn Lynch, which will also help to keep the Eagles pass rushers honest. The Eagles are stout against the run however, so it will be interesting to see how Seattle runs the ball this weekend. If Wilson can get some protection he will have the chance to throw the ball down field to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, as the Eagles secondary is not that good and can be taken advantage of. Hopefully the wind won’t be as bad in Philadelphia as it was a few weeks ago, when the gusts really mitigated the passing game.

As far as Philly is concerned, they are also decimated by injuries. As of this writing it looks like they will be down TWO offensive linemen, right tackle Lane Johnson and right guard Brandon Brooks, who is out for the season. The Eagles superb tight end Zach Ertz is also questionable for this game with a lacerated kidney (ouch!), and if he can’t go that will be a major hit for Philly, especially considering how Seattle has struggled against tight ends this season. Of course, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is a huge plus for them. Across the 4-game winning streak he has been playing incredibly well, despite the fact he has been missing his best receivers to injury. When these two teams played a few weeks ago Seattle was able to sack Wentz five times while forcing 5 turnovers (2 picks and 3 fumbles). If the Hawks can come close to that performance again it will help their cause immeasurably. Taking the ball away has been a huge plus for the Seahawks all season. They have recorded 16 interceptions and recovered 16 fumbles this season and are among the league leaders in give-away/take-away ratio. Hopefully that trend continues this Sunday against the Eagles. If it does it is hard for me to see how Philly can win.

All that said, the Seahawks need to display some urgency and get off to a fast start on Sunday. If they come out listless like last week against the 49ers, it will be hard to win this game. This is the playoffs, and we will get the Eagles’ best shot, that’s for sure. I hope our team is equal to the task. GO HAWKS!!

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7 January, 2020

Eagles Wild-Card Review

Congratulations to our Seattle Seahawks on their Wild Card weekend 17-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday in Philly. With the victory the Hawks now advance to the NFC playoffs divisional round against the Green Bay Packers; a game that will be played at legendary Lambeau Field next Sunday afternoon. It should be an awesome game at an awesome venue—Russell Wilson vs. Aaron Rodgers—one more time. Can’t wait for that one, but this Eagles game just played merits a few more comments before we turn our full attention to Green Bay.

First, regarding the hit on Eagles QB Carson Wentz by Seattle’s Jadeveon Clowney that knocked Wentz out of the game with a concussion midway through the first quarter. I have seen most of the NFL talking heads now and listened to what they had to say about the play. Virtually all agree that Clowney should have been penalized for the hit and that he likely will be fined. Most, with a couple exceptions, stop short of calling it a dirty play. The facts of the play are that Wentz took the snap from shotgun and looked to pass, but then took off to his right to try and advance the ball as a runner. When he did this the rules regarding protecting quarterbacks, such as roughing the passer in its various forms, no longer apply, because Wentz was now a runner. He ran for a yard or two and was hit in the legs by Seattle safety Bradley McDougald. With McDougald’s tackle Wentz fell forward and was nearly to the ground when Clowney, who had been pursuing the play, hit him in the upper back and head, which vigorously drove Wentz’s head into the turf. The eagles quarterback got to his feet and played a few more plays before being taken out of the game with concussion symptoms. That is the description of the play as it happened. Other pertinent facts are that Wentz was not “giving himself up” (like you see Russell Wilson do all the time with his feet first slides) on the play but was still trying to gain yards, and the officials had not blown the whistle to signify the play was over by the time Clowney made his hit. These circumstances technically made Wentz fair game for any other Hawks tackler to take a shot at him.

The facts just described are pretty much irrefutable by anyone with eyeballs who can observe. The one thing Clowney did wrong, and that he most likely did warrant a penalty for in my view, was that when he hit Wentz he led with his head and made helmet to helmet contact. I have not actually read the NFL rules on this, but my understanding is that such hits constitute a personal foul, regardless of whether Wentz was being a runner or not. My opinion is that Clowney was not trying to hurt Wentz with the hit he made. Indeed, at the time the play happened no flag was thrown and the officials noted that Wentz was a runner and felt the helmet to helmet contact was “incidental.” Until Wentz left the game for concussion protocol I don’t recall the TV commentators saying much about it either. It is unfortunate for Wentz and his team that he was knocked out of the game like that. I would agree that perhaps Clowney should be fined for the helmet to helmet hit, but it should end there. It is a huge stretch to say that he was deliberately trying to hurt Wentz and is a dirty player, as I have heard some people claim. Football is a tough game, and concussion causing hits do happen. So, enough said about the Clowney/Wentz incident.

The real story of this game was the play of DK Metcalf and Russell Wilson, who both were fantastic. Wilson completed 18-30 passes for 325 yards and one TD, a beautiful 53-yard bomb to Metcalf; while DK caught 7 balls for an astounding 160 yards (an NFL playoffs rookie record) and the aforementioned score. Wilson was also Seattle’s best rusher for the game, gaining 45 yards on 9 carries, and between his passing and running he accounted for 95% of the Hawks offense. The Eagles have an excellent defensive line and are one of the best NFL teams against the run. They showed it in holding Seattle’s running backs Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch to a combined 19 yards on 17 carries. But they had no answer for Wilson and Metcalf, as well as Tyler Lockett and the other Hawks receivers. Wilson’s prowess really showed up on 3rd downs. The Hawks converted 8 of 15 3rd downs for the game, but the astounding thing is how good they were on 3rd and long downs (10 yards or more). Though only sacked once, Wilson was under constant pressure by the Eagles defense, taking 11 hits throughout the contest. Nevertheless, he completed passes for 24 yards on third-and-11, 26 yards on third-and-4, 38 yards on third-and-10, 20 yards on third-and-1, 19 yards on third-and-10, and 36 yards on the final third-and-10. He also had an 18-yard run on third-and-15, to make five conversions on third-and-10 or longer downs. Unbelievably, 7 of Seattle’s 10 longest plays came on 3rd downs.

Compare that to Philadelphia’s 3rd down conversion rate (3-11) and you have a major reason why Seattle won this game. My advice to all Seahawks fans is to enjoy this marvelous quarterback of ours while we can, for we are watching a Hall of Fame career in the making. Before he is through Russell Wilson will be considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time…and that’s sayin’ something. Go Hawks!! MA

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10 January, 2020

Packers Divisional Round Preview

Happy NFC Divisional Round Playoffs, everyone! In a little less than 3 days our Seattle Seahawks will invade Lambeau Field, legendary home field of the Green Bay Packers and the Lambeau Leap, for a divisional round playoff game against the Packers. Last I checked Green Bay was favored by 4 points in this game, and on the face of it I find it hard to argue. To start off, the Packers are well rested due to having secured the #2 seed and resultant first-round bye in the NFC Playoffs by virtue of their 13-3 record. They are also relatively healthy and will be very close to full strength for this game. The Seahawks, in contrast, have a battered offensive line and may once again be without left tackle Duane Brown and left guard Mike Iupati. Likely it will go right down to game time before we know if those two will play.

Of course, it’s well known that the Hawks have lost for the season running backs Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and CJ Prosise, a fact which rendered what was one of the top running attacks in the NFL to near impotence against the Eagles (19 yards on 17 carries). Fortunately against Philly Seattle didn’t need that running game to win. It’s hard for me to believe that will work against the Packers. Whether they have Brown and Iupati or not, the Hawks will have to get some kind of running game out of Marshawn Lynch and rookie Travis Homer. Helping them do it will be the fact that the Packers are not nearly as good against the run as the Eagles were this season, ranking 23rd in the league; but with the cold at Lambeau, likely in the 20s with a good chance of snow, which could mitigate Seattle’s passing game, as I see it there’s no way around the fact that our team will have to run the ball to win.

The Packers, meanwhile, have a healthy Aaron Jones at running back, and he has emerged as one of the best in the league; not only at running the ball (over 1000 yards this season) but also catching the ball out of the backfield (49 receptions for 474 yards). To boot, Jones scored 19 touchdowns this season, 16 rushing and 3 receiving. As you can see, the man is a real dual threat and containing him has to be one of our defensive priorities. Any team with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback will always be a threat through the air, and even though he is now 36 years old, the Packers great can still wing it, as well as scramble with the best of them. His top receiver, Davante Adams, caught 83 balls for nearly 1000 yards and 5 scores this season, but he is not Rodgers’ only option. Tight end and former Seahawk Jimmy Graham had 38 receptions and wide receiver Allen Lazard 35. We all know how inconsistent Seattle’s defense has been this year, particularly our team’s pass rush. Nevertheless, they have had some good performances, specifically in that first 49ers game and also in that first game against Philadelphia, and last week they had 7 sacks against the Eagles. I think the Seahawks will need such a performance by their defense again to have a chance to win.

On defense, Green Bay likes to play 6 defensive backs a lot, and so relies on the their defensive line to rush the passer without a lot of blitzes or linebacker help. The Pack defensive line has been very successful getting pressure, especially from the Smith brothers ( Za’Darius and Preston, who aren’t really brothers) who have 26 sacks between them. Add defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the mix (6 sacks), and you can see Green Bay has an excellent defensive front. The pressure they get, combined with the often 6 defensive backs, has led to 16 interceptions on the season for the Pack (same as Seattle) and a plus 12 turn-over differential, which also is the same as Seattle. To combat this Russell Wilson and the Hawks offense will have to be on their game, which the weather will make more difficult. I come back to Seattle’s running game as the key. Failing that, it will put too much pressure on Russell to have to be great, which might not be possible in the cold and snow, although I think if anyone can handle it he can. I will never forget that incredible play in the 2015 playoffs against Minnesota in -10 degree cold, when Wilson picked up a botched center snap, scrambled around and then hit Tyler Lockett for something like 30 yards. It was an unbelievable play, making chicken salad out of table scraps once again; but I don’t think we can count on that sort of thing to win.

Well, it’s getting late Hawks fans, so I’m going to have to wrap this up for tonight. It’s been a remarkable and dramatic season for us Twelves and our Seahawks; but they will really need their A game this Sunday for it to continue. I sure hope they bring it…Go Hawks!!

Copyright © 2020

By Mark Arnold

All Rights Reserved

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