The Seahawks entered play Sunday against San Francisco at their desert rental in Arizona with a chance to improve their position from the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs to second or first. But since the Packers and Saints, playing at the same time as Seattle, claimed the higher spots with easy wins, the Seahawks-Niners outcome, regarding seedings, became moot.
So the game watered down to style points. The Seahawks’ style was dirty overalls on a highwire. They made it across safely, but looked kinda funny.
The reward was no different: After rallying from 10 down in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks’ 26-23 triumph (box) drew a home game against the Los Angeles Rams in what amounts to the best-of-three seasonal rubber match at 1:40 p.m. Saturday (FOX).
But for three quarters, Seattle fans, hands over mouths, looked up to see wobbling, weaving and wavering. Even the two brilliant touchdown throws from QB Russell Wilson didn’t un-furrow the brows of many observers.
Judging by the answers he gave as he took post-game questions on Zoom, coach Pete Carroll seemed a bit miffed at the skeptics.
“I’m not worried about whatever you guys are worried about,” he said. “It’s a little frustrating. We are going to keep playing, try to play really good football, not give it to them, and play championship ball and see how far that takes us.
“The games look, to me, like there’s a patience to it that nobody wants to see, but that we’re feeling OK about it. We just have to make sure we get the points we need to win.”
This was ridiculous.@dangerusswilson escapes and finds @tdlockett12 for SIX!
📺: #SEAvsSF on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/EMdqIO97si pic.twitter.com/7iRiFjhXkI— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2021
On the one hand, he’s right. However it gets done against a division rival, it’s good. Finishing with a four-game winning streak, they are 12-4, the juiciest part of which is going 4-2 in the NFL’s toughest division.
For the ninth time in 11 years under Carroll, and for the 14th time in the club’s past 18 years, they are in the postseason. They played well enough to earn a game at home, where they are 6-0 in playoffs under Carroll. Their 459 points scored is the most in club history, and the defense in the second half of the season metamorphosed into one of the league’s best.
All done against the backdrop of a national health calamity that the Seahawks, by dint of their strenuous labors, have almost completely avoided.
On the other hand, Niners third-string QB C.J. Beathard came dangerously close to a victory, despite operating a broken team whose starters have lost 139 man-games to injury and, at 6-9, had no stakes in the outcome. The Seahawks waited until 11 minutes were left to score a touchdown, and their final TD was scored by a fourth-string running back, Alex Collins, who spent the past two months on the practice squad.
Half-full, or half-empty? Guess which way Wilson votes.
“The reality is that you have to find ways to win it when the game’s on the line,” he said after a modest day of 20 completions in 36 attempts for 181 yards, the two TDs to WR Tyler Lockett, two sacks and a passer rating of 87.9. “Can you make the shot? Can you make the throw? Can you make the catch? Can you make the run? Can you make the tackle?
“Today we were able to do that again.”
At that, Wilson is the best at that sort of thing. As with the second Rams game Dec. 27, the Seahawks were tied at 6 at halftime, then pulled away in the second half for a 20-9 win. Wilson in his career has won 35 games after the Seahawks trailed in the fourth quarter or overtime.
But reliance on the narrow margin grows more dangerous with each round of the playoffs. Wilson knows that well. But as long as he works for Carroll, the risks of the deep passing game he loves are going to be avoided.
Asked directly what he thinks the offense needs more of entering the playoffs, Wilson was clear.
“I think we gotta get to those more explosive plays here and there,” he said. “I think that any time you get those explosive plays, it definitely helps. We gotta get to some of those calls and some of those moments. But at the same time, the players know what matters — do you win the game or not. That’s really what we care about in this locker room.”
In fact, the Seahawks’ two long TD drives in fourth quarter had just one explosive play each. The first drive included a 20-yard catch-and-run for TE Will Dissly, and the second drive had a 16-yard scramble by Wilson. The third TD drive was just 17 yards after a strip-sack of Beathard by DE Benson Mayowa and a fumble recovery by DE Rasheem Green set up Collins’ eight-yard run (he found himself in the game as Chris Carson rested, Carlos Hyde was home sick with the flu and Rasheed Penny cramped up).
Not exactly the pass-game pyrotechnics of the 5-0 start. The Seahawks rushed for 91 yards in the fourth quarter, and threw for 80.
For the game, Lockett had 12 catches, making 100 for the season, breaking Doug Baldwin’s 2016 single-season record, but gained a modest 90 yards. DK Metcalf broke Steve Largent’s 35-year-old single-season record for yardage, but had only 21 Sunday on three catches.
Respect from an all-time great. 🤝
Steve Largent shares a congratulations message to @dkm14 as DK breaks Largent’s franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season. pic.twitter.com/WQVX0Skq6j
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 3, 2021
So the Niners did what the Rams did, and Giants and Washington too — play a lot of two safeties high and make the Seahawks move in increments, not explosions. The Seahawks have responded by winning anyway, in large part because of no turnovers, good defense and good special teams.
“To get through another game and not give it up, just makes all the difference,” Carroll said. “We were plus-one for the day with a great sack that caused a fumble. That is such an important part of our football — always has been and always will be.
“We’ve worked really hard to not get desperate, and not take shots where we don’t need to, to try to force the issue . . . we have an explosive mentality in this program. When it doesn’t happen, we get frustrated too, because we want to happen that way, but we’re just trying to win the game.
“We gotta hit ’em when we get our chances.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, the Rams think they will have back QB Jared Goff, whose right thumb, broken atop the helmet of Mayowa Dec. 27, has been surgically repaired with three pins.
Behind a rookie QB, John Wolford, in his first game, the Rams (10-6) beat Arizona 18-7 to earn the sixth seed. For the second week in a row, LA did not score an offensive touchdown, using an interception return, a safety and three field goals to end the Cardinals’ season at 8-8. The Rams led the league in fewest points and yards surrendered.
The Rams played the Seahawks’ game. Or the Seahawks played the Rams’ game. They’re both going to look funny Saturday bouncing on the highwire for three hours. Somebody’s going to win 5-4.
16 Comments
Oy. That would be 5th string RB behind Carson, Hyde, Penny, Homer, and Dallas. But that’s not the worrisome part. RW is playing a lot like Daryle Lamonica these days, figuring that completing one out of 8 deep passes is worth 4 punts. It’s working, but barely, and they can’t fall behind any (including the Rams) of the other playoff teams and still win. Check that, maybe they could against the Bears or the WFT. Maybe. But not the Rams, even at home (where the Rams are not scared even when there are crowds), and if they do get by them, not the Saints in NOLA.
Wow, Daryle Lamonica….excellent pull from the past! Next week– John Hadl!
I second the wow on Lamonica.
You’re right about Wilson’s deep-ball lapses. I asked Carroll about it Sunday and he was dismissive. But by Monday after studying the game film, he got it, but had no explanation.
First off, he had a great name. Rolled off the tongue. And he only seemed to know how to throw it 40 yards downfield to Fred Biletnikoff, who only had to have the ball slightly graze the stickum ladled all over his uniform in order to “catch” the ball.
Interesting that Lamonica’s completion percentage was 49.5%. And, the most passes Biletnikoff caught in a season was 61.
Already the Rams are predictably chirping away that they want to play the Seahawks but the Hawks are a 4.5 point favorite. In their last matchup the Rams were a 1.5 point favorite so Goff’s injury is probably coming into play. The Hawks are also entering the postseason on a roll and have won their last four games. The Rams should be careful for what they wish for.
Lost in the record setting day for both Tyler and DK is the solid game by the LB’s. KJ was looking like a member of the Legion of Boom with some of his tackles and Brooks led the team in tackles for the game. After taking over for Bruce Irvin his game grew as the season progressed. Seems like the club has corrected their poor drafting. Their past three has produced some solid contributors.
Even without Goff, the Rams D has always liked its chances against Wilson. I don’t blame them. Beating the NFL’s top D twice in three weeks is a tall order.
If we get past the Rams I think this sets up great for a deep run as we’ve faced the best defenses in the league over the last few games and found ways to win.
Every NFC team has shown vulnerabilities. With COVID raging, and no NFL bubble, if I were a gambler I’d stay the hell away from the NFL postseason.
There’s two ways to look at a lot of things. Russell and Kirk Cousins are the same QB statistically, with just a tenth of a point in ratings separation this year. And yet…obviously, Russ has an innate ability to pull games out of the fire. There has always been more than a bit of Jeckyl and Hyde with the Hawks in the post-season. They have been absolutely dominant at home. But on the road, not so much. This year they can do something really special. Assuming they beat the Rams this weekend they may get to play Brees and company in New Orleans and Rodgers and company in Green Bay. If they win those two games, back to back on consecutive weeks, it may be the greatest achievement in team history, given the level of difficulty coupled with prior post-season road history. What is the percentage differential for them home and away post-season? It’s big; I know that.
I’m guessing there’s more than two ways to look at things, but Kirk Cousins was never on my list.
Regarding home/road in the playoffs, wonder no longer:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sea/playoffs.htm
Thanks, Art, for the link. Looking at the road playoff wins, the paltry few of them, it looks to my eye that the 1983 win against Marino, the team’s first road win, was the most exceptional. Others were against lower opponents or there were QB issues (Griffin) or some other intractable issues.
What is Adams’ status?
Carroll on Monday had nothing new to report.
I want to recognize unsung heroes of the Seahawks’ 2020/21 (so far) season…..The punter, the long snapper, the kicker and the holder. MONEY….the entire season.
So, Goff has three metal pins in his right thumb. Penny cramped up in the fourth quarter. Relevant facts reported here, not to be found elsewhere. Thanks for the detail, Art.