The Tale of 2 Defenses
By author
Without a pass rush, The Seahawks have no chance against the arm of Phillip Rivers. Currently Rivers is 4th in the NFL averaging 316 ypg. The last time Rivers was in Seattle, 2006, he found Jackson in the waning seconds of the 4th qtr to steal what by all accounts should have been a Seahawk win. The weird thing is that Rivers had a 33% completion percentage, however, he did have 2 tds.
I can’t help but wonder which Seattle defense will show up for this weeks match up against the Chargers. If it’s the week 1 defense, I think the Hawks might have a chance. This defense held the 49ers to 1-15 on 3rd downs, a meager 77 rushing yards, had 2 sacks , and 2 interceptions. One was for a touchdown courtesy of Marcus Trufant. This is the defense that held one of the elite rushers in the NFL, Frank Gore, to a harmless 2.2 ypc. Red Bryant stood out on this defense picking up a sack and hitting the qb on 2 more occasions. Chris Clemons made contact 4 times, and even Curry managed to make a ripple collecting 2 hits on Alex Smith. This defense was like an avalanche that chased, caught, and eventually engulfed a 49ers offense. It was a suffocating force drenched in a chaos of decibels created by the 12th man. It was a defense I would love to grow accustomed to.
The following week in Denver the same defense, the chaotic, high energy defense fueled by it success starved fans, seemed to forget how to play. They could not get off the field giving up 14-20 third down conversions, and only made contact with the qb once. It was on a sack by Raheem Brock. Ya I know. Me either. Although the defense looked impressive against the run it gave up over 300 yards passing. Jennings looked like a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck, and the pass rush was virtually non existent. Kyle Orton and a rookie wide receiver who was playing his first regulars season game made the defense look sluggish and confused. On the bright side Curry’s number was called a couple of times as he collected 2 tackles for a loss as did Mebane, but outside the run defense this performance will not cut it against the Chargers. The Chargers have the potential to make the Hawks look worse than they did in the Denver game.
Being the eternal optimist and Homer town fan that I am, I have hope that home is where the heart is for the Seahawks defense. I want to believe in the week 1 defense. I think the Hawks could be the upset special this week. However, if the week 2 defense decides to rear its ugly head, the Hawks will unravel. Rivers will punish Jennings pushing him farther away from confidence he began to assimilate in week 1 only to lose in week 2.
Week 1 defense: Chargers 17 Seahawks 24
Week 2 defense: Chargers 34 Seahawks 10