4 Takeaways from Seahawks win over Texans

Sep 29, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs with the ball in overtime against Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) at Reliant Stadium. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Houston Texans 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As the Seahawks prepare for the Indianapois Colts this weekend, here are a look at a few things the Seahawks reminded us of on Sunday. These four things are concepts to keep in mind as the season progresses further.

1. The Seahawks defense has vulnerability.

The Seahawks defense is one of the best in the NFL — no one is questioning that. What is, however, questionable is the fact that they allowed the Texans to break through for 20 points in the second quarter on Sunday. Matt Schaub threw for 355 yards and went 31 for 45 over the course of the game. In that second quarter, he threw two touchdown passes and picked apart the Seahawks secondary, which had been dominant all year.

The defense also allowed 151 rush yards, which needs to be improved when they visit Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.

On the flip side, the Seahawks defense was dominant in the second half against the Texans, keeping them scoreless and taking an interception to the house to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. In overtime, it was the same story as the Texans failed to get near midfield.

2. The offensive line needs to improve — fast.

Russell Wilson only threw for 123 yards, partially because he was rushed for most of the game. He picked up 77 yards on the ground, though most of those yards came because he was running away from defensive lineman who had broken through the offensive line. ESPN Stats & Information noted that Wilson was “hit while throwing or sacked on 16-of-34 dropbacks (47% of total dropbacks)”.

Marshawn Lynch only ran for 98 yards, nearly half of which came on a 43-yard run in the first quarter. He had trouble finding holes the entire game, which can’t be entirely blamed on the O-line, but they certainly didn’t help as much as they could have.

3. Steven Hauschka has proven his worth, one again.

Hauschka is one of the most clutch kickers in the game that no one knows about. He was 3-for-3 on Sunday, including hitting the game winner from 45 yards out in overtime. Adding to his resume, he is a perfect 8-for-8 on the year and has hit all 11 extra point attempts.

Since joining Seattle in 2011, he has made nearly 88 percent of his field goal attempts, going 57 of 65 with a long of 52 yards, which he made in 2011 and again in 2012.

4. The Seahawks can beat a good team on the road.

For the first half of Sunday’s game, the Seahawks looked like they were going to prove all of the haters right. Down 20-3 at the half and outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game, it looked like the Seahawks would drop to 3-1 and show everyone that they could not win a game against a decent opponent away from the 12th Man at CenturyLink Field.

Then they proved everyone wrong.

The Texans are a good team, having gone 12-4 last season in a fairly competitive division. When everyone lost hope in the Seahawks, they remained strong and absolutely dominated Houston in the second half. Remind you a little of their tango with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Division game last season? This time, however, they got the job done. Everyone was clutch, focused and ready to give Seahawks fans the first 4-0 start they had ever seen.

And they did.