Seahawks win, run over Giants: Likes and Dislikes

I lost fingernails. I lost hair. I lost my appetite.  The Seattle Seahawks beat the Giants 38-17, but man did it take it’s toll on not just me, but all of their fans. There was a lot to like about this game, but there also emerged a pattern so disturbing that it bears some serious introspection.

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What was great is not hard to pin down. Marshawn Lynch with 21 carries for 140 yards and 4 TD’s.  We’ve been asking for it all year and the last two weeks have proven  that when Marshawn carries the ball 20 times or more, Seattle is going to win the game. It was a record-setting day with the Hawks racking up 350 yards rushing.  Prior to this game, Lynch had two games where he scored three td’s and in the playoff game against New Orleans he rushed for 140 yds also. It was a historic game too. This was the first time in NFL history that a rb scored 4 td’s while the qb on the same team rushed for over 100 yards.

The Seattle defense continues its ascension towards matching last years smothering and ball hawking ways. They still are being burned in the short passing game, but they also stopped yet another opponent from rushing for over 100 yards, holding the Giants to 54 yds on the ground. Earl Thomas was all over the place and intercepted Manning in the end zone, running it back to the Seattle 42-yard line, setting up Lynch’s 3rd TD of the day.

The injury bug claimed two more victims, both in the 2nd quarter. Luke Willson, who was playing in place of the injured Zach Miller, sprained an ankle, and all pro DT Brandon Mebane left the game with a pulled hamstring. That left the Hawks without three of their starting defensive players as Kam Chancellor was also on the sidelines.

Finally, we come to the field general, Russell Wilson. What has happened to him? Something has shaken his confidence so badly that his trust in his receivers seems to be gone and his decision-making has become poor. It cannot even be considered average. We all know how banged up the offensive line has been in recent weeks, but he had that same problem last year and sailed through it, seemingly. For the third week in a row, I was compelled to ask why they weren’t yanking him out and putting in Tavaris Jackson. That being said, I’m sure that would rattle Wilson even more.

As the Seahawks head into what is arguably the toughest part of the season, two things have to happen in order for the Seahawks to win. They have to learn to protect the short passing game. Today was good, but it can be better. And Russell Wilson must get his confidence back, somehow. 150 yards passing against the Chiefs, Eagles and the rest of the teams in the NFC West is not going to cut it.