12th Man Rising
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Seahawks beat Bears: an ugly win on a beautiful day

By Dan Viens

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The product on the field was at times messy, frustrating, and disappointing, but as far as atmosphere goes you couldn’t ask for much more than the football Gods provided yesterday at CenturyLink Field. The freshly painted FieldTurf was bathed in sunlight while skydivers flew in from the north prior to the coin toss. Fans were decked out in their best Seahawk gear, not having to worry about covering up with a poncho or jacket. You could feel the anticipation in the air, with much of the crowd seeming to arrive earlier than usual. Streets around the stadium were packed 3 hours before kick, and their collective energy was palatable.

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If only the Seahawks had felt that energy in the early going.

Once again the Seahawks started poorly on offense. This is a trend that we might just have to get used to. Whether it’s the inexperience of the offensive line or the opening script of plays Darrell Bevell is drawing up, this side of the ball is making an annoying habit of sputtering out of the gate.

Fortunately, it was clear from the outset that the defense was on a mission. Led by the return of a clearly fit and motivated Kam Chancellor, the Hawks were flying around on D. Without Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery, the Bears came out with a power 3 TE set and tried to do the only thing they could in this setting, hand the ball to Matt Forte. It wasn’t enough. The Bears held the edge in time of possession in the first half due to the Hawks failures on third down, but ended up punting on all 10 of their possessions. The shutout seemed a certainly almost from the outset.

What I saw on offense in the second half is cause for optimism, regardless of the opponent. Russell Wilson was clearly looking to get the ball to Jimmy Graham and he succeeded, 7 catches, 83 yards, one TD and another fade in the endzone right in front of us that was nearly a second score.

And rookie RB Thomas Rawls showed why the team felt it was time to move on from 2nd round bust Christine Michael. Rushing 16 times for 104 yards in place of a banged up Marshawn Lynch, Rawls did two things Michael never could; run through contact and hold on to the ball. He looked instinctive, showing the kind of change-of-direction quick cutting ability that I liked to much on his college tape I tabbed him to make the final 53 man roster back in May. As I pointed out earlier this week, we may be getting a glimpse of what life after Lynch will look like, and it isn’t so scary now, is it? Still, here’s hoping Lynch makes a quick recovery. I’m not ready to move on YET!

HIGHLIGHTS:

Tyler Lockett: Man, just when you think you’ve seen him do it all…….  Full disclosure though, I was standing in line for the restroom when this happened. It’s the only play I missed all day. My bad.

The National Anthem: The Ostrom sisters have been doing this since the Kinddome days when they were just kids. This was their 17th turn and you can see why they keep getting invited back, one of the best renditions I’ve seen.

Our New Seats: I’ve been a 300-level dweller since 1984 (except for the 2 Husky Stadium years when we got stuck in the end zone), but I have to say it’s a completely different experience being so close to the field. The energy level is at another level, and you actually feel like you’re part of the action. Also, the fans who own the seats around us are much more enjoyable. We’ve always had someone around us we didn’t look forward to seeing from game to game, and in fact it was so bad the last few years we were determined to make a move this offseason. The people around us are passionate, funny, engaged in the game, but also polite. We’re uncovered for the first time, but rain or shine this was a great move.

Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale: This was the beverage of choice today. It never disappoints, but today it seemed particularly delicious. Maybe it was the setting.

LOWLIGHTS:

The Pro Shop: The renovations they made prior to last year would make this an awesome place to shop….. if it was a Wednesday afternoon. Absolutely no thought was put into how this would work on game days. It’s so cramped that once you get inside it actually gets a little scary. At one point we were jammed in a tight aisle with people packed and stuck all around us, and no avenue to escape. We chose not to buy anything and we won’t be trying that again.

Brandon Mebane’s injury: No official word on the severity yet, but oof. I don’t want to see him miss significant time again.

The guy who didn’t secure his load on I-5 after the game: 3 large pieces of foam coming off someone’s truck caused a major 5 car pileup on I-5 at Tukwila. By the time we were in the middle of it the backup stretched for nearly 10 miles. C’mon man. Lock that stuff down! We had sour cream chicken in the slow cooker!

Next up, MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL at the Clink! Bring on the Lions.

Next: NFL West Roundup

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