5 Conclusions From the Heat of Battle
By Andy Larkin
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a trusting week in Los Angeles. The offense is an issue, but it isn’t the only issue right now.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the Seahawks fell to the Rams in excruciating fashion yet again on Sunday. A 9-3 loss might be the most frustrating yet of this increasingly annoying series with Jeff Fishers team. Though I have now had a sufficient cooling off period, that was not the case on Sunday evening. With that in mind here are some thoughts I wrote down while trying to find a semi-healthy way to channel my frustrations.
Please remember, these are the conclusions I came to while in a very dark place. I have since calmed down and still believe this team can become Super Bowl caliber. I just think there are some worrisome issues that need to be cleaned up
1. Inability to Score- The Seattle offense mustered a pathetic 3 points! How does this team, loaded with talent only put up 3 points? Somebody please answer that question. I don’t care if Russell Wilson’s ankle is swollen to the size Ahtyba Rubin’s head and the offensive line is the equivalent of a wet paper bag. There are no excuses for not getting into the end zone over the course of 60 minutes of football.
The Rams are not the 2013 Seahawks defense. This team has too many playmakers to get shut down. All I can say is these first two games better be the worst offensive performances of the year. Otherwise, this team is in trouble.
2. No Turnovers- The defense has only given up one touchdown through two games. Terrific! But where are the turnovers? This defense used to be known for getting turnovers in bunches, but the drought is starting to get real. The lack of game changing plays have been absent and the sample size is only growing.
Last year the defense was solid but they seemed to be in a weird funk when it came to turnovers. Now two games down in the 2016 season and the turnovers are completely absent. This issue is teetering on drought and getting dangerously close to a full blown famine.
3. Complete Lack of a Game Plan This Seattle coaching staff has seen the Rams twice a year for the last six years, yet somehow this is the one team they can’t seem to put a solid game plan together for. I can’t even fathom the Seahawks now dropping three straight games to an inferior opponent.
I’m not pretending like I know the first thing about coaching, but how hard is it to target Jimmy Graham more than four times? I know this is a top end coaching staff, but it’s time for them to swallow their pride and do whatever it takes to get a W against a team that has your number.
4. Penalties Holding, false starts, illegal formations, pass interference, facemasks, offensive pass interference. . . four times! Penalties killed any hope of squeaking out a win in LA. The Hawks have to clean this up, because there is no room for penalties in close, ugly football games. Right now they are finding themselves in a lot of close, ugly football games. So enough with the penalties already.
5. The Seahawks Can’t Beat the Rams– It’s as simple as that. The Rams have the Seahawks number. It doesn’t matter if it’s in St. Louis, Seattle, LA or the local YMCA. The Rams know how to beat the Seahawks.
Dropping three straight to a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2003 is absolutely maddening. I’m glad the Rams have invested all of their resources in to beating one team. I feel like I have had to watch the same game over and over and over again. Except each game get’s a little harder to stomach and I fear the next one might actually leave me with ulcers.
Next: Seahawks film room: offensive line issues
Well there it is. That’s what it was like in my world Sunday evening. Though I have come around and believe this team can still be great, there are definitely some concerns that have to be addressed moving forward.
Hopefully this Sunday will be a little more bearable for the sake of my sanity.