Seahawks vs Falcons: 5 takeaways from a season-ending loss
By Keith Myers
Earl Thomas is irreplaceable
When Earl Thomas broke his leg, it broke everything good about Seattle’s defense. They went from being an elite defense leading the entire NFL in scoring, to be entirely beatable.
idk you guys. earl is pretty good pic.twitter.com/JH61D3tRiu
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 14, 2017
Earl’s replacement was a nightmare for Seattle fans in this game. Steven Terrell struggled in coverage. He missed tackle after tackle, and failed to make any of the plays that Thomas makes look routine.
SHOOK. #SEAvsATL pic.twitter.com/Uv1ACpzlNH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 14, 2017
The Seahawks should have made the move to Kelcie McCray at FS weeks ago, but even that likely wouldn’t have made much of a difference. There is simply no replacing a guy like Earl Thomas.
I've thought for years that Earl Thomas was the best pure football player on the Seahawks. Defense or offense. They sure miss him today.
— Jerry Brewer (@JerryBrewer) January 14, 2017