The Seahawks have been notorious for their slow starts. After four games, it’s the perfect time to compare their performance quarter by quarter.
Four first quarters in four games makes comparisons pretty straightforward. The Hawks are 2 – 2 (and hopefully 3 -2 after today), but I thought it would be interesting to break down their performance by quarters. What would the Seahawks record be if all the first quarters were combined into the first game, all the second quarters into game two? Let’s dive in.
First quarter not the Seahawks best, but they’re winners
Through the first four games of 2017, the Seahawks have scored just nine points in the first quarter. I’d say that qualifies them as slow starters, wouldn’t you? Now you might be wondering, who’s the main culprit in this crime of an offensive showing? Look no further than the leader of the offense, Russell Carrington Wilson. Come on, you know when you’re in trouble, you always hear your full name. Sure, it’s a bit much to say Wilson is in trouble, and I am in no way really calling him out. That being said, he’s been less than good in the first quarter so far.
How much less than good? So far, Wilson is 17 of 39 for 154 yards, zero touchdowns, and a passer rating of 70.7. This would put him behind Mike Glennon, who just lost his starting job in Chicago. The good news is, he’d still be ahead of Brian Hoyer. Could be part of the blame lies on the fact Wilson has been sacked five times in first quarters so far. Put that into the context of a full game. You’re not going to win many games when your quarterback throws no touchdowns and is sacked five times. Stats like that create an offense that only manages to put nine points on the board. Luckily for Seattle, the defense was more than up to the occasion in the first quarter. The Legion of Boom and their playmates up front have yielded zero points.
Final result: Seattle 9, Opponents 2
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Seahawks got the second quarter blues
In the combined second quarters, the Seahawks offense picked up a bit. Wilson is 20 -33 for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His completion percentage isn’t much better, but the average yards gain jumps from 5.1 to 8.0. As a result, his passer rating improves to 83.4. That’s still marginal, but not atrocious. The offense still only managed to score 10 points. With the Seattle defense, you can still win some games.
Unfortunately that defense took the second quarters off, as they gave up 28 points. The unusual aspect here is that as the second quarter “game” wore on, the Seattle defense got worse. The gave up nothing to the Packers, then a pair of field goals to the 49ers. At the half of the second quarter game, the Seahawks are down 6 – 3.
Then the wheels started to come off against the Titans. Tennessee made three field goals, as Seattle managed a Wilson to Baldwin connection for their first touchdown of the second quarter. The following week against the Colts, the defense had mixed results. Justin Coleman scored a pick six, but Seattle then allowed one long drive for a matching touchdown by the Colts. Indianapolis scored again following a Russell Wilson interception. While the defense did put seven points on the board, that in no way makes up for allowing 28.
Final result: Opponents 28, Seattle17
Third quarter shows Seahawks fighting to come back
In the collective third quarters the offense was still stagnant. Wilson was 22 for 38 for 245 yards, one touchdown and another interception. His passer rating drops to 75.0. Through the first three games, the equivalent of three quarters in this combined “game”, the offense only musters a field goal and a touchdown pass to Chris Carson. Not exactly a winning performance.
The offense finally came to life in our equivalent of the final quarter, the Colts game. Wilson scored on a typically amazing 23 yard scramble, and J.D. McKissic added a brilliant 30 yard run. The Seahawks finished off their scoring binge on the very next play from scrimmage as Bobby Wagner turned a Jacoby Brissett fumble into a 21 yard touchdown.
Unfortunately, that was one of the few highlights for the Seattle defense. While the first touchdown allowed in the third quarter was on a six yard “drive” by the Packers, the points still count. The Titans scored three times in the third quarter, twice on blown assignments that resulted in scoring plays over 50 yards each. The defense got back into their groove against the Colts, but Seattle was already behind 35 – 10 in the third quarter “game”. Too little, too late.
Final result: Opponents 38, Seattle 32
Seahawks roll in the fourth
Finally, the Seattle team we’ve been waiting for showed up in the fourth quarter. Offensively, the Seahawks became a juggernaut. Russell Wilson played like Russell Wilson. Frankly, if you’re going to play lights out, the fourth quarter is the time to do it, and that’s exactly what he’s done. Wilson has completed 28 of 40 passes for 361 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 137.6. Even more important, he led his team on six scoring drives, winning one game and icing another.
The Seahawks defense came back strong as well. They only allowed three field goals and no touchdowns, eliminating the lapses that cost the team so dearly in the third quarter.
Final result: Seattle 36, Opponents 9
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In the end, the Seahawks are still 2 – 2 when combining their scores by quarter. The offense is frankly awful in the first halves, as they only account for 19 points. The second half shows a completely different team, as they rolled up 61 points on offense. Russell Wilson turned back into the superstar he is in the fourth quarter. The running game was dominant in the fourth quarter, too. Chris Carson averaged over six yards per carry, while Eddie Lacy averaged over seven.
The Hawks improvement in the fourth quarter gives me hope that they’re starting to wear teams down as the game progresses. Add in that the coaching staff is making good adjustments, and you have a formula for more wins than losses. And that adds up to the playoffs once again.