Seahawks lost to Ravens on two key plays. They’ll be just fine.

I’m not about to say the Seahawks played a good game Sunday. Despite that, they still could have won if not for those two critical mistakes.

The Seahawks lost to the Ravens Sunday in a sloppy, error-filled game. Other than my MVP of the game, linebacker Bobby Wagner, most of the Hawks big names had very average games. He’s been a beast for the past three games, but Chris Carson could never get going. Tyler Lockett made a terrific adjustment to make a diving touchdown catch, but was largely held in check by the Ravens secondary. That Baltimore secondary cost the Hawks the game.

Surprisingly, Earl Thomas wasn’t the player who spelled doom for Seattle. He played well enough, but it was his playmates at cornerback that killed the Seahawks in this game. Now, if you want to say that Thomas’s presence allows the corners to take risks, I wouldn’t argue the point. Just as he did for the Hawks for nearly a decade, Thomas writes a pretty solid insurance policy for a secondary unit. If you blow coverage trying for a big play, odds are Earl will be there to cover.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened on the first big defensive play by the Ravens. That just happens to coincide with the first terrible play by the Seahawks. You saw it happen, so I won’t belabor the details. Suffice to say, Marcus Peters dropped back into coverage, saw Russell Wilson look off one receiver, then lock in on Jaron Brown on the sideline. 67 yards later, the Ravens had a lead they’d never relinquish. Not to say I told you so, but… No, I didn’t expect a pick-six. But I did say, “He may not know Wilson’s tendencies as well as Thomas does, but he’s too familiar with Seattle for my liking.” Far too familiar, as it turned out.

The other critical mistake was the fumble by DK Metcalf. The Seahawks were down by ten points with 3:47 to go. Metcalf caught a short pass at the sideline from Wilson and switched hands as he turned upfield. Unfortunately, Ravens corner Brandon Carr arrived at that very moment and knocked the ball loose. Marlon Humphrey scooped it up at the 18 and took it in for the score, and the final blow to the Hawks chances.

Eliminate those two mistakes, and Seattle is absolutely in the game. It’s reasonable to assume the Hawks would have at least gotten a field goal on the drive snuffed out by Peters. Yeah, I know Myers missed a kick, but it was a 53-yarder in the rain. Don’t forget he made three other kicks. Flip that, and the score is 16-6 Seattle at the half. Eliminate the fumble recovery in the fourth quarter and the score would have been 16-16 with Seattle driving. At worst the Hawks punt on that drive and force the Ravens to march down the field.

I’m not minimizing Lamar Jackson’s exceptional rushing performance. He was terrific on the ground, practically a Gale Sayers that could pass. But the fact remains that he completed just nine passes. The Baltimore offense accounted for 16 points, their worst output of the year. Absolutely, the Hawks could have played much better. But the defense largely did their job, regardless of Jackson’s rushing yards. Anytime you hold the opposing offense to 16 points, you should win. Wilson will play better next game, and the Hawks will win again.