Seahawks without Shaquill Griffin might mean Seattle not in playoffs
By Lee Vowell
Imaging the Seahawks without Shaquill Griffin is nightmarish. But it is a very real possibility in week 15 versus the Panthers.
The Seahawks know for sure they will be without Shaquill Griffin against the Panthers in week 15. Jadeveon Clowney has been ruled out with an ongoing core injury. But possibly worse is that cornerback Shaquill Griffin might also be out with a hamstring issue.
Griffin has graded out so far in 2019 as the 5th best cornerback in the NFL. And this is for a player with no interceptions this season. Basically, Griffin has mostly been so good that quarterbacks are throwing away from him instead of anywhere near him. But if he misses Sunday’s game, things could be very bad for Seattle.
The Panthers are a bad team, but the Seahawks have a long-standing history of playing up or down to their competition. And while Seattle might have a good record of 10-3, a lot of those wins came with a small margin of victory. A big reason for Seattle only has 3 losses is that Griffin has been so good.
Carolina’s quarterback Kyle Allen is capable of beating Seattle. Especially with no Griffin and the Seahawks lacking pass rusher Clowney. Allen doesn’t have to beat Seattle by himself, of course, as running back Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL in total yards and combined touchdowns. McCaffrey will get his yards on Sunday. But Seattle cannot let Allen be great too.
With no Griffin, Allen could be great. Allen had 3 touchdowns and no interceptions three weeks ago in a narrow 31-24 loss to the Saints. The Saints are good and still Allen was productive. If the Seahawks give Allen time to throw and he is throwing to receivers not being covered by Shaquill Griffin, Seattle could lose.
Seattle was once 10-2. A loss to the Panthers in week 15 would be their second straight. That would leave two games to get one win to make the postseason. One is against the Cardinals, who while not great are very capable of beating Seattle, and the second is against the 49ers who are currently the number one seed in the NFC playoff standings.
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The Vikings and Rams both have fewer than 6 losses which is what Seattle has currently. If the Vikings and Rams win out and the Seahawks lose the rest, Seattle will miss the playoffs. Having Shaquill Griffin on Sunday versus the Panthers would definitely make me feel a lot less nervous about the Seahawks’ final three games.