Seahawks week 7: underachiever and overachiever of the game

The Seahawks lost a very winnable game Monday night. Unfortunately, there are far more candidates for underachievers than overachievers. Sounds a lot like the season, doesn’t it? Fear not, 12s. We’ll try to find the silver lining – or at least a wolf gray version.

The Seahawks lost another close game Monday night in what has sadly become the theme of the 2021 season. In case you missed it, this is the third three-point loss for the Hawks. That would suggest that the team is better than their 2-5 NFC East wannabe record, but I’m not so sure about that. There were far too many underachievers in this game and not enough overachievers.

Let’s see if we can narrow the field of underachievers down to just one. Dishonorable mentions have to include Rashaad Penny. I know, he only got six carries. But hear me out, 12s. Penny was fresh, as he hasn’t played since Steve Largent was a rookie – well, practically. Yet he only managed nine yards.

Seahawks standouts from week 7 loss

When the style guidelines mandate you spell out a number rather than use the numeric representation – nine vs 9 in this case – and you’re giving the total for the game, that’s underachieving. It was a tough night to run, yes. Alex Collins had 35 yards on 16 carries, Alvin Kamara managed just 51 on 20 attempts. But nine yards on six carries is inexcusable – well, it’s bad.

Another underachiever is kicker Jason Myers. In a game decided by a field goal, Myers missed two. Yes, it was a rainy, windy night, and the misses were both tough – 44 and 53 yards – but it’s not like some bum like me was out there trying. Myers had hit about 500 FG in a row – okay, he’d made 37 – but he has to make those kicks. Yes, he made a 50-yarder, but if he makes every kick, this game is a win. I’m not saying he was terrible- those were tough kicks. But he didn’t exactly overachieve in this one.

When it comes right down to it, there can be only one. And for this loss, the underachiever has to be QB Geno Smith. Yes, I’ve been in the “Geno can do it” camp, and I still think he can. He certainly didn’t Monday night, though. Outside of the admittedly spectacular 84-yard touchdown by DK Metcalf, Smith completed just 11 of 21 passes for 83 yards. Subtract the 38 yards he lost on five sacks, and – well, let’s just say that’s a pretty solid description of underachievement.

Okay, let’s find some positives. The aforementioned DK Metcalf had that one beautiful touchdown play. He made a couple of key blocks, and for once wasn’t flagged for flagrant stupidity, but he only managed one other catch on the night. Not an overachiever in this game.

In a 13-10 game, we’re simply more likely to find the overachiever on the defensive side of the ball. That is absolutely the case here. Jordyn Brooks had a clean game and broke up a pass to force the Saints to settle for a field goal. Bobby Wagner was key to keeping Kamara’s ground game in check. Jamal Adams played a solid game as well. It seems odd to mention Seahawks defenders as candidates for overachievers when they simply played a mistake-free game, but that’s where we’re at in 2021, 12s.

Still, my Seahawks overachiever for this week is once again Rasheem Green. This is the second time he’s played the role of man among boys, as he was my overachiever in week one. Just as he dominated against the Colts, Green was a beast versus the Saints. Despite playing just 38 snaps, barely over half of the 74 total defensive plays, Green came away with a sack, two quarterback hits, and one tackle for a loss. Mind you, the Seahawks only totaled two sacks, four QB hits, and three TFL. Not a bad day at the office when you make half of your team’s big plays despite playing just half the snaps.

The Hawks are absolutely in rough shape, 12s, and we’re going to see some changes next year, for certain. As for 2021, in a game when the defense finally came through, almost nothing else went right. With the not-very-good Jacksonville Jaguars up next, I can only hope that I’ll have a surfeit of overachiever candidates to talk about next time.