The Seahawks defensive backfield will face some very big challenges this year. As talented as they are, our rookies better be ready to face some serious heat.
The Seahawks draft is in the books, and Pete and John made out like bandits. Happily, Seattle pulled some major talent at the cornerback position. Whether Coby Bryant or Tariq Woolen wind up starting or not, at the least they’re going to see significant time in the Seahawks rotation. Looking at the 2020 schedule, they’ll be facing a trial by fire and then some.
We know the Hawks are set at safety with Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Virtually every depth chart you’ll see has Tre Brown lining up at left corner, Sidney Jones at right, and the returning Justin Coleman as the slot cornerback. Regardless of how much time they get on the field, the rookies will have their work cut out for them.
Seahawks can’t be sure who they’ll face in the NFC West
The schedule has been announced, and thankfully it isn’t as terrible as Pete made it seem as first. Now, it is very cool that Seattle will be traveling to play in Germany this season. The downside is that they’ll be squaring off against three-time NFL MVP Tom Brady. Yes, Brady will be 749 years old when he faces Adams, Diggs, et al, but he’s still Tom Brady.
Surprisingly he’s only 1-2 versus Seattle in the regular season, with just three touchdowns versus four picks. No, we’re not including a certain postseason game in those stats. That contest will forever be The Game That Shall Not Be Mentioned.
Even within the division, we can’t be certain who our Seahawks will see at quarterback. Of course, Matthew Stafford will be calling signals for the Rams. He’s 3-3 versus Seattle with 10 touchdowns vs 9 interceptions. While it’s certainly likely that the Cardinals will still have Kyler Murray under center, it isn’t a sure thing.
Still, we’ll assume that the Hawks will see the former number-one pick twice this year. Murray is only 2-3 versus Seattle, despite throwing seven TDs and just two picks.
The situation with our friends in San Francisco is a bit more fluid. Will the Niners move on to last year’s third pick in the draft, Trey Lance? Or will they give it one more try with their $137 million man Jimmy Garoppolo?
As I imagine all 12s would agree, I’m rooting for Jimmy G, as he’s just 1-5 versus the Hawks, throwing five TDs and five picks. Lance lost to the Hawks in his only start against the best dang team in the whole dang world, but he did throw two TDs and no picks. I’d rather see the male model try his luck again.
The NFC South QBs present a very mixed bag for the Seahawks
The last time Atlanta got torched this badly was when Sherman came to town. I’m talking about William Tecumseh, not Richard Kevin. The Falcons did it to themselves, parting ways with Matt Ryan. They had hoped to get Deshaun Watson and wound up with Marcus Mariota. Who knows, they may be better off. I’ll assume the former Duck/Titan/Raider holds off rookie Desmond Ridder.
There isn’t much of a head-to-head track record here, as the Seahawks only faced Mariota once. That was five years ago. For what it’s worth, he had a solid game, going 20-32 for 225 yards and two scores. It’s more notable that he’s only attempted 30 passes in the past two seasons. Some may see him as coming off the scrap heap, but I think he’s still got game.
As for the Panthers, it’s anybody’s guess who the Hawks will see. The current QB is Sam Darnold, who managed nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 11 starts. We may see rookie Matt Corral, or the Panthers could deal for the afore-mentioned Garoppolo or the extremely not-the-flavor-of-the-month Baker Mayfield.
For the record, Darnold has had one forgettable loss against Seattle, back when he was with the Jets. He was 14 of 26 for just 132 yards and no touchdowns in the 40-3 loss. At least he didn’t turn the ball over, more than can be said for Baker Mayfield. He also has a loss in his single effort against the Hawks. Mayfield completed 22 of 37 passes for 249 yards, one score, and three picks.
It looks like the Saints have settled on Jameis Winston at quarterback. They also signed former Bengals and Bears QB Andy Dalton as insurance, in case Winston is injured or you know, throws five picks in a half. Okay, that was an exaggeration; he’s only thrown five picks in a game once.
As for the Hawks, he’s been pretty successful. Winston is 2-1, throwing five TDs and just one INT. Amazing. We’ve touched on the Bucs already, so let’s move on.
Seahawks DBs should coast in these also-ran contests
I say also-rans, as these are the other teams that finished last in their divisions. Yes, that was as painful to write as it was to read. Anyway…New York, New York, it’s a toddling town. That’s how the song goes, anyway. Since we’re there – kinda – let’s start with the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets.
Zach Wilson went through the kind of struggles you’d expect from any rookie pressed to start for a bad team. He only managed nine touchdowns in 13 starts. He threw 11 interceptions, but out of 13 games, that’s actually pretty good. The fact that seven of those came in September bodes well for his future.
For you mathy types, that means Wilson threw just four picks in his last ten starts. I don’t expect he’ll be great, but he’s definitely a player on the rise, and should be tougher than either of the few QBs.
Time to move on to the Giants. New York declined the fifth-year option on current start Daniel Jones, and it’s easy to see why. He’s regressed in each of his past two seasons, so much so that the Jints signed Tyrod Taylor to a two-year contract. While Jones has never faced the Seahawks, he threw for 21 touchdowns versus 17 interceptions combined in his last two seasons.
Taylor lost in his only chance against Seattle, and has been the poster child for mediocrity since leaving Buffalo after the 2017 season. In the past four seasons, Taylor has made 10 starts and thrown eight TDs and seven INTs. Neither of the Giants options should pose much of a threat to the Seahawks defenders.
We have a pretty good idea of what we can expect from the Lions and Jared Goff. While the Hawks didn’t face him in last year’s blowout, they saw him plenty of times with the Rams. Goff is 5-4 in his career vs Seattle, but that’s in large part due to his teammates’ efforts, not his own. In those nine games, Goff threw for nine scores and eight picks. He isn’t exactly in the class of the next group of quarterbacks.
Seahawks DBs will face their biggest tests from the AFC West
When Derek Carr is the least challenging QB you’ll face, you know you’re in for some battles. None of the AFC West QBs have squared off versus the Hawks very often, of course. For what it’s worth, Carr is 0-2 vs Seattle with two TDs and two INTs. The Hawks sacked him seven times in those two games. We’ll see if our revamped attack can continue that record.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert is just entering his third season, so of course hasn’t faced the Hawks yet. He made the Pro Bowl last year and is definitely one of the league’s top talents. In two seasons, he’s thrown for 69 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He’s been sacked 63 times as well. He’s certainly going to challenge Seattle, but the defensive backfield should be settled in their roles by week seven when they face San Diego.
The Seahawks will have plenty of time to get ready for one of the biggest challenges they’ll face all season. The Hawks travel to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The four-time Pro Bowler has only faced the Hawks once, and lost. That was hardly his fault, as he tossed three scores against zero picks.
The fact that the game is on the road may actually help Seattle, as weird as that sounds. Mahomes is actually a little better in away games (110.3 rating, 87 TD) vs home games (100.7 rating, 64 TD). Let’s hope his small home-field disadvantage works in favor of the Hawks coverage. The fact that Tyreek Hill is now in Miami should definitely help.
Come on, 12s, you knew we were building to this. The NFL wasted no time giving the world the matchup we want to see: our beloved Seahawks vs. DangeRuss. Obviously, there’s no head-to-head data on Russ vs. his former team. Wilson is pretty good, as we all know. He’s been better at home on the road, though. Despite playing two more games on the road than at home (80 vs 78), Wilson has thrown 20 fewer touchdowns and 17 more interceptions in his career.
So before the game, let’s cheer Russ for all he did for the Seahawks. But when the whistle blows, let him know how it feels when the 12s (and the Hawks D) stands against you. Now if only the Seahawks would sign Richard Sherman for this game…