For Pete’s sake: far more than three Seahawks sank the team in Week 12

Seahawks tackle Abe Lucas finally played like a rookie

The Hawks pair of rookie tackles have generally been excellent this season. Sure, there have been a few mistakes here and there, but overall, they’ve been great. Abe Lucas in particular has been recognized time and again for his tremendous blocking. Sadly, that wasn’t the case today. Not even close. Pro Football Focus gave him a preliminary grade (subscription required) of just 31.7 for his pass blocking. His overall grade coming into this game was 68.1, so it’s not like they’ve been dogging him.

Lucas was charged with two of the three sacks Smith took in the game. The Hawks QB was hit on 10 more plays beside the sacks. Factor in that Las Vegas had only sacked the quarterback 13 times in their previous ten games, and it’s absolutely inexcusable. It’s fair to assume that if Smith had faced less pressure – even a little less – he would have played a much cleaner game.

Now let’s talk about the running game. Actually, if you can find any traces of it, please contact me on Twitter, @TheUnrealTodd. Versus Tampa Bay, Seattle managed 39 yards rushing. Against Las Vegas, they scraped their way to 65 yards. No, Abe Lucas is not solely responsible for the recent demise of the Seahawks rushing attack. The entire offensive line is to blame for Seattle’s inconsistency, but Abe Lucas will be the point man for this game. He’s played much better, and he certainly will play better again.