If there was any doubt about the importance of Julian Love to the Seattle Seahawks' defense, the Dark Side was set to dim all day without him. The vaunted Seattle defense allowed 27 points in their loss to the Commanders and clearly missed Julian Love in the defensive backfield.
A glance at the stats would tell you that Seattle's defense played a decent game, certainly good enough to win. They controlled the Commanders' running game, allowing just 82 yards on 32 carries. Marcus Mariota was 19 for 31 and passed for 183 yards. With an average offensive effort, the Seahawks win this one with ease.
Then you see that Sam Darnold passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns, and you just know that Seattle won this one going away. Except - no, not exactly. Not even close. And that shows how it isn't just about the total yards; it's about putting them together. Paraphrasing head coach Mike Macdonald from his press conference after the game, the Commanders stacked plays, and we didn't.
It was painfully obvious the Seahawks defense missed Julian Love
Blaming the loss to the Commanders on the absence of one player is ridiculous. Julian Love isn't an offensive lineman, so he's not responsible for the poor running game the Seahawks showed on Sunday. He isn't a quarterback either, so he's not accountable for that sad second pick Sam Darnold threw. No, this loss was a team effort, to be sure.
What Julian Love is, though, is one of the league's very best safeties. And his absence from the defensive backfield was glaring in Seattle's loss Sunday. Again, Mariota only threw for 183 yards and connected on 61 percent of his throws. Ordinarily, that's a win for the Dark Side. But not this day. When the Commanders needed a completion, they got it.
Josh Jobe getting turned around on the 30-yard TD pass to Terry McLaurin certainly didn't help matters. Overall, he was just bad on this day. But as Coach Macdonald said in his press conference, the team had some issues with communication. Seattle hadn't surrendered a play over 20 yards in the first two games of the year. With Love out, that vital communication failed.
Rodney Thomas II bounced back with a decent performance. At least he didn't commit another costly penalty like last week. Ultimately, that didn't matter against the Cardinals, as the Seahawks wore them down. But decent isn't enough in the NFL, whether you're playing against backups or not. Finley did not play well, and no one was directing traffic in Seattle's defensive backfield.
It's a sad realization that for many, it took the absence of Julian Love to prove just how great a player he is. Clearly, he is essential to the Seahawks' success.
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