We've got good news and bad news after the Seattle Seahawks Week 6 loss. The defense took a little while to get going, but once they were in gear, they went full throttle. That's the good news. The bad news is that the offense did the exact opposite when it mattered the most.
As with most Seattle Seahawks games, there was good news and bad news in the Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. I'd say there was truly more good news than bad, but the bad tends to override the good when it results in a loss. So yeah, we had a lot of good news in this game, much more than you'd expect from a loss. The bad news is pretty tightly focused, but it centers on the same bad news we've seen in most of the Hawks games this year, win or lose.
The first bit of good news is that the Seahawks defense was terrific after a slow start. I suppose that carries its own bit of bad news, right? Seattle gave up 142 yards on the first two Cincinnati possessions, along with two touchdowns. After that, the Bengals did virtually nothing with the ball. Their only other score resulted after a Geno Smith turnover in which they gained exactly zero yards. So yeah, I'd say the Hawks defense did a pretty solid job.
The Seattle Seahawks defense brought good news - just not at the start
Yes, the Hawks defense was good. I do have to say, though, I don't know how you could give the defense a grade of A, or especially A+. Yes, they were terrific on the last eight drives of the game. Not giving them credit for a kneel-down at the end, ya know. But no matter how good they were, how does that erase the fact that Joe Burrow looked like - well, Joe Burrow on the first two drives? Sure, I can see giving them a lot of extra credit for shutting the Bengals down after that rough start. But they did give up 14 points on the first two drives. So, speaking of grades...
Step into the wayback machine when you were in school. For some of us, that's quite a way back. For Cardinals fans who wandered in, it's never, but that's okay, we'll help you along. You have a tough mid-term, ten questions. You absolutely bomb on the first two questions. The subject is World History, and the first two questions regard the Code of Hammurabi and the beginnings of the Bronze Age. You have no idea what's going on, so you answer "helium" and "1967". Then you wake up and ace the next eight answers. So, does the instructor just ignore your temporary insanity? No, you got the first two answers wrong. You can't go back, they're entered, All you can do is your best after you realize that yes, you really were in class.
It's just the same with the Seahawks defense. They seemed to be sleepwalking through the first two Bengals drives. As great as they were after that, those 14 points didn't come off the board. Give the Hawks a B+, even an A- if you're really generous. But if this was an A+, what would you give them for a shutout? So yes, great job on the last eight drives, but giving up two TDs on the first two drives isn't quite the best news, either. I'm not knocking the team's performance. They did a terrific job of adjusting, and several Hawks stars stood out.