3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers from Seahawks Week 2 Thriller Against Patriots
Following a dominating victory in Atlanta, Seattle traveled home and took the field under the lights for a prime time showdown against a new-look New England squad.
Facing off against future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick, this game proved to be an extremely tough matchup, as the Seahawks didn’t take their first lead of the game until the midway through the third quarter. But thanks to an outstanding defensive play late in the fourth quarter, they were able to hold on and secure a 35-30 victory.
Despite nearly allowing 400 passing yards for the second consecutive game, and struggling to create pressure in the backfield, the defense was still able to step up when it mattered. Positioned at the Seahawks’ one-yard line with just three seconds remaining in regulation, quarterback Cam Newton was denied entry by defensive end L.J. Collier, as the veteran signal caller was tackled two yards shy of the goal line.
Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from the Seahawks first home matchup of the regular season.
Three Up
Russell Wilson
After a near-perfect performance in the season opener, Wilson was tasked with a far more difficult test this week, facing off against one of the top defenses from last season. That said, the six-time Pro Bowler was able to enjoy plenty of success against the Patriots’ secondary, completing 21 of his 28 passes for 288 yards along with five touchdowns.
Despite throwing a pick six early in the first quarter, which wasn't his fault, the 31-year old recovered very nicely and didn’t have any issues sharing the ball throughout Seattle’s receiving corps, throwing five touchdown passes to five different players. Finding a way to make an impact on the ground, the 5-foot-11 signal caller rushed five times for 39 yards, including his 21-yard run that helped set up receiver Tyler Lockett’s four-yard touchdown catch.
DK Metcalf
Hoping to replicate his strong performance against the Falcons, Metcalf did exactly that against the Patriots, leading his team in receiving yards (92) and yards per catch (23). Serving as a reliable receiver once again, the second-year pro caught four of his six targets and produced his second touchdown catch of the season, which he had to wait until Week 5 of last season to record.
Matched up against one of the top cornerbacks in the league, the Ole Miss standout held his own against Stephon Gilmore throughout the entire contest and got the best of the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Completing his best catch of the game midway through the second quarter, the 6-foot-4 receiver caught a 54-yard pass down the right sideline, breaking through a tackle before finishing in the end zone for the score.
Quinton Dunbar
Struggling in coverage in his Seahawks debut, Dunbar made several improvements during his first game at Centurylink Field, playing a major factor through all four quarters. Making his presence known in pass coverage, the 28-year old produced a pair of pass deflections and caught his first interception of the season, which ultimately helped his team take a 28-17 advantage in the third quarter.
Along with his impressive results in the air, the 6-foot-2 cornerback also made an impact with his physicality, producing five solo tackles and one tackle for loss. While the Florida product still has a few things to clean up in man coverage, as he occasionally allowed too much separation during the first half, this was exactly the type of performance Seattle expected of him when he was acquired over the offseason.
Three Down
Quandre Diggs
Coming off a strong performance in Atlanta, where he caught his first interception of the season, Diggs was expected to play a major role within Seattle’s secondary once again. Unfortunately, the 27-year old was ejected from the game before the end of the first quarter, after the 27-year old led with his helmet while tackling receiver N'Keal Harry.
To make matters worse, teammate Marquise Blair – who was filling in for Diggs – suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. As a result, free safety Lano Hill was forced into the starting spot, which certainly wasn’t an ideal situation for the Seahawks. Moving forward, the sixth-year pro must become more disciplined with his tackling and make a conscious effort to take the head out of the play.
Greg Olsen
Following his impressive debut in Week 1, catching four passes for 24 yards along with a touchdown, Olsen was a no-show against New England. Despite making an impact as a blocker, the veteran tight end only received one target through 60 minutes of action and was the only receiver or tight end who couldn’t record a single catch when targeted by Wilson.
Making a negative impact on just the third play of the opening quarter, Olsen had a catchable pass in the flat deflect off his hands, allowing free safety Devin McCourty to intercept Wilson’s pass and return it 43 yards for the score. While avoiding penalties became a problem for the entire offense in the first half, the three-time Pro Bowler didn’t help alleviate that issue, as he committed a false start penalty just two minutes before halftime.
Damien Lewis
Making his second start in the NFL, Lewis was looking to improve off his first-half struggles from his inaugural game and was hoping to build off his encouraging performance from the final 30 minutes of that contest. While the rookie right guard definitely took some strides forward, especially with his pass blocking, he still endured some lapses against the Patriots.
With a minute and a half remaining before halftime, the offense was positioned near midfield and was looking to advance into field goal range, but Lewis allowed linebacker Shilique Calhoun to run past him and bring Wilson down for an 11-yard loss. Along with this play ultimately forcing the Seahawks to punt, the LSU standout was also charged with a holding penalty early in the fourth quarter, forcing his team to kick the ball away once again. He’ll need to continue critiquing these issues throughout the rest of the season.
