Seahawks/Ravens Week 7 Game Thread
Aiming for a fourth straight win and a 6-1 start for the second time in franchise history, the Seahawks return home to face the AFC North-leading Ravens at CenturyLink Field.
Will Russell Wilson continue his spectacular play squaring off against former teammate Earl Thomas and a pesky Baltimore defense? How will Marquise Blair perform in his first NFL start against one of the NFL's best offenses? Can Seattle slow down the league's premier rushing attack led by dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson?
From kickoff until the final horn, I'll be tracking all the key plays, story lines, and moments in this Week 7 game day thread. Feel free to comment and ask questions as two Super Bowl hopefuls collide in Seattle!
First Quarter
10:50 - Lamar Jackson immediately took advantage of Seattle's lack of safety depth, rolling out to his right and find rookie Myles Boykin, who slipped past Tedric Thompson for a 50-yard gain. But three plays later, Jadeveon Clowney rocketed through the line untouched and blew up backup running back Gus Edwards for a loss on third and short, forcing a short Justin Tucker field goal to put Baltimore out in front 3-0.
8:40 - Weather will be a major factor for both teams attempting to throw the football. Needing eight yards for a first down, Wilson threw a strike to DK Metcalf past the sticks, but the pass slipped right through his hands for an incompletion. The Seahawks were forced to punt after a three-and-out.
5:54 - Jackson will present unique challenges due to his speed and elusiveness at the quarterback position, but give the Seahawks linebackers a ton of credit on the second drive. After the second-year signal caller picked up a first down on a 10-yard scramble, Bobby Wagner and Mychal Kendricks limited him to just one yard on a read-option keeper thanks to excellent pursuit to the sidelines. Two plays later, Jackson's pass attempt to Willie Snead fell incomplete and the Ravens were forced to punt.
2:21 - On 3rd and 11 in an obvious passing situation, Wilson dropped a perfect dime down the left sideline for Metcalf, who reeled in a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch for 37 yards. Another first down run by Wilson moved Seattle inside Baltimore's 10-yard line before the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
14:46 - Making another statement MVP play on third and goal, Wilson somehow got a pass off while getting dragged to the ground by an oncoming pass rusher. Fighting through illegal contact, receiver Tyler Lockett dove for the pass in the end zone and got both arms under the ball for his fourth touchdown catch of 2019. Jason Myers knocked in the extra point to move Seattle in front 7-3.
11:06 - Watching Jackson work his magic on the field looks like Michael Vick in Madden 2004, except it's actually happening in a real game. The dynamic play maker escaped a potential sack for Wagner and darted 28 yards on the scramble for a first down. Two plays later, he hit Mark Andrews for a 33-yard gain down the seam. But the Seahawks defense held strong in the red zone again with Wagner swatting away a third down pass attempt from Jackson to Andrews, bringing Tucker back in for a 28-yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-6.
7:44 - Wilson again marched the Seahawks down to the Ravens 16-yard line with a dazzling array of passes on the run, including a 24-yard pitch and catch to Malik Turner. Unfortunately, the drive stalled when Metcalf couldn't reel in a third down throw in the end zone. Coach Pete Carroll challenged the play believing the defender interfered with the rookie receiver, but officials quickly maintained the call. With the failed challenge, the Seahawks have no timeouts with nearly eight minutes left in the first half. The Seahawks settled for a 34-yard field goal, pushing the lead back to 10-6.
6:45 - Making his first NFL start, Marquise Blair has had quite the first half for Seattle. Midway through the second quarter, he was tied for the team lead with four tackles and made a critical third down pass deflection to thwart Baltimore's latest drive. Blair undercut a route by Andrews and swatted the pass away with his left hand, forcing the Ravens to punt after their first three-and-out of the game.
5:00 - Seattle used a 17-yard run by C.J. Prosise to move deep into Baltimore territory, but on 3rd and six, Wilson horribly telegraphed a throw to Jaron Brown. Marcus Peters, who was acquired from the Rams earlier this week, jumped the route and raced 67 yards for a pick-six to put the Ravens back in front 13-10.
2:00 - Needing to convert on third and nine from the Seahawks 33-yard line after the two-minute warning, Wilson lofted a downfield throw to Lockett, who miraculously found his way under the pass for a 33-yard reception.
0:06 - Seattle tried to retake the lead, but Wilson couldn't find any open receivers on two consecutive plays from the Ravens 13-yard line. Without any timeouts left, Carroll opted to send Myers in for a short field goal and the veteran kicker connected from 31 yards out to knot the game at 13 apiece before halftime.
Third Quarter
13:02 - Attempting to make their first possession of the new half count, the Seahawks moved the chains once on a third down completion from Wilson to Jaron Brown. But with pressure bearing down on him from the blitz-happy Ravens, he took two quarterback hits and misfired on three straight pass attempts to force a Michael Dickson punt. Wilson sits as 13 for 28 passing on the afternoon, completing less than 50 percent of his attempts.
12:10 - Making by far the biggest hit of the afternoon thus far, cornerback Tre Flowers leveled Andrews as he caught a crosser in the middle of the field. The tackle from the converted safety came two yards short of the first down marker, forcing the Ravens to promptly punt it back to the Seahawks. Receivers will think twice going into Flowers's territory if he's going to level hits like that.
6:46 - On an afternoon where he hasn't been at his best passing the football, Wilson used his legs as a runner along with a steady diet of handoffs to Carson to move the Seahawks into scoring range. But the drive again stalled when the Ravens snuffed out a third down pass play to Lockett, bringing him down several yards short of the first down marker. Myers came on to attempt a 53-yard field goal and had plenty of distance, but the kick sliced right, leaving the game knotted up at 13 apiece.
1:20 - Despite his receivers consistently letting him down with drops on the drive, Jackson and Mark Ingram shouldered the load as runners. The Ravens chewed up 5:26 in clock time on an 11-play drive and the explosive quarterback took off for a 13-yard gain on third down and 15. Rather than settle for a field goal, Baltimore called timeout and called Jackson's name again as he darted eight yards for a touchdown to put his team back out in front 20-13.
Fourth Quarter
12:47 - Seattle's offense once again looked to be going nowhere. A holding penalty against guard Mike Iupati put the Seahawks in a miserable second and 23 situation deep in their own territory. Luckily, Wilson got bailed out again by a roughing the passer penalty against Josh Bynes, extending the drive temporarily. Seattle couldn't do anything with the gifted field position, however, quickly sputtering around midfield and punting it back to the opposition.
3:47 - Capitalizing on an opportunity to put the game on ice, the Ravens ate up nine minutes of clock time with a long 13-play, 86-yard drive. Jackson took over running around the Seahawks helpless defense, scrambling for 30 and 13-yard gains to move the chains. Baltimore couldn't quite cash in for a touchdown, but Tucker tacked on another 22-yard field goal to put his team up two scores with only a few minutes of game clock remaining.
