Closing Thoughts: Russell Wilson Bolsters MVP Candidacy in Thrilling Overtime Win Over Bucs
Given all that lies ahead for the Seahawks in the coming weeks, starting the season 7-2 would seem to be a good thing. After all, there are only four teams in the entire NFL who can boast a record as good or better than that.
Yet fans and analysts alike are having a hard time wrapping their head around this version of Pete Carroll’s Seahawks, simply because they’re quite unlike any other that’s come before them.
Yes they’re winning, but it’s the way they’re winning that’s cause for so much concern.
The days of balancing a dominating defense with a physical, run-first, ball control offense would appear to be a tiny speck in the rear view mirror. Gone are the days of Seattle’s defense pummeling teams into submission, making the task easier for the offense.
Sunday’s 40-34 overtime thriller at CenturyLink Field serves as yet another stark reminder that this particular Seahawks team is going to have to light up the scoreboard to continue competing in the super-charged NFC West playoff race. Promises from defensive players and coach Pete Carroll himself that the defensive unit is on the verge of jelling ring more hollow with each poor performance.
Yet once again, the Seahawks found a way to win a game in which the outcome was at times in serious doubt. But with a gauntlet of games against some of the best the NFC has to offer looming over the next six weeks, can this new formula continue to succeed?
That’s only the most obvious question among my closing thoughts after Seattle’s crazy win over the Buccaneers.
WITHOUT RUSSELL WILSON THIS MIGHT BE A DISASTER
As good as Wilson has been in just about every game this year, we may have seen the best performance of his career on Sunday. Completing 29 out of 43 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns doesn’t even tell the entire story. It was the way he put the team on his shoulders when Tampa surged ahead 21-7 in the second quarter that makes him one of the league’s front-runners for MVP. If you ask me the top three contenders are Wilson, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson. The award is supposed to go to the most valuable player to his respective team, and right now, it’s conceivable that without their franchise quarterback, the Seahawks might be in the running for a top 10 draft pick.
COULD THE TAMPA WIN BE AN “A HA!” MOMENT FOR THE SEAHAWKS?
This isn’t the way Carroll wants his football teams to play. He’s said it over and over throughout his career and he’s backed it up with the way he approaches things on game day. Yet we may have seen signs Sunday that he’s starting to understand that this team needs to find a different way to compete. Seattle came out throwing the ball early against the Bucs, a smart move considering the Bucs came into the contest ranked 31st in the league in pass defense and No. 1 versus the run. But we’ve seen Carroll take a different tact before, bound and determined to establish the running game early and often no matter who the opponent is.
Could the Seahawks now be best served by being more open on offense and taking more chances on defense, knowing they aren’t built to simply line up and consistently stop teams as currently constructed?
As critical as I’ve been of Carroll at times for sticking stubbornly to his conservative ways, the decision to put the game squarely in Wilson’s hands from the opening kickoff against Tampa could be a positive sign.
KEEP THE BLITZES COMING!
Now nine games into the season, we have a big enough sample size to know this to be true - the Seahawks are going to have to manufacture their pass rush any way they can. Jadeveon Clowney, as talented as he is, isn’t getting to the quarterback. Neither is veteran offseason addition Ziggy Ansah, and one has to wonder if his best days are simply behind him. And while the team was hoping the return of defensive tackle Jarran Reed would help add pressure from the inside, he looks nowhere near the disruptive presence he was while registering 10.5 sacks in 2018.
Seattle tallied two sacks against Tampa, one each by linebackers Michael Kendricks and Bobby Wagner. They’ll have to continue to blitz and send extra rushers to try and get pressure on the passer. With much more talented quarterbacks lying in wait in the coming weeks, this is a scary proposition, but barring sudden and significant improvement from their front four, it appears to be the only choice facing Seattle’s struggling defense.
WHY DO THE SEAHAWKS KEEP ADDING RECEIVERS?
I mean, they only need two right? Or at least you can make the point that they only use two. Against the Bucs, 27 of WIlson’s 43 pass attempts were intended for either Tyler Lockett or rookie DK Metcalf. David Moore was the only other wide receiver to be targeted and he only caught two balls for 18 yards. Seattle drafted two other receivers this year in addition to Metcalf, yet Gary Jennings and John Ursua have been complete non-factors.
Still, the team claimed the talented, yet historically troubled Josh Gordon on waivers after he was released by the Patriots last week. It’s a somewhat bizarre move given that it will force the Hawks to jettison another player to make room on the roster for someone who may not end up being much of a factor in the offense.
WHAT WILL THIS SEASON LOOK LIKE SIX WEEKS FROM NOW?
The aforementioned challenge of facing five straight NFC contenders between now and December 15 begins Monday in Santa Clara, CA against the unbeaten 49ers. Following a bye week, they then alternate road and home games against the Eagles, Vikings, Rams, and Panthers respectively. Those five teams are a combined 29-13 so far this season. There’s no question that this stretch will define the Seahawks season.
One final point to consider - while the Seahawks have had trouble getting out of their own way at times and may seem to some like a team not quite as good as their 7-2 record would suggest, they are not alone. You can make the case that only the 49ers have had a clean season so far. Every other contender has had their struggles. Despite the NFL’s efforts to achieve parity, the league appears as top-heavy as ever in 2019.
Concerns about the performance of the defense notwithstanding, the Seahawks have as good an opportunity to earn a playoff berth as any of their upcoming opponents.
As long as they have Russell Wilson under center anything is possible, and that was on display as much as ever in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.
