Seahawks Can't Overcome 17-Point Deficit, Suffer Devastating Loss to Panthers
Spotting their underdog opposition 17 points in the first 20 minutes of play, the Seahawks couldn't finish off a valiant comeback effort and the wheels fell off late in a crushing 30-24 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Held to just 287 yards of total offense and turning the ball over twice, Geno Smith led Seattle with three touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Marquise Goodwin. Defensively, few players shined as the team allowed over 200 rushing yards for the second time in three games and Carolina converted five of its first seven third down opportunities in a defeat that may be difficult to bounce back from.
Here are five quick takeaways from a third loss in four games that puts the Seahawks on the outside looking in in the NFC playoff hunt:
1. Amid a roller coaster outing, Geno Smith couldn't make enough big throws down the stretch.
Near the top of the NFL in numerous categories, including first in completion percentage and second in passer rating, Smith wasn't his usual efficient self against a stingy Panthers defense. An early illustration of how things would roll on Sunday, he opened the contest completing only one of his first five passes, including getting baited by star cornerback Jaycee Horn and throwing a pick trying to hit Tyler Lockett on a crosser on the first offensive play of the game. While he settled in to throw a pair of touchdowns to Lockett and DK Metcalf in the second quarter to cut the lead to six points at the half, he also threw a second ugly interception that led to an Eddy Piniero field goal thinking the Panthers had jumped offsides and he had a free play.
After halftime, Smith orchestrated a field goal drive to open the third quarter, but from that point on, his accuracy waned. Seattle's defense forced a three-and-out after the field goal, only for the quarterback to throw back-to-back incompletions on second and third down to lead to quick Michael Dickson punt. Even after the defense pitched a goal line stand and Smith made a clutch 3rd and 10 completion to Lockett from the shadows of their own end zone to move the chains, the offense couldn't capitalize and eventually punted again. While Smith didn't give in and threw his third touchdown to Marquise Goodwin inside 20 seconds left to play, the heroics were too little, too late after failing to get anything going in the second half.
2. The absence of Ken Walker, DeeJay Dallas could be felt in game plan and execution.
In Smith's defense, the Seahawks signal caller was put in an unenviable position without his top two running backs in Walker and Dallas on Sunday, leaving an offense that already had been pretty one-dimensional in recent weeks even less balanced. Right out of the gate, it became clear coordinator Shane Waldron wasn't confident in his team's ability to run the ball given the attrition in the backfield, running only five times for six yards on the first four possessions of the game. At the half, they had ran the ball a grand total of seven times for 11 yards while Smith dropped back to pass 18 times, leading to a time of possession discrepancy of more than 11 minutes in favor of the road team.
Aside from Homer ripping off a 16-yard run on Seattle's first drive of the second half to help set up Myers' 27-yard field goal and a 13-yard scramble by Smith, the same results continued after halftime. Without Walker's dynamism or Dallas' reliability behind a struggling offensive line, Homer and Tony Jones Jr. combined to rush 10 times for 28 yards and less than three yards per carry, providing minimal contributions from running backs. For the game, the Seahawks ran the ball 14 times for 46 yards, marking the fourth time in six games they failed to eclipse 70 rushing yards as a team. Injuries certainly played a part in Sunday's results, but it hasn't honestly mattered who has been in the backfield for the better part of a month, putting playoff hopes on the brink as a result.
3. Easy completions and yards after the catch fueled Seattle’s early defensive struggles...
The Seahawks inability to slow down opposing run games has been well-documented this season, but early on, the front seven actually did an adequate job bottling up D'Onta Foreman and company. In the first half, the Panthers averaged only 3.5 yards per carry and Foreman had been limited to 30 yards on 10 carries. However, the team's struggles getting off the field on third down continued with Sam Darnold thriving on easy dump off passes. On the game's opening drive, he hooked up with Laviska Shenault on a quick curl on 3rd and 5 for an 11-yard gain and followed up moments later on a bootleg hitting Chuba Hubbard for a two-yard gain in the flats on 3rd and 1. Carolina wound up going three for four on third down on the possession and ran 13 plays, a sign of things to come.
After Darnold completed an easy touchdown pass to receiver Shi Smith following Geno Smith's first interception, the Panthers went back to work again, moving 74 yards on 12 plays before Hubbard extended the ball over the goal line on a third and goal run to push the lead to 17. During that drive, Darnold completed three different passes on swing routes that went for 17, 17, and eight yards, with each moving the chains thanks to poor pursuit angles and tackling by the Seahawks' defense. While Clint Hurtt's unit responded favorably after that in the middle quarters, the cumulative toll of those early possessions ended up coming back to bite them down the stretch.
4. Missing Shelby Harris and Al Woods, the dam broke for the Seahawks in the trenches in the fourth quarter.
Before kickoff, Seattle suffered an unexpected loss up front when Harris was declared out due to the flu, leaving an inconsistent front line without one of its best players. Then, Woods went down with a heel injury early in the second half and didn't return, further depleting a group that was already battling fatigue thanks to the Panthers long, run-oriented possessions. After getting gashed by the Buccaneers, Raiders, and Rams in three consecutive games, the Seahawks' porous run defense unfortunately returned to form after halftime with the trio of Foreman, Hubbard, and Raheem Blackshear churning up big chunks of Lumen Field turf against a defense that couldn't get off blocks or wrap up tackles.
In the fourth quarter alone, the Panthers racked up 101 rushing yards, including running eight out of 10 plays on a back-breaking 74-yard drive that culminated with Blackshear breaking a tackle and racing eight yards for a touchdown. Finishing with 223 rushing yards on the afternoon, including close to 150 in the second half, they held the football for nearly 20 minutes more than the Seahawks, bullying them into submission behind one of the most underrated offensive lines in football. The situation could have been far worse if coordinator Ben McAdoo would not have inexcusably called four straight pass plays from the opposing three-yard line on a 14-play, 66-yard drive late in the third quarter that resulted in a turnover on downs. In their past four games, they have allowed an inexcusable 210 yards per contest.
5. Godwin Igwebuike makes a case for a roster spot providing a much-needed spark in the return game.
If there was a bright spot for the Seahawks on an afternoon where few positives were present, Igwebuike made the most of his first opportunity to dress for the team after being elevated from the practice squad on Saturday. Formerly a standout safety at Northwestern in the rugged Big Ten, the speedy converted running back helped wake the team up after falling behind 20-7 midway through the second quarter by nearly taking a kickoff back to the house. Exhibiting explosion that hasn't been seen in the return game in years, he shot through a crease and rocketed past midfield before being tripped up on a 50-yard return, setting up Smith's second touchdown pass to Metcalf shortly before the half.
Then, with Seattle trailing by only six, Igwebuike again nearly busted one on the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Accelerating through a tight crease and making one defender miss after fielding a short kick at the five-yard line, he returned the football to the Seahawks 40-yard line, gifting Smith and the offense with outstanding field position. Though they couldn't punch it in for six, his efforts led to a Myers field goal and he deserve props for helping manufacture 10 points in a game where points proved hard to come by. With Dee Eskridge still out at least one more game, it's possible he could see two more auditions as a practice squad call up in that same role with a chance to carve out a spot on the 53 by season's end.
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