Seahawks Halftime Observations: Fast Start Leads to 17-14 Advantage vs. Browns
Scoring on each of their first three possessions on their home turf, the Seattle Seahawks used an electric start sporting their 90s throwback uniforms to help take a 17-14 lead over the Cleveland Browns to the locker room.
Throwing for 175 yards in the first half, Geno Smith hooked up with Tyler Lockett six times in the first half, including a 12-yard touchdown pass. Receiver Jake Bobo also found the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown and Boye Mafe registered a sack and a fumble recovery to lead the defense in the first two quarters.
Here are three quick takeaways from the first half at Lumen Field:
1. Led by Smith and quality offensive line play in front of him, Seattle enjoyed an impressive start before rapidly cooling off.
Entering Sunday, the Browns ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed and 10th in scoring defense behind a ferocious pass rush led by Myles Garrett. But out of the gate, the Seahawks weren't intimidated and the front line set the tone early, using a 47-yard run by Ken Walker III behind a block from guard Anthony Bradford to quickly get into the red zone on their opening drive. Pulling a rabbit out of his hat, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron called a goal line jet sweep for receiver Jake Bobo, who turned up field and fell forward for a three-yard touchdown to open the scoring on an eight-play, 80-yard drive.
Less than four minutes later, exhibiting elite pocket presence, Smith niftily escape a potential sack in the red zone and lofted a perfect 12-yard touchdown to Lockett in the back lefthand corner of the end zone to push the lead to 14-0 early. Before the first quarter even came to a close, Jason Myers connected on a 32-yard field goal to give the home team 17 points on the scoreboard in the first 15 minutes. Unfortunately, that success didn't continue into the second quarter, as Seattle went three-and-out on its first two possessions of the period and Smith got picked off by Martin Emerson in Cleveland territory to take away three potential points before intermission.
2. Capitalizing on a backup quarterback, an opportunistic Seahawks took advantage with two turnovers to help sustain a slim lead.
Feeding off the energy of the crowd donning throwback silver helmets and royal blue uniforms, Seattle's defense came out in attack mode, first forcing a three-and-out on the game's opening drive. On the next possession, after the Browns picked up a first down on a catch by Amari Cooper, linebacker Jordyn Brooks came crashing into the pocket untouched on a blitz and blasted P.J. Walker, forcing a fumble that was promptly recovered past midfield by edge rusher Boye Mafe. The turnover set up Smith's touchdown pass to Lockett moments later, helping build an early two-score advantage.
After the Browns trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with a touchdown pass from Walker to David Njoku, the visitors drove deep into Seahawks territory, only for pressure to force the quarterback into an errant throw that was picked off by Riq Woolen. The second-year cornerback had the ball punched out of his hands by Njoku, but replay officials reached the verdict that the tight end had made contact with him on the ground before jarring the fumble loose. Though the Seahawks didn't take advantage by scoring any points off the turnover, it erased three likely points off the board that now stand as the difference in the contest.
3. Explosive plays offset those turnovers, allowing the Browns to hang tight despite a rough start on the road.
Despite starting off strong on defense, the Seahawks endured a somewhat sloppy half characterized by penalties and explosive plays. After going up 14 in the first quarter, the Browns punched back with a quick four-play, 75-yard drive that included a 41-yard catch on a screen play by running back Pierre Strong and a busted coverage that allowed Njoku to come wide open for an 18-yard score. Before Woolen's pick, Cleveland had marched 55 yards on nine plays and looked poised to score again, easily moving the ball downfield with a balanced attack and Cooper dominating on the outside.
After the Seahawks couldn't even get a first down in the aftermath of Woolen's interception, the Browns went back into attack mode. Woolen thought he had a pass breakup on 4th and 2, only for officials to flag him for defensive pass interference to extend the drive. On the very next snap, Walker absorbed a big hit from Mario Edwards and hooked up with Cooper for a 24-yard gain down to the Seahawks two-yard line, eventually setting up a short touchdown run by Kareem Hunt to cut the lead to just three points late in the second quarter. Overall, Seattle allowed Cleveland to produce 213 yards in the first half, nearly the same output for the entire game against Arizona a week ago.
