Closing Thoughts: Reasons for Optimism Abound After Seahawks Dominate Falcons

Since arriving as head coach back in 2010, Pete Carroll has found tremendous success on the sidelines for the Seahawks. He's led his team to eight playoff appearances in 10 years, two NFC Championships, and the franchise's first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

But while Carroll's teams have consistently been playing in January under his direction, season openers have often been a struggle. Heading into Sunday's Week 1 matchup in Atlanta, Seattle had gone 4-5 in its past nine openers, including a dismal 1-5 record on the road. Even victories during that span didn't come easy, as only one of the four wins came by more than five points.

However, those past issues of starting sluggish were put to rest on Sunday in the team's most dominant Week 1 effort since Russell Wilson became the Seahawks quarterback in 2012. Racing out to a 14-3 lead and creating separation in the third quarter, Carroll's squad was able to snag a comfortable 38-25 road win to kick off the season.

After re-watching the game a second time, here are some closing thoughts from Seattle's resounding season-opening victory.

Wilson's brilliance in this game cannot be understated, especially considering his own personal history of starting somewhat slow. The six-time Pro Bowler had only thrown for over 300 yards in an opener once in his prior eight seasons and had only thrown three passing touchdowns in an opener one time during that span. But on this afternoon, he was slinging the pigskin from the outset, completing all six of his passes on Seattle's opening scoring drive. On the ensuing possession, he showed he can still be a weapon with his legs, bolting 28 yards on an option play before finding Chris Carson for the score seconds later. Finishing with 322 passing yards, four touchdowns, and no turnovers, it was easily the finest Week 1 performance of his career.
Admittedly, it was a bit strange watching a team coached by Carroll only run the ball 17 times. Carson only had six carries the entire game, but obviously proved to be a factor in the passing game, while Carlos Hyde found the end zone in the fourth quarter to seal the game. There will be games where the rushing attack will be more vital to Seattle's chances of success, but on Sunday, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer rightfully put the ball in his star quarterback's hand early and often against a suspect secondary.
The Seahawks have to be encouraged by their depth at the receiving position. Even with Phillip Dorsett wearing street clothes on the sideline, David Moore gave the team a boost with three receptions and a first down run on a jet sweep. Rookie Freddie Swain also had a solid debut, recovering a fumble on special teams and nearly turning a 3rd and long situation into a new set of downs on his first NFL reception. All three of Seattle's stop tight ends - Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, and Jacob Hollister - were actively involved in the passing game as well. If Josh Gordon can be reinstated and Dorsett gets healthy, this group will be a major problem for opponents with Wilson at the controls.
Playing with three new starters, including a rookie in Damien Lewis at right guard, growing pains were expected for Seattle's offensive line. In the first half, the unit struggled to protect Wilson, specifically against line stunts by Atlanta. On one instance, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett looped outside and tackle Brandon Shell didn't notice him, allowing the defender to close in Wilson for an easy sack. There were other instances where communication wasn't on point and rushers came free as a result. But if you're looking for a reason to be optimistic about this new-look line, after giving up three sacks and seven quarterback hits before halftime, the unit yielded just three quarterback hits and zero sacks the final two quarters. That's a great stepping stone heading into next week's prime time game against New England.
Seattle allowed Matt Ryan to be far too comfortable in the pocket for long stretches on Sunday, but unlike a year ago, there were some promising developments with the pass rush. On the first drive of the game, L.J. Collier did a good job avoiding a cut block attempt by right tackle Kaleb McGary and found his way to Ryan, who threw the ball into the turf and was flagged for intentional grounding. The play sent the Falcons back 15 yards and forced them to settle for a field goal. The former first-round pick had two other pressures in the game, while Benson Mayowa made two pivotal fourth down plays with a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage and a sack chasing down a scrambling Ryan. Moving forward, Seattle will need greater contributions from Bruce Irvin and Jarran Reed, while rookie Alton Robinson should be given a shot to see what he can do next weekend.
While the pass rush flashed at times on Sunday, Seattle's run defense in the trenches looked dreadful at times. Overall, the Seahawks limited the Falcons to 72 rushing yards on 21 carries, but on the first couple of drives specifically, Todd Gurley found big gaps to run through in the teeth of the defense. It didn't wind up mattering in this game, as Seattle built a lead and Atlanta was forced to air it out for most of the contest. Against teams with more potent rushing attacks, the defensive line will need to do a better job of winning at the point of attack and maintaining gap responsibilities.
Though he earned First-Team All-Pro honors for a fifth time last season, there were murmurs out there about Bobby Wagner showing signs of decline. He struggled at times in coverage, allowing north of an 80 percent completion percentage by opposing quarterbacks. But Carroll told reporters after Sunday's win he was dealing with a knee issue last year and after a strong camp last month, "Wagz" looked like his old self in the middle of Seattle's defense, producing two pass deflections in coverage and stuffing Brian Hill in the backfield on a blitz. He also made a pair of tackles to stop receivers short of the first down marker on third down.
Statistically and on film, with Jamal Adams as the obvious exception, the Seahawks secondary underwhelmed on Sunday. But those concerns should be taken with a grain of salt. For one, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley rank among the best receiving duos in the NFL and they will make a lot of excellent cornerbacks look silly this year. Quinton Dunbar missed a large chunk of training camp and is still getting his feet underneath him, so he can be excused for having some issues in coverage against those two talented targets. Shaquill Griffin's afternoon would have looked a lot better if Adams didn't plow over him in man coverage to allow Ridley to come wide open in the end zone either. He made an excellent play extending his arm and swatting away a seam pass from Ryan to Hayden Hurst in the fourth quarter. Give this group a bit more time to gel and the on-field results should improve substantially.
With special teams coordinator Brian Schneider away from the team for personal reasons, interim coach Larry Izzo received an outstanding overall effort in the third phase of the game on Sunday. Michael Dickson executed several booming punts to help win the field position game, Jason Myers made all of his field goals and extra points, and Marquise Blair forced a fumble on a fake punt attempt by the Falcons, setting up a touchdown pass from Wilson to Olsen. Aside from allowing Atlanta to recover an onside kick late in the fourth quarter, it was a near-perfect performance on special teams.