It was the farthest thing from being pretty unless you’re a fan of kickass defense…which I am! The Dark Side showed its true “force” by holding the Carolina Panthers to 139 total yards and 1-11 on third down. They also forced two turnovers and stopped the Panthers on fourth down three times en route to a 27-10 shellacking on the road. Chalk this up as another dominating defensive performance in a year full of them. Really, there was only one good drive that the Panthers had all game, which resulted
in their only touchdown in the game. The defense picked up the offense today, sparking them with consecutive turnovers that resulted in Seahawks touchdowns.
Good thing the defense was playing out of its mind, because the offense continued a worrying trend of not showing up until the second half. This was the fifth game in a row where the offense has struggled in the first half. Today, it was a combination of turnovers, poor execution, penalties…if there was a way to shoot themselves in the foot, the Seahawks were on top of it. Playing like garbage for half of the game is not generally a good strategy for winning the game, yet Seattle has done that for the last month and change and still came out on the winning end. I’m not going to complain about that.
Seahawks Droppings
- DeMarcus Lawrence proved his Pro Bowl mettle today with a huge punch out on the drive right after Sam Darnold threw an interception in the end zone. Later on, he had a massive third down sack to put Carolina in fourth and desperate when they were already down by two scores. He was pressuring Bryce Young all game, likely playing more with Derick Hall’s absence. Tank has been such a boon for this young Seahawks defense.
- Ty Okada is a real football player. After being forced into duty early in the season when Julian Love was injured, he took to that position like a pro. When Love came back, Okada was relegated to a reserve role once again. That didn’t last long as Love’s running mate at safety Coby Bryant was injured against the Los Angeles Rams. No worries, Okada stepped in again and seamlessly took over, making some fantastic tackles today. At this point, it makes me wonder if Coby Bryant will get a bigger contract in free agency from another team while Seattle will turn to Okada.
- Mike Macdonald’s defense gave up a franchise record 581 yards last week and seemingly took out their frustrations on Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers offense. Young passed for 54 yards, averaging 2.3 yards per attempt – a number that would be pathetic if we were talking about yards per carry and NOT a passing statistic. In fact, every rusher for the Panthers averaged more yards per carry than Bryce Young averaged on each pass. How about that for a smothering defense??
- In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks began to play a style that nobody wants to play against, a hallmark of Mike Macdonald’s style. Despite the fact that the Seahawks ran for over 150 yards last week, I don’t think Kubiak utilized the running game enough in the first half. He also got too cute with some of the running calls he did make with a lot of sweeps and outside runs that got strung out. Zach Charbonnet had the hot hand today, gaining 110 tough yards and 2 touchdowns with plenty of yards after contact. On a very Seattle-like overcast and rainy day, Charbonnet was the hammer that the offense needed. Kubiak leaned on the running game towards the end, and they rewarded him by bleeding the clock out while also putting the game out of reach. Seattle rushed for more yards than they got through the air which is just fine by me.
- Rashid Shaheed unfortunately got a concussion early on, forcing him out of the game. His status is immediately in doubt for next weekend’s pivotal matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle will need all hands on deck for that game, so keep your fingers crossed that Shaheed makes a quick recovery.
- AJ Barner has developed into a real weapon, and it still feels like there’s meat on the bone. He had a clutch first-down reception on a third and long in addition to his walk-in touchdown. Barner had a hot start to the season, but cooled down a bit in the middle before coming on strong again recently. He’s one to watch as we approach the playoffs.
- Julian Love looks like he’s back to his old self. He baited Bryce Young expertly on his interception (the throw was also well behind the receiver) and had a sure tackle on the last desperation fourth down for Carolina. Having Love back and healthy for the stretch run is huge.
- Lastly, I want to throw a bone to Mike Jackson. He worked his way into a role in Seattle before being passed on the depth chart and subsequently traded to Carolina. Jackson led Carolina in tackles today with 11 and picked off Sam Darnold in the end zone. He might not have had a place in Seattle anymore, but I’m glad to see him producing with the Panthers.
The final score was reflective of the game everyone figured it would be – a comfortable Seahawks win – even if it didn’t feel that way in the first half. Seattle is on a roll, with the No. 1 seed firmly in their sights. All they have to do is get a little revenge against the San Francisco 49ers for the opening day loss. Sounds pretty good to me!
