Pete Carroll hoping Seahawks ‘get act together’ against Falcons

After a disastrous outing Week 2, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is hoping his team can turn things around Sunday against the Falcons.

The Seattle Seahawks started the season strong against Russell Wilson and his Broncos, then turned around and played a disastrous game in San Francisco. Week 3 Seattle hosts the Falcons and coach Pete Carroll is hoping his team can turn things around on Sunday.

Man, this is an important week for us, getting back home and getting our act together,” Carroll said Friday. “We didn’t do what we wanted to do last week, so all phases are called on. Everybody has to contribute, we need to put a good game together here. We worked really hard in that direction, trying to get ready to play smart, play right, and not give a bunch of stuff away, penalties, the ball, and that kind of stuff. I’m looking for us to bounce, turn this back around, and get rolling.”

Carroll knows pulling out a win on gamedays in the NFL is never just that simple, but feels the Seahawks put in a solid week of preparation.

“Unfortunately, Atlanta is a good club, and they have been right there to win both games,” Carroll continued. “I know that they know that they are on the verge because they are. They have talent, speed, all kinds of stuff, and a scheme. They do a really nice job, so it’s a big challenge for us. I hope that we can play and connect with the 12s and do our thing like we know how to do and like they know how to do it to make it a big afternoon for us.”

Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT Sunday at Lumen Field.

[lawrence-related id=93973]

[listicle id=93978]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbycpfe4qgv9nf6 player_id=none image=https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Christian McCaffrey named among top 2021 bounce-back candidates

If Run CMC does return to form this coming season, he should have a chance to win Comeback Player of the Year award.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of life in the NFL. Nobody needs to remind the Carolina Panthers of that fact, as they’ve had three straight brutal years when it comes to the health of their most-important players.

Former Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was having another MVP-quality season back in 2018 before his shoulder issues took him down. In 2019, it was Newton’s foot that put him on the shelf and led to Kyle Allen starting 12 regrettable straight games. Last year, it was star running back Christian McCaffrey who suffered the most. He missed all but three games due to several different injuries.

Heading into the 2021 season, the Panthers are overdue for a bit more luck in this department. If they get a healthy McCaffrey for a full 17 games – or something close to it – it’s not hard to imagine this team finishing with a much better record than in 2020.

If Run CMC does return to form this coming season, he should have a chance to win Comeback Player of the Year award. At the very least, he’ll have a strong case. McCaffrey has been ranked No. 4 among the top 10 bounce-back candidates by CBS Sports.

“Before 2020, McCaffrey had never missed a game, posting three straight 80-catch seasons to start his career. Then came ankle and shoulder issues that limited him to three contests and forced Carolina to lean heavily on backup Mike Davis and QB Teddy Bridgewater, both of whom are now gone. . . Regardless of whether Sam Darnold pans out at QB, McCaffrey should be in for another big dose of touches.”

Other solid potential comeback candidates include Odell Beckham, Julio Jones and Nick Bosa. That said, from where we’re sitting McCaffrey should be the favorite.

In his last fully healthy season (2019) CMC totaled a ridiculous 2,392 yards and scored 19 touchdowns from scrimmage – both league highs. If he can stay on the field, there’s no reason to believe he can’t get back to that level.

[lawrence-related id=637969]

[vertical-gallery id=637870]