Tag: Chris Carson

3 Studs and 2 Duds from Seahawks’ defeat of Eagles Week 12

A look at who stood out and who didn’t in the Seattle Seahawks sloppy win over the Philadelphia Eagles Week 12.

There are no style points in the NFL, and the Seattle Seahawks are certainly grateful for that. On Sunday the Seahawks tied a franchise record with their sixth road win of the year, remaining unbeaten away from Seattle, with a sloppy 17-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only did the Seahawks continue their winning ways on the road, they also continued their 30-year win streak in Philadelphia. The Seahawks have not lost in the City of Brotherly Love since September of 1989.

It was an ugly affair in the cold, windy Sunday afternoon, but the Seahawks walked away with an important victory to stay on pace with the rest of the NFC and keep their hopes of a division title comfortably alive. As a result, here are 3 Studs and 2 Duds from Sunday’s game.

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5 takeaways from Seahawks’ gritty 17-9 victory over Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense.

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense. Seattle secured a winning record for the eighth consecutive season and can take the division lead if the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) lose to the Green Bay Packers (8-2) on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Defense holds firm and totals five turnovers

The defense had a solid day even without Jadeveon Clowney, limiting the Eagles offense on Sunday. In addition, they had five total turnovers that were crucial to that accomplishment, often setting Seattle up in field goal range. The tackling was generally strong and the defensive backs mostly provided great coverage on their respective assignments, notching two interceptions off of Carson Wentz. They gave the offense multiple opportunities to put points on the board. However…

Missed opportunities on offense

The offense failed to capitalize on most of the chances given to them by the defense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had three drops, including a brutal one on a surefire touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. After Quinton Jefferson recovered a fumble and took it deep into Philadelphia territory, the Seahawks turned a first and 10 into a first and 20 with back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties. This turned into a third and 25, leading Wilson to throw his third interception of the season. They did enough to win the game, but the missed opportunities were plentiful and Seattle cannot afford them later in the season.

Rashaad Penny shows improvement

Penny had his best game in quite some time, recording 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. That TD came on the longest run of his career, a 58-yard run.  It was also the longest rushing score for Seattle in the past three years. After being outshone by Chris Carson for most of the season, Penny came through when his team needed him to. This game could be a momentum shift in the season for the much-maligned second-year running back, and he will likely receive more carries going forward. Seattle could certainly use bigger contributions from Penny, so hopefully he builds on this.

Chris Carson fumbles twice in a row

Carson had a pair of egregious fumbles on back-to-back plays, the second of which Philadelphia recovered. The second one may have been attributed to Wilson as a botched handoff, but Carson was still at least partially to blame for not securing it. His ball-security issues continue to hamper the Seahawks offense. On top of that, he only had 26 rushing yards on eight carries. This, combined with Penny’s solid day, could give Carson less playing time for the remainder of the season.

Russell Wilson turns in a hot-and-cold performance

Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was the victim of a few unfortunate drops, most prominently by Metcalf. However, it was not the best game by Wilson’s lofty standards. His interception was a bounce to Rodney McLeod off a solid play by Ronald Darby. His touchdown pass to Malik Turner off a trick play was a thing of beauty, but he took quite a few sacks in crucial moments and his 75.4 passer rating is his lowest since the Seahawks’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore. In the end, Wilson did enough to win and his performance shows how high his standards have become after largely playing at an MVP-caliber level through the first ten games.

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Rashaad Penny reemerges as offensive weapon for Seahawks Week 12

After very little production over the last three games, Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny logged an impressive Week 12 against the Eagles.

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny has finally come to life. Penny had a banner day Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the game as the team’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown.

Penny, who has been relegated to a minor backup role as of late, actually got more touches than starter Chris Carson on Sunday. Entering the matchup, Penny had only posted 14 carries over his last three outings and just 26 total on the year.

Penny’s impressive 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Eagles is a career-long and his second score of the season.

Penny, unlike Carson, has just one fumble in 2019, which came Week 10 in San Francisco.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had said just last week the plan was to get Penny more involved in the offense.

“But for us to go where we want to go, I think Rashaad will help us win games and he’s chomping at the bit,” Schottenheimer told reporters Thursday. “We just don’t ever plan exactly how it’s going to play out. Chris has been playing so good right now but, when Rashaad get his chances, I think he’ll play well.”

Luckily for the Schottenheimer, the Seahawks and Penny, the plan worked flawlessly.

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Seahawks still committed to getting Rashaad Penny going

The Seattle Seahawks are still hoping to get some value out of Rashaad Penny in the final few weeks of the 2019 season.

It’s clear the Seattle Seahawks have not utilized 2018 first round draft pick Rashaad Penny nearly as often as expected.

Penny was a monster at San Diego State, and was selected with the intention that he would either become the full-fledged starter in Seattle, or would at least form a formidable running back tandem alongside Chris Carson.

Instead, Carson has retained his status as the team’s bell-cow, while Penny has been relegated to straight backup duty, only handling the ball six times in his last two games combined.

While the team is down on Penny’s performance as of late – he was benched after fumbling against San Francisco and never returned – there is still hope that he will get more involved down the stretch, and that he will play well.

“For us to go where we want to go, I think Rashaad will help us win games and he’s chomping at the bit,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer commented on Thursday. “We just don’t ever plan exactly how it’s going to play out. Chris [Carson] has been playing so good right now but, when Rashaad get his chances, I think he’ll play well.”

Penny has just 36 rushing attempts on the season (about five per game) and has rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, while also hauling in three receptions for 34 yards.

Those numbers pale in comparison to what Carson has done, and even with the fumbling issue it is clear he is – and should be – the preferred option in Seattle.

“We’re really pleased with what Chris is doing,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s playing really, really well. You guys know the way we are, and the way we want to get multiple backs involved.”

The Seahawks are set to take on the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, and all signs point once again to Carson handling the vast majority of duty in the backfield.

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Eagles vs. Seahawks: 5 things to know about Philadelphia’s Week 12 opponent

Here are five things to know about the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles Week 12 opponent.

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The Philadelphia Eagles will be home favorites against the surging Seattle Seahawks for their Week 12 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles currently sit at 5-5 on the season and are coming off a 17-10 home loss to the New England Patriots.

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With the Cowboys playing well and the NFC playoff picture starting to take shape, the Eagles need to win this game.

With the Seahawks sitting at 8-2 and a true threat in the NFC, here are five things to know about the Eagles Week 12 opponent.

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1. Carson Wentz can learn a thing or two his counterpart

Russell Wilson is at the top of the MVP race right now and he’s carried the Seattle Seahawks to the brink of a playoff berth. On the season, Wilson has gone 224 of 327, for 2,737 yards and 23 touchdowns With two interceptions. Wilson also has accounted for 256 yards and three touchdowns on the ground as well. Wentz can learn a ton from Wilson in regards to being himself and playing his style of ball. Wilson loves to get outside the pocket, he’s efficient and knows when to get rid of the football and most importantly, he puts his receivers in an excellent position to make plays.

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Questioning running back Rashaad Penny’s future in Seattle

The Lions had expressed interest in running back Rashaad Penny before the trade deadline but the Seattle Seahawks opted not to deal him.

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The Seattle Seahawks have not utilized running back Rashaad Penny much since the trade deadline when he was speculated to be a potential trade candidate. In the two games the Seahawks played since the deadline passed, Penny rushed a combined six times for 14 yards and a lost fumble.

The Lions had expressed interest in Penny before the trade deadline, according to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions were 3-3-1 at the time and were looking to bolster their stable of running backs, but apparently did not think Penny was worth anything more than a third-round pick.

If this report is true, it prompts an abundance of questions and speculation.

What more would Detroit have had to offer for the Seahawks to trade Penny? Is Seattle still confident that Penny can develop into something great at his position and just has a longer learning curve? How is Penny specifically going to be used in the future with Chris Carson soaking up all the carries despite a few mistakes over the course of the season? Did his 55 rushing yards on eight carries against Atlanta make the Seahawks’ decision for them?

Penny has shown flashes of success over his young career thus far, especially with the ball in open space. However, he has some noticeable issues, particularly regarding running between the tackles. He still has potential, as he is only in his second season in the NFL. However, Seattle may soon find out if it regrets not dealing Penny sooner, or if he breaks out and becomes a consistently favorable complement to Carson.

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Seahawks’ recent 1st-round picks continuing to struggle

The Seattle Seahawks are 8-2 despite a trio of struggling first-round picks.

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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has proven to be excellent at finding high-quality NFL players in the later rounds of the draft, and his recent trades have paid off handsomely as well.

However, if there is one area of weakness for Schneider and his staff, it is in the first round.

Earl Thomas and Bruce Irvin were two of Schneider’s earliest first-round picks, and while both of them were extremely successful, the first round has not gone well for Schneider and company since then.

The Seahawks have only made three picks in the first round since Irvin: tackle Germain Ifedi (2016), running back Rashaad Penny (2018) and defensive end L.J. Collier (2019). In 2017, they traded their first-round selection to the Falcons in a draft-pick swap.

While Ifedi has gradually improved, his issues with penalties and struggles in pass protection have been well documented over the past few years. The team declined to give him a fifth-year option, potentially bringing an end to his Seahawks tenure after this season.

Penny is in his second NFL season, and he has already fallen out of favor in Seattle’s run game. Chris Carson dominated the last two seasons, and Penny has struggled to find his footing in the league. He has carried the ball just 36 times for 167 yards and one touchdown on the year, and got benched in Week 10 against the 49ers after just three snaps, one of which included a fumble.

As long as Carson is in tow, Penny’s role will likely be limited to a change-of-pace back — not what you want out of a first-round pick.

Lastly, Collier was selected late in the first round of the 2019 draft. He suffered an ankle injury during training camp, which caused him to miss the entire preseason and has slowed his development.

Collier has been a healthy inactive for a handful of games and has only played a total of 69 defensive snaps, recording two solo tackles.

While there’s still time for Collier, and potentially Penny, to develop into big-time contributors, it’s clear Schneider excels at finding great players in the later rounds and not as often in Round 1.

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Chris Carson is a double-edged sword for the Seahawks this season

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson has been a double-edged sword for the team this season with high production but multiple fumbles.

Chris Carson has been a bit of a double-edged sword for the Seattle Seahawks this season. The third-year running back out of Oklahoma State has rushed for 853 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in 2019, while chipping in 189 receiving yards for two additional scores.

However, he already has a career-high six fumbles on the season doubling his previous career-high in 2018. This could become a real concern moving forward despite Seattle’s 8-2 record.

The Seahawks may be a high-ranking team in the NFC right now, but they have had to fight for almost every one of their victories. Carson has contributed greatly to the team’s success and is their best running back by a country mile, but his ball security issues are still noticeable.

Coach Pete Carroll repeatedly preaches protecting the football, something the Seahawks were not able to do in their narrow overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Carson had a fumble himself, but he also provided 101 total yards and a touchdown in the matchup.

Carson’s issues began early, when he fumbled in each of the first three games of the season. After that, Carson did not fumble in his next five outings. He then proceeded to fumble twice against Tampa Bay in a contest Seattle escaped by the skin of its teeth with a win.

Carson has been one of the most important players on the Seahawks’ roster and is crucial to their offensive success. His positive contributions far outweigh the negative, but he must continue to work on his ball security to help his team win even more, especially with the tough schedule the Seahawks have over the final six weeks of the regular season.

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Week 10 snap counts: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks played a lot of their new players, Josh Gordon and Quandre Diggs, in their victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seattle Seahawks improved to 8-2 on the season with a thrilling overtime victory over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, a game that will go down as an instant classic between the two NFC West rivals.

Seattle had a few tricks up their sleeves in this one, including the team debuts for both safety Quandre Diggs and receiver Josh Gordon.

Gordon was on the field for 28 snaps, hauling in a handful of crucial catches down the stretch to keep Seattle in the game.

Diggs played all 88 of Seattle’s defensive snaps, settling in as the team’s starting free safety alongside Bradley McDougald – giving Seattle a veteran duo to man the secondary.

The Seahawks also gave core special teamer Shaquem Griffin a new role on the defense, as the second-year saw 14 snaps on defense – all coming as an edge rusher in obvious passing downs. He previously had not played a single snap on defense this season, and appeared to be replacing Ziggy Ansah, who himself only saw 14 total snaps.

The Seahawks once again relied heavily on Chris Carson, who was on for 71 of Seattle’s 74 offensive snaps. Rashaad Penny only saw three total snaps, and did not come back into the game after fumbling early in the third quarter.

Jacob Hollister played in 58 snaps, thanks in part to an injury to Luke Willson that kept him out and limited him to just 14 total snaps.

Here is a look at Seattle’s snap counts and play percentages for Monday’s game.

And for the 49ers:

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Fumbles and ball security sore spots in Seahawks win over 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks were able to escape the San Franciso 49ers Week 10 despite five fumbles – three for losses – Monday night.

The Seahawks were able to head home with a victory Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, although it wasn’t always pretty. Seattle struggled with ball control throughout the game, posting three lost fumbles for a total of five fumbles throughout the contest.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf and running back Rashaad Penny both turned over the ball but San Francisco was unable to capitalize on the takeaways. Tackle Germain Ifedi, however, originally recovered a Russell Wilson fumble on a play before his own lost ball and had to watch the 49ers score a defensive touchdown as a result.

“We did a terrible job taking care of the football tonight, a miserable job,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters. “I don’t even recognize us when the ball is flopping around like that. We got a lot of work to do. We won’t win if we keep doing this. We have to take care of the football better than that.”

Carroll has always preached ball security but the concepts were lost on Seattle Monday night. For a team with the fewest turnovers in the league last season, it was difficult to watch at times.

There was one shining moment in the turnover battle when center Joey Hunt was able to save a Chris Carson fumble.

“It was a miserable night there, but one of the great plays of the night was Joey Hunt’s fumble recovery,” Carroll said. “You guys don’t make a big deal about that. Joey laid out, slid into it, cut it up just the way he’s supposed to. It was a huge play for us, because we come back and score after that. I think it was, we wound up second and 11 and we still overcame it, so a big play.”

Seattle has a bye week before facing the Eagles Nov. 24 and you bet ball security will be a point of emphasis when the Seahawks return to practice next Monday.

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