The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a nail-biter on Sunday night with a last-second 35-30 victory over Cam Newton and the New England Patriots to improve to 2-0. It was a well-matched contest, with the Patriots striking first and the Seahawks quickly responding in an all-out offensive struggle. All in all, plenty of familiar storylines played out for Seattle, along with a couple of surprises – let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Seahawks’ win over the Patriots.
THE GOOD
Russell Wilson: Wilson is no stranger to putting up MVP-caliber performances, but his play against a staunch New England defense was nothing short of masterful, finishing completing 21 of 28 passes for 288 yards and five touchdowns. His lone interception (a pick-six) came on the very first drive, but Wilson was able to shake off the error and quickly respond with a 75-yard touchdown drive. His most impressive pass of the game, a beautiful toe-tapping 38-yard TD bomb to David Moore, had a 6.3% catch probability according to Next Gen Stats.
Tyler Lockett: The Wilson-to-Lockett connection has been among the NFL’s most consistent for some time now. On Sunday night, Lockett pulled in seven of his eight targets for 67 yards and a score, bringing his 2020 total up to 15 catches for 159 yards. Lockett continues to be Wilson’s most reliable weapon – no other Seahawks player has compiled as many receptions in either game so far this season.
Chris Carson: Carson put on a clinic against the Patriots, reaching 72 rushing yards on 17 carries and hauling in all three of his targets for 36 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Although the Seahawks offense looks to be strongest in the passing game, the dual-threat Carson exemplifies why opposing defenses also have to keep an eye or two on Seattle’s backfield. If he stays healthy, he should put together a truly special season.
Jamal Adams: Once again, Adams was in the middle of just about every play, finishing with 10 tackles, a sack, and two QB hits. After two games, he currently leads the Seahawks in all three of those categories, with 22 total tackles, two sacks, and four QB hits in addition to 3.5 tackles for loss. “This is the first time I’ve beaten the Patriots,” he said after the game, smiling. “Obviously, I’m hyped.”
THE BAD
Late-down defense: In Week 1, the Seahawks had some trouble keeping the Falcons from converting on third down; this week, they struggled even more in that regard. The Patriots were incredible on third and fourth down, respectively converting on 7 for 12 and 1 for 1. 95 of their 464 total yards came on these late-down plays; all but one of New England’s conversions occurred on a passing play, exposing perhaps the Seahawks’ main issue . . .
The pass rush: “We struggled,” said coach Pete Carroll bluntly after the game when questioned about Seattle’s pass rush. He wasn’t wrong – Patriots QB Cam Newton often had several seconds to throw the ball, and when he didn’t, he had no trouble slipping away from would-be sacks. In all, New England totaled 397 yards through the air. “We’ve got to be more creative, to help (the defensive line) out,” Carroll continued. The pass rush was easily the Seahawks’ biggest need over the offseason and continues to be their biggest weakness despite the addition of Jamal Adams.
THE UGLY
Quandre Diggs: Seattle lost a key piece of the defense at the end of the first quarter when Diggs leveled Patriots wideout N’Keal Harry with a direct helmet-to-helmet hit and was subsequently disqualified from the contest. It took the officials very little time to eject Diggs, who had posted one tackle at the time of his departure. The Seahawks’ struggles in defending the pass after Diggs’ departure only emphasized how vital the veteran safety is in coverage; Diggs will need to find a balance between his physical style of play and safe technique in future weeks in order to maintain his significant role in Seattle’s defense.
Injuries: The NFL was positively decimated with injuries on Sunday as several star players across the league suffered what looked to be season-ending blows. Seattle lost two of its own players to knee injuries – Marquise Blair went down in the second quarter with an unknown knee injury, while Bruce Irvin sprained his knee in the fourth quarter. Both players did not return to the game, although Irvin was reportedly walking around in the locker room afterward. In his postgame press conference, Carroll reported that Blair’s injury was “probably fairly serious,” although he will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage. Should Blair miss significant time, Carroll said, Ugo Amadi will have to “really step up and be a factor” at the nickel position.
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