THE UGLY
Injuries: Sadly, viewers have become accustomed to seeing players suffer injuries on “Thursday Night Football” due in part to a short rest period, and this game was no exception for the Seahawks. Defensive tackle Poona Ford, a major contributor in the trenches, missed a few plays in the second quarter following an apparent leg injury. Two players were carted into the locker room in the fourth quarter – TE Greg Olsen, who suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his left foot, and RT Brandon Shell, who sprained his ankle on the next drive. RB Bo Scarbrough incurred a hamstring injury just six plays after Shell left the game, leaving the Seahawks even thinner at the position. Coach Pete Carroll said after the game that he doesn’t yet know the severity of any of the injuries (“we’ll see what happens”), but the team should be receiving reinforcements for their next game with the projected returns of RB Chris Carson and CB Shaquill Griffin.
Penalties: For most of the year, the Seahawks seemed to have cut down on the number of flags earned, but Thursday night’s eight penalties for 79 yards undoubtedly felt all too familiar to fans. Seattle incurred two 15-yard penalties in the first drive of the second half – a third-down personal foul on Quandre Diggs, who took DeAndre Hopkins to the ground after the ball had clearly left his vicinity, and Bobby Wagner’s horsecollar tackle on RB Chase Edmonds. Those 30 free yards were instrumental in the Cardinals’ subsequent touchdown, which shrunk Seattle’s lead to just two points. Although the Cardinals themselves received more penalties than the Seahawks (10 for 115 yards), the latter will need to get themselves in check lest they fall back into old habits.
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