Seahawks: 9 takeaways from an embarrassing primetime loss to Washington
The Seattle Seahawks have been the most successful team in the NFC over the last decade. It seems the good times are finally coming to an end, though. Tonight’s 17-15 loss against the Washington Football Team was their sixth loss in their last seven games, dropping their record to a pathetic 3-8 on the season.
Here are nine takeaways from another embarrassing performance in primetime from Seattle.
Russell Wilson is getting there
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It’s too late to make a difference or save the season, but starting quarterback Russell Wilson is slowly starting to get his groove back. He’s still sailing too many passes and his timing remains a bit off. However, the touch and placement on his throws are improving and he led a vintage scoring drive in the clutch. Wilson went 20/31 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and a 110.6 passer rating.
Washington won in the trenches
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One of the recurring themes for this season has been the Seahawks getting dominated at the line of scrimmage. It happened again against Washington, who were able to control the game in the trenches no matter the situation. Their DL got consistent pressure on Wilson and their OL imposed their will, helping former Seahawk J.D. McKissic score twice.
The run game is still dead
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
With almost every RB on the roster dealing with some kind of injury, Seattle’s rushing attack has come to almost a complete stop. This week was no different, as the team had no luck at all running against a stout Washington front line. Alex Collins lost a fumble and averaged two yards per carry, while DeeJay Dallas managed just four yards on three attempts.
Tyler Lockett was productive
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It’s been a feast-or-famine kind of a campaign for Seattle’s stud wideout Tyler Lockett. Tonight he was on point, catching three of five targets from Russell Wilson for a team-high 96 receiving yards. Lockett also drew a big penalty late in the game.
D.K. Metcalf was not a factor
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
Every week there’s some new inexplicable failure from OC Shane Waldron’s offense. This time around it was an almost-total lack of involvement for the most athletic playmaker on the team. While the tight ends received plenty of attention all night, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf didn’t get his first catch until the final minute, which is utterly inexcusable.
Taylor Heinicke went after Sidney Jones
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Taylor Heinicke’s early gameplan was clear: target cornerback Sidney Jones, who’s taken over for the injured rookie Tre Brown on the left side of the Seahawks secondary. It didn’t go as well as Heinicke hoped. Jones held his own and displayed tenacious coverage despite some tough WR matchups. Other teams will likely continue testing him, though.
Jordyn Brooks came to play
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Second-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks has been coming on strong of late after a rough rookie year and a brutal run in September. Brooks is improving as a screen defender and made several impressive stops against WFT. He finished the evening tied with Bobby Wagner for a team-high 14 tackles.
Another big special teams boost
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Aside from kicker Jason Meyers having issues on field goals, Seattle’s special teams unit has been solid all season long. They punt well, they cover well and their return game is dynamic. Tonight they got another significant momentum-swinging play from this group, coming on a 94-yard return from Rasheem Green on a blocked extra point attempt for two points. It’s too bad the other two phases haven’t done their part.
Time of possession troubles continue
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This Seahawks team has a lot of flaws, but the one area of the game that’s doomed their season more than any other is a wildly imbalanced time of possession. Those problems continued in Landover, as Washington held the ball for 41:40 compared to just 18:20 for Seattle.
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