Seattle Seahawks
Re-Focused: Seahawks @ Bears, Week 15
The difference between these two teams was slim but all too obvious: one quarterback played mistake-free football for two halves, whereas a certain Caleb Hanie could only manage one. Bears fans must be wondering what they did to deserve such bad fortune. A month ago, Jay Cutler had just completed his best-ever game as a Bear, we were talking of Matt Forte as a legitimate MVP candidate, and the team was nailed on to a playoff berth. Unfortunately, the crowbar of fate has pried them away and they are now almost certain to miss out.
The Seahawks have an identical record–and as little chance of making it to January as the Bears–but for some reason, a more positive feel at the moment. Maybe it’s the fact they see themselves with a brighter future; they’re a young team who are a quarterback and a re-tooling of the offensive line away from being very good indeed. Is Tarvaris Jackson that player? Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Seahawks @ Bears, Week 15
Soldier Field will host two sides with very contrasting fortunes in Week 15 as the Seattle Seahawks take on the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks (6-7) have won four of their previous five games; a run of form the likes of which they have not enjoyed since 2007. A key part of this success has been the re-invigorated presence of Marshawn Lynch, who, since Week 9 has amassed 706 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The Bears (7-6) will be attempting to halt a three game losing streak, with all three losses having occurred since the injury of franchise quarter back Jay Cutler.
The game has serious playoff implications for both sides. The Bears, who looked like a lock for a playoff spot just a few weeks ago, can put themselves back into the picture with a win here. The Seahawks know they must now run the table to have any chance of getting in. Their remaining schedule (at home against the 49ers and at the Cardinals) makes this a possible task, so we should see everything they’ve got in their attempt to beat Chicago on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Rams @ Seahawks, Week 14
When the schedule makers put this game on Monday Night football, they thought it had a chance to be meaningful. It was between the two best teams in the NFC West last year, but even then that wasn’t saying much. Now the Seahawks are a long shot for the playoffs, while the Rams have been out of contention for practically the entire season.
It wasn’t the most interesting first half of football you’ll watch. Neither offense could do much with the ball and the only thing that separated these teams was a punt blocked by Seattle returned for a touchdown. In the second half Seattle got its act together. Good play by the defense as well as special teams led to good field position for the Seahawks. The offense in turn made some big plays of its own, as well as not making any big mistakes.
It wasn’t a pretty victory, but that is how most of Seattle’s wins have gone. In the end we didn’t learn much more about these teams. The Seahawks win with running and defense, while the Rams just don’t win.
Three to Focus on: Rams @ Seahawks, Week 14
It’s safe to say that this is not the matchup that ESPN envisioned when carving out their schedule prior to the season. They likely assumed the Rams and Seahawks would be battling it out for the division title at this point. It was a gamble to bank on two teams with such an underwhelming recent history, but it was a calculated one. Heck, somebody had to win this division and who could have imagined it would be the 49ers.
Several months, injuries, and defeats later, we’re stuck considering whether 2 Broke Girls or the Charlie Brown Christmas special might be a more entertaining Monday night viewing choice. Not to fear, there are enough intriguing storylines and matchups in this affair to warrant a look.
Re-Focused: Eagles @ Seahawks, Week 13
When the Philadelphia Eagles went on their off season spending spree they were planning how to beat the Green Bay Packers to become the dominant team in the NFC. They loaded up on talent that could get in front, unleash their pass rush, and make the kind of splash plays that would take them to glory.
It hasn’t worked out, and in a game against a motivated Seattle Seahawks team all of their problems came to the fore. You got the traditional bad play from the linebackers, missed tackles all over the place, and an inability to deal with the somewhat inevitable injuries to Michael Vick. The scoreline didn’t flatter a Seahawks team who, outside of the opening play of the game, knew what they had to do to win; run the ball, not turn it over and minimize the number of big plays allowed.
What this means for the Eagles going forward is hard to tell. New personnel on defense? A new defensive coordinator? Possibly even the end of the Andy Reid regime? While we leave the Eagles to ponder these questions let’s not forget the Seahawks have already had to answer some tough ones of their own, and while plenty remain, they appear to be moving in the right direction.
Three to Focus on: Eagles @ Seahawks, Week 13
It goes without saying that 4-7 isn’t where the Philadelphia Eagles expected to be sitting right now. Predicted by many to go to the Super Bowl after adding some of the best free agents on the market, the Eagles simply haven’t gotten it done on the field and now they need to win out just to finish above .500, let alone think about the playoffs.
Their opponents this Thursday would probably be leading the NFC West at 4-7 if this were a different year, but when the San Francisco 49ers are sitting at 8-2, 4-7 isn’t going to cut it. Mathematically, like the Eagles, the Seahawks can still make the playoffs but the reality is that they pretty much need to win out and hope the 7-4 and 6-5 teams fall apart. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Redskins @ Seahawks, Week 12
With the Washington Redskins down by 10 in the fourth quarter, it looked like Mike Shanahan was going into unchartered territory with a seventh straight defeat. Tarvaris Jackson had just thrown a strike of a touchdown, and made it 17 unanswered points to further rub in the woes of a Washington team that had been unable to turndominance into points.
But then something happened. Working off a slightly shorter field because of a Golden Tate penalty after his touchdown grab, the as ever inconsistent Rex Grossman marched his team down the field with four consecutive completions, before a gutsy call to run the ball on third down resulted in a highlight reel touchdown run by Roy Helu that swung the momentum in the Redskins favor. They would never surrender it.
Three to Focus on: Redskins @ Seahawks, Week 12
Riding a two-game winning streak that included a surprise victory over the Ravens, Seattle is coming into this game with a growing confidence. They have a slate of very winnable games over the next few weeks and their players are still clinging to playoff hopes.
For the Redskins, mired in a painful six-game skid, those hopes have long evaporated. The team is now simply looking to finish out the season positive note and start over again in 2012.
So, in this game fueled largely by slim hopes and professional pride, here are three matchups that will be key in deciding the outcome.
Re-Focused: Seahawks @ Rams, Week 11
This game started with a spark on an end-around pass by Sidney Rice to Mike Williams for 55 yards. For a game that promised to be a dismal display of offensive ineptitude and occasional defensive brilliance, that play gave us hope. False hope it proved to be, as that play was the high-water mark for both sides in terms of offensive inventiveness and big plays.
The Seattle Seahawks followed that pass with interceptions on their next two snaps and, after turning one of those interceptions into a touchdown, the St. Louis Rams proceeded to do nothing of any great merit, offensively, for the next three quarters.
With the sudden emergence of the 49ers, who have put their foot down and never let off this season, stumbling around to seven wins is no longer good enough to win the NFC West. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Seahawks @ Rams, Week 11
Just a year ago, the Seahawks and the Rams were the top two teams in the NFC West, and the last time they played it was to decide who would make the playoffs. The two of them have combined to win five games this year. While that doesn’t sound too impressive, three of those victories did come against the Saints, Ravens and Giants. Each of these teams is capable of winning this one, and whoever pulls it out will be on a two-game winning streak for the first time this season.
These two teams rank in the Bottom 5 in terms of offense and the they’ve scored more than 20 points only four times so far this year. So, we can expect a low scoring game, but some one has to end up on top. Here are the three matchups that will help decide which will walk away with a victory.
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