The Morning After: Seahawkalypse Now, Raiders Beat Seahawks, 33-3

I’m not going to lie to you. Every fiber of my Seahawks-being was screaming loss, and probably a bad loss, before the first snap. Nothing about this game felt right. The Seahawks had not produced a total stinker yet, despite being a team with obvious flaws. Three victories in a row for a team still finding its footing seemed unrealistic. That said, the season has been unrealistic so far. The point here is more that losing this game was not something unexpected. Being sodomized and hospitalized was a little more shocking. 

Blame me for the injuries. I had planned to start a series on who the most valuable and irreplaceable Seahawks were in this surprising season. Among the first names that came to mind were Red Bryant, Matt Hasselbeck, Mike Williams, Russell Okung, and Colin Cole. All of those players either entered, or exited, this game injured. Red Bryant is by far the most devastating. He is a primary reason the team has been elite against the run. Success stopping the run is a primary reason the Seahawks are better than anticipated this year. Expect to see EJ Wilson get some reps for the first time this season in upcoming games.

Crippling injuries can be overcome when facing weak teams. The Seahawks are in their toughest stretch, and these injuries could derail the season. Expect to hear the catcalls all week from trolls who will love to say, “I told you so” about the Seahawks. They will take the team’s worst moment, magnify the complete and total domination by a mediocre AFC team, and dismiss any improvements the team has made. This was the type of loss that starts you back at square one from a credibility perspective. The Seahawks *own* square one, so nothing new there. Don’t waste your time pointing out the flaws in those arguments. Take the week off. Dial back in for the Giants game and hope there is a better outcome. The next six days are going to be a pity party with the pile-on local media leading the conga line. Steve Kelley should be making a nauseating appearance in 3…2…1…

This game was largely decided in the first 20 minutes despite a 3-0 score. Seattle’s offensive line was dominated to such a degree that lineman were getting knocked out of the game with concussions and the offense had more negative plays than positive. The Raiders defensive line played out of its mind, and the Seahawks offensive line was totally over-matched. This was a Raiders team that was being gashed against the run and was mediocre rushing the QB before Sunday. What happened? The Seahawks certainly left Oakland dazed. That was not the team they saw on film. 

Pete Carroll now gets to show us how he handles adversity. This was a loss like no other so far. The team now moves onto a rested Giants team that has a better defensive line than the Raiders, and a superior offense. Expect some amount of overconfidence from the Giants after they watch this debacle and take the 20 minutes necessary to read the injury report, but the Seahawks will need more than to be overlooked. Carroll will have to show how he can lead through the valleys, and not just the peaks. A storm is rolling in. Return to your seats and brace for some turbulence.