We all face it. You look in the mirror, and you do not like what you see looking back. The doubt creeps in. Do you deserve the praise offered by your supporters or the harsh view depicted by your critics? It somehow feels safer to assume the worst. Hope is dangerous. It hurts so much when it is ripped away. Sometimes, it seems wise to avoid it in the first place. Believe the terrible things they say about you. Slink away from expectations. Accept failure. Accept irrelevance. Disappear. The best of us reject that path. They are steadfast in their belief in who they are. They will fight like hell to prove the only accurate view is the one that resides in their soul. Adversity is a confusing concept to these titans. Whether the road they walk is flat or a twisting, turning, steep ascent is makes no difference. They know they will reach their destination. Heck, a little resistance often adds texture to an otherwise bland journey.
Pete Carroll is the master of this mindset. As is Bobby Wagner. Two of the greatest leaders the Pacific Northwest has seen, guided their team along a craggy cliff, never once peering over to see the devastation below. Critics pelted them all week after a performance so bad, it reverberated through every locker and every office at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. It would have been so easy to take the (massive) paycheck they receive no matter the outcome, put in a little effort for part of a game against a healthier home opponent playing in front of a raucous crowd, and then accept their fate. No credible analysis of this game would lead someone to pick Seattle to win.
Winless. Two losses in the conference. Beat up. In disarray. Quarterback position regressing into an alarming question mark. Coach finally proving his end is now. All these were not just possible headlines after week two, they were likely.
Wagner felt it. He gathered his teammates ahead of a practice this week and screamed at them. He could see the resignation starting to creep into their eyes. He refused that path. He refused it for himself. He refused it for his teammates.
I scoffed at the story when I heard it. This team was so bad in week one, against a lesser opponent, with at least a half of healthy offensive linemen, at home. The idea that a pep talk could matter this week seemed somewhere between Hollywood script nonsense and fan fiction. Now? I am not sure this victory would have happened without it.
Wagner’s legacy is already secured. That is not true for Geno Smith. He had one of his worst statistical games as a Seahawks starter in week one. It was bad enough that not only were the doubters reaching deafening volume, but even his most ardent supporters were left wondering if they had been fooled.
Pass protection has a been a bellwether for Smith. Give him time to throw, and he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Hurry him, collapse the pocket, and he becomes mediocre. Knowing the Seahawks would be heading into this game without either starting tackle on offense, and that the Lions featured a productive edge rushing duo who would be playing in front of a deafening crowd, logically lead to the belief Seattle would struggle in pass protection and Smith would struggle to produce.
What Smith and his backup tackles did on Sunday was delightfully contrarian. Smith was masterful in making adjustments at the line of scrimmage, getting the ball out quickly, and dropping accurate throw after accurate throw on his receivers. But this was not some turtle shell of a game plan where the Seahawks ran every time on first and second down or only threw quick passes within a few yards of the line of scrimmage.
Seattle was more aggressive in this game plan than they were at home against a lesser pass rush with healthy tackles. They were able to pull that off because the tackles not only held their own, they largely shut out their opponents.
Aidan Hutchinson had 0 sacks and 0 QB hits. James Houston matched that output. Neither had a tackle for loss. In fact, the Lions would finish the day with only one sack and one QB hit. Both of which came on a play where Smith, unwisely, intentionally took a sack toward the end of the fourth quarter.
This challenged offensive line dictated the terms to the Lions. They were helped by a wise deployment of a secret strength of this Seattle team. Will Dissly, Noah Fant, and Colby Parkinson are all quality players who take advantage of the opportunities given to them. Shane Waldron chose utilization of multiple tight end sets on offense as his strategy to help his backup tackles. It worked.
The trio combined for 9 catches, 132 yards, and a number of big blocks. These were not your ordinary chip blocks. There were a few haymakers thrown. Seattle does not put up 37 points without the performance of those three guys.
Smith did not have many deep throws. He did his damage on intermediate routes. There was 18 yards to DK Metcalf, 21 yards to Parkinson, 16 yards to Dissly and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Fant had the biggest pass play of the day at 31 yards. In all, Smith would complete 20 of 23 passes to his wide receivers, and 9 of 10 passes to his tight ends.
He had multiple big-time throws. The first touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett was custom fit to that one spot at the exact right time with the exact right touch. The first down throw to Fant to start the overtime drive or the 3rd down throw to Metcalf a few plays later were gorgeous. Go back and watch the time the line gives Smith on both of those plays.
There was a time when fans wondered if Smith could win a game in the clutch. No more. He has done it multiple times, and there is no reason to believe what he does as a player changes when the pressure increases. The best predictor of Smith remains whether he is given competent pass protection. He can win you a lot of games with decent line play.
The running game was more sporadic. Kenneth Walker has some fun moments where he creates something out of nothing. He also tries to do that far too often. It was a welcome change when Zach Charbonnet entered and simply ran through the right gap and ran through the tackles of defenders. This was not a flashy game for Charbonnet, but watch the drive when the Seahawks took the lead 24-21. He played that whole drive, and it was his best work as a pro thus far.
Defensively, it was a mixed bag. There were not the injury excuses there were on offense. Actually, the defense gained the services of their top draft pick when Devon Witherspoon started opposite Riq Woolen.
The Lions offense is very good. They feature multiple quality running backs, some high level receiver play, and a promising rookie tight end. Jared Goff, despite all the memories Seahawks fans have of the bumbling buffoon who did not know where the sun rises or sets, has become a very good quarterback. He was a few passes away from setting the record for most consecutive passes without an interception.
Tre Brown had other ideas. The beleaguered third year pro started this game on the sidelines. Witherspoon took his starting spot. Brown might have kept it had he played well in week one. He was so far from well that it was no surprise he was knocked down. Woolen suffered an injury to his shoulder in this game, and that gave Brown a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
He had a sack and a pick-six on consecutive plays. He had arguably the best pass breakup of the day later in the game when coming over to knock away a deep seam pass. He was not perfect, but this was a huge step toward regaining his status as part of the solution and not being part of the problem for this secondary.
Witherspoon had an uneven day, but the profits outweighed the losses in my balance sheet. Many will point to him being fooled on a flea flicker for a touchdown. That is precisely the type of growing pains you will see from ultra-aggressive, ultra-confident rookie playmakers in the secondary. It happened to Earl Thomas. It happened to Shawn Springs. It is part of the process. There will be a time, possibly very soon, where that anticipation and aggression results in a big interception.
Witherspoon had a couple of nice pass breakups. The fourth down knock away was his best. I thought his defensive pass interference call was pretty questionable, but was also a learning moment.
Witherspoon played well enough, and the combination of Julian Love and Coby Bryant played poorly enough, that we could see Brown playing outside corner in nickel situations with Witherspoon sliding inside to nickel corner (assuming Woolen returns quickly), and Jamal Adams taking the safety spot. That feels like the best combination at this point.
Love has been a massive disappointment. Bryant has been no better this year than he was last year. Both players are hurting their team consistently.
Quandre Diggs has also yet to make much of an impact. He had one big tackle. That was nice to see. The secondary, as a whole, has not gelled yet.
The pass rush was totally absent in week one, and made at least some appearance in week two. Uchenna Nwosu continues to be the best edge player on the team. His forced fumble on the first play of the second half turned the entire game around. Had the Lions scored on that possession to go up 21-7, that game would have been over. Instead, it was 14-14.
Nwosu also contributed to the pick-six with a good rush that impacted Goff’s throw, and helped it find Brown’s arms. Really nice game for Nwosu.
Dre’mont Jones tallied his first sack and had one other strong play where he knocked an offensive lineman on his tail near the goalline. It was far from impressive overall, but it counts as a sign of life for the generously paid free agent.
Wagner and Jordyn Brooks were again solid in run defense. They did have some challenges in defending the pass.
We had a Cam Young sighting, and he got into the backfield. Perhaps, he earned some more snaps with that flash.
Jason Myers was an absolute piece of shit in this one, who almost cost his team the game. I do not trust that guy, and probably never will. Michael Dickson, on the other hand, was spectacular. His booming punt after Smith’s massive sack mistake could easily be forgotten but should not.
Jerrick Reed deserves a shout for a great play as a punt gunner. If he can excel in that role, it would really help this special teams unit control field position.
Had the Seahawks won last week as they were expected to, this win would have felt like completing another section of a season-long mural that they had envisioned before the year began. There was, however, nothing contiguous or planned about the way this season started. It was an unnatural disaster ripping through their home that left them dazed and doubting. They fought back from the brink of irrelevance on a field where they played their first Super Bowl. They did it without key members of their team. They did it after falling behind. They did it after blowing a 10 point fourth quarter lead. They did it.
Now, the possibilities blossom again. They should get stronger. They should be able to build on this. They should once again see the outline of a beautiful season they can create. Should they fulfill that potential and paint that masterpiece, the signature of one Bobby Wagner will deserve a special spot for making it possible.