Field Gulls
Did you enjoy your little break from Seattle Seahawks football? It’s back in your life, and there’s a lot on the line in Week 17.
The current NFC West leaders and No. 1 seed in the conference have a big matchup against the surprising Carolina Panthers, who have a chance to win the NFC South later today if they shock Seattle and the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall to the Miami Dolphins. Seattle still has way more pressure to win this game given the possibility of losing the division lead by the end of Week 17, whereas the Panthers cannot be eliminated with a loss. The Seahawks can’t clinch anything by end of Sunday, but if all goes right they could be NFC West champions by Monday night.
It’s time for some game predictions! Let’s first review last week’s horribly inaccurate predictions from the Los Angeles Rams game.
Bold prediction: Cooper Kupp catches the game’s only touchdown pass
He not only didn’t catch a touchdown, there were a lot of touchdowns caught and Kupp lost a fumble. At least Kupp got into the end zone on a two-point conversion.
Seahawks offense prediction: No turnovers for Sam Darnold
Welp. At least he only had half as many turnovers against the Rams as he did in the first matchup.
Seahawks defense prediction: They get to Matthew Stafford this time
Nope. No sacks over two games.
Rams prediction: Kyren Williams ends Seattle’s 100-yard streak
Nope.
Game prediction: Sigh. It’s a sweep.
Nope! But, yay!
K9 is almost there. Just 121 yards separates him from his second 1,000-yard season, which is a good achievement for him both for not missing any games this year and having to share so much time with Zach Charbonnet. His 100-yard game against the LA Rams was only his second 100-yard rushing performance all year, and he hasn’t gone above 120 in a game since he was a rookie.
To reach 121, Walker will need some explosives (like his 55-yard score against the Rams) and a more consistent workload. The Panthers rank in the bottom-half of the league in yards per carry allowed and run defense DVOA, so I believe opportunities will be there for Walker and this inconsistent rushing attack. Carolina’s defensive line is anchored by the outstanding Derrick Brown, but the depth along this front is not great as a whole, so I expect the Seahawks offensive line to not look overwhelmed on this occasion. Besides, K9 started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, so this is a homecoming of sorts!
The onus is also on Klint Kubiak to stop this random rotation like Walker will break in half if he has 20 carries in a game. Give him the damn ball if he has a hot hand.
While it feels like he’s had more of these games,...
