Field Gulls
It was an epic duel on Sunday in Seattle, as Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks fell to Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-35. In arguably the game of the year so far, Mayfield and Darnold both put together MVP performances while the defenses were absolutely shredded.
As Tampa walked out victorious and feeling like a real Super Bowl threat, where does this loss and performance leave the Seahawks as they continue their journey vs Florida teams, as they head to a hot Jacksonville Jaguars team on Sunday?
Let’s break it down.
I think it’s important to give Mike Macdonald and the defense some benefit of the doubt. The defense had been nothing short of elite through the first four games, but the injuries were just too much on Sunday.
Going into the game, we were a little surprised as the week went along, that all three of DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon, and Julian Love were gonna miss the game. Then you add the near immediate loss of Derick Hall and then Riq Woolen in the second half, and all of the sudden you’ve lost over half of your starting defense. Put that type of unit out there and the MVP front runner and runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year are gonna make you pay.
I can live with the loss, knowing that, when healthy, this defense is comfortably a top 10 unit. My concern is that teams get injured. It’s a long way to January, and this roster may not be as deep as I hoped. Once again, the Seahawks failed a big test, and specifically a big test at home. They will now need to make up for it, by getting a massive road win in Duval.
Early in the year, I talked about how I thought if the Seahawks could survive the first couple of games, this offense could potentially click, and be a top 12 unit as a best case scenario. Well the offense clicked, and it is even better than probably any Seahawks fan could imagine.
On Sunday, the Seahawks went up against a really strong defense and absolutely took them to the woodshed. The offensive line was dominant, protecting Sam Darnold, and allowing him to have one of the best games we’ve ever seen from a Seahawks quarterback. The running game got better throughout the game, as Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet finally both produced in the same game.
In the passing game, we saw a four man unit of JSN, Cooper Kupp, A.J. Barner and Tory Horton all were at their best and played to the ceiling we all were hopeful for.
If not for two brutal turnovers, the Seahawks win this game. If not for some missed field goals, and another freak turnover in week one, this team is 5-0 and the talk of the...
