Field Gulls
It also could’ve gone worse. And it didn’t do that, either.
All things considered, not a top 50 disappointing game in Seattle Seahawks history. It had all the right ingredients for a catastrophe casserole, but in the end nobody choked. An afternoon that definitely started annoying was quelled before reaching full rage-inducing mode. In conclusion, the Seahawks had not been The Same Old Seahawks all year, but as a treat, they showed up Week 15 to remind us of bygone eras. And still prevailed.
The Indianapolis Colts, led by the fourth-string quarterback they signed off the street — forgot his name already — meticulously built a 13-3 lead before the hosts cleaned up their act, let their defense fly around a little, and remembered how to progress forward in the general direction of the end zone. (“General direction” is doing a lot of work here.)
Every time it seemed like the Seahawks offense would break through and seize control of a game in which they were two-touchdown favorites, they got derailed. What really happened is this: Seattle’s mental and execution mistakes were minor but pricey. Given multiple quarters to… multiply, they stacked up menacingly. A penalty here, a drop here and there. Some missed tackles early on. Poor on third downs on both sides of the ball. And when the officiating crew compounds things by giving the Hawks absolutely no breaks, well, you’re bound to get this flavor of game. Sam Darnold was stymied on third down, forced out of the pocket more than usual, and inaccurate on the end zone’s doorstep with a potential game-winning touchdown in his sights. No wonder every Seahawks fan’s frenemy Nerves kept texting and wouldn’t take “buzz off” for an answer. That almost-forgotten feeling of dread surfaced again: the Seahawks might lose a game they had no business losing!
Thank goodness Jason Myers, the Artisanal Threes-Maker, the Constable of Clutch, The Emperor of Uprights was unaffected by his teammates’ mortality.
Let’s talk about needs. The Seahawks needed Myers to be the NFL’s best kicker for an afternoon. He went ahead and did this. Six for six on FG attempts, one tackly play on kick coverage, and a final kickoff in bounds but deep to run time off the clock.
In a game where explosive plays were at a premium, Myers saved a few yards there. In a one-score game. Like the good old days, when they were all like this.
The Seahawks defense needed to hold Jonathan Taylor in relative check. They went ahead and did this. Taylor did not find the end zone, he did not reach 100 yards, he did not tip the game into Indy’s starving win column even after an impressive first quarter. He, in fact, was bottled up after halftime, as we’ll see.
The Seahawks offense needed to put at least 17 points on the board against a limited offense. Technically you could say they got there. Thanks in no small part to some decent time management from Mike...
