Field Gulls
Another blowout victory, albeit one quarter later than usual, and absolutely do glance at the standings right now, because your Seattle Seahawks are 10-3. If the NFL season is a cross-country flight, the pilot’s just taken the intercom with a welcome update: “Folks, we’re about to begin our approach and final descent into the playoffs. Hope you enjoyed our turbulence-free time in the air. We are, however, seeing a little choppy weather between us and the ground, so as a precaution I’ve turned on the seat belt sign. Thanks for flying JetBlueGreenGray and we hope you’ll choose us again.”
How could we not? On the talons of another big win, this time 37-9 over the slumpalicious Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks are the most watchable, most reliable, and most enthralling carrier of emotions in all of football. You could be forgiven* for choosing the Los Angeles Rams instead; good thing then, that we’ll see those two rivals settle the argument in prime time. In Seattle. Next week.
*no, you could not
From afar, this Seahawks conquest will appear another offense-driven laugher to anyone stuck watching an inferior team in Week 14’s early slate. (That’s everyone.) Here to say it was not that.
We had defense.
We had history. Weird history, impossible-sounding but real. This feat has been accomplished only twice, and both times by Seahawks? And in consecutive years?
We were even served seconds on Jaxon Smith-Njigba touchdowns (later I’ll argue for a third) and the return game provided the eventual winning points. Don’t know much about kick coverage X’s and O’s but I’m pretty sure the tacklers are supposed at least touch the ball carrier.
I’m not mentioning all three phases by accident, fellow frolicky football fanatics. The Seahawks passed two thirds of the time until the game was decided, so their offensive game plan was clearly to attack mainly through the air. Only neither Sam Darnold nor the line were up to the task for the first 29 minutes. Until, suddenly, they were.
The Seahawks’ defensive game plan was simply to be themselves. That wasn’t a problem in the slightest.
The Seahawks’ special teams are definitely good enough to help them swing games. That happened.
A game that was knotted 6-6 at half was won in the next quarter hour of game play because Seattle is a complete team, from the last practice squadder all the way up to the general manager. There is no weak phase, there is no deficient position group, there is no organizational disconnect. The Seattle Seahawks are the real deal as much as any team in football.
They come out of Atlanta with another road win (sixth this season), another double-digit win campaign for Mike Macdonald (two for two), another keep-the-pace game with the Rams in advance of their TNF meeting (December 18) and another comfortable victory featuring an entire quarter of garbage time (their sixth again).
In addition — and this must be mentioned now because the resemblance has turned undeniable — the...
