The Seahawks started off with a bang on their first play from scrimmage with an end-around throw by Sidney Rice that went for 55-yards to Mike Williams. Tarvaris Jackson threw it two times after that and both times the St. Louis Rams caught those passes and that tells the story of the Seahawks offense in the first quarter. Seattle trailed 7-0 after the first frame.
It can be said, though, that the longer the Seahawks played in this one, the better they got. Seattle protected a 10-7 lead at half thanks to an excellent throw and catch from Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice for a touchdown at the 8:40 mark in the 2nd quarter and a field goal from Steven Hauschka as time ran out in the first half.
The second half was mostly controlled by the Hawks defense but the game wasn't officially put away until Red Bryant picked off Sam Bradford on a tipped pass at 5:27 in the fourth, and Justin Forsett ran the ball in from 22-yards away to put Seattle up 24-7 with 4:27 to play. Here are some quick thoughts, and as usual we'll follow up here with some in-depth analysis for you soon.
- As the title indicates, this was a typical Seattle Seahawks game. The defense played very solidly, special teams was hit and miss - giving up a blocked punt (tipped punt) and a Leon Washington muff that was recovered by Byron Maxwell - maybe the play of the game- , and the penalties piled up. A lot. The quarterback play was mediocre at best. Somehow, Seattle still won. This team is anything but a well-oiled machine but you see glimpses of awesomeness that gives you hope that once mistakes and penalties get cleaned up a bit, we could be looking at a very good football team.
- Tarvaris Jackson struggled early, getting picked off twice in the first quarter, and finished the game 14 of 24 for 148 yards, one touchdown and those two interceptions. He did bounce back and settle down later in the game, which is encouraging because you'd really, really hate to see Jackson melt down or regress as the game went along. He made some big throws, including a dart to Sidney Rice for a touchdown, and overall did enough to secure the Seahawks a win.
- Marshawn Lynch was again the workhorse for the offense. He carried the football 27 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown run was designed to go off tackle to the right but he bounced it outside and outran the safety in pursuit to the corner. Justin Forsett also got some carries - 4 to be exact - and took advantage by breaking free for 22 yards and a touchdown with 4:27 in the fourth quarter, as mentioned above.
- Though not as consistent of a pass rush as I'd like, the Seahawks managed to exploit St. Louis' woes on the offensive line, netting five sacks and seven quarterback hits, forcing Bradford to fumble late in the game as well. Though I'd have to go back and look more closely, upon first viewing Brandon Mebane and Chris Clemons both had really good games.
- Red Bryant had an interception as he dropped back into zone coverage and administered a nice stiff arm that knocked down the WR, Austin Pettis, that was trying to tackle him on the return. Red also had a very nice game, with two tackles, a half-sack, and a quarterback hit in addition to his interception.
- Overall I thought the defense played well. They gave up seven points in the first quarter after a St. Louis interception put the Rams at the Hawks 27 yard line. To shut them out after that was an accomplishment. Brandon Browner had a good game, with several pass breakups, and Richard Sherman continued to show flashes of greatness. I thought that Clinton McDonald had a few nice plays from the inside and Kam Chancellor did his thing again, knocking skulls left and right.
- Jon Ryan is seriously good at punting. He averaged 49 yards per punt and at one point blasted a 71-yarder.
- This game was fairly frustrating until late when the Seahawks put it away, but I'll take a road win against a divisional rival that had managed to win two in a row previous to today. The Hawks rushed for 126 yards - their third straight 100+ yard rushing game in a row, and passed for 163. Tarvaris Jackson averaged 6.16 yards per attempt, which isn't awful, and on the ground, the Seahawks picked up 3.2 yards per carry. A grind it out win, and the Hawks went 3 for 4 in the red zone, which is a positive. 35:00 to 25:00 time of possession advantage for the Seahawks.
- 13 penalties for 100 yards lost. I have no words, but you know.
That's what I got right now, much more to follow. What do you think of this win?