The Seahawks clicking isn’t a surprise, but it happening in Week 1 is
Tight end Gerald Everett caught one of Russell Wilson’s four TD passes. (Getty)
It would be fair for Seahawks fans to be pleasantly surprised when Seattle’s fourth quarter ended on Sunday afternoon.
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Granted, it wasn’t surprising Russell Wilson tossed four touchdowns, nor that Tyler Lockett – who remained the team’s leader at receptions despite a massive season from DK Metcalf last year – finished a pair of scores with 100 yards.
Unsurprisingly, Chris Carson was more involved – something head coach Pete Carroll wanted to see late last season when the offense stalled. It wasn’t surprising, either, that Duane Brown, the team’s top-rated offensive lineman since arriving in 2017, made sure the Colts fans at Lucas Oil Stadium never heard the name of their star rookie defensive end Kwity Paye over the speakers heard.
It wasn’t even surprising that they won. The Seahawks have won 11 of their last 12 games since 2018, starting at 10 a.m. You were 12-4 for the first time since 2014 last year and won the NFC West.
But it all happened in Week 1. And, tell Pete Carroll, it was settled before the fourth quarter as well. The Seahawks’ 28-16 inaugural regular season win was no doubt against a team that finished 11-5 last year, had one of the best offensive lines in the league and posted six 2020 All-Pros.
It also happened to a brand new playbook from a rookie play caller after most starters didn’t see a snapshot in the preseason.
“The day really belongs to Shane for me,” said Carroll after the game. “I think his first time and a chance to show it. I’m really very proud of what he did.”
Carroll had a lot of praise for his new offensive coordinator, though he ended up making a cheeky joke.
“He handled it with such a cool overall mentality and he and Russell just cooked. I’m sorry for saying that … can you scratch this? Doggonnite. They did really well together. Shoot, that’s out there. I think I never said that a single time last year. “
Seattle finished with 381 net yards averaging 7.2 yards per game. Notably, they ranked 4th out of 9 (44%), which was an area of improvement that Carroll highlighted immediately after their 2020 campaign, in which they ranked 27th overall.
The Colts have two first-team all-pros in a front seven that was tough against the run last year, but they couldn’t hold Carson back. Seattle had 140 yards on the ground, 91 of which came with 16 carries from Carson (an impressive 5.7 yards per attempt).
It was a finely executed game plan with few obvious flaws other than a fumble from Carson and a slower third quarter. But compared to the collapse in the second half of last year, execution Sunday in Seattle left little to be desired.
“I’ve never seen that kind of chemistry between the caller and the quarterback so obvious,” Carroll said, “and I hope this is just the first step in a great march together.”
It was also a much better start for the defense. Especially the line of defense.
To his credit, Seattle’s defense had a significantly better second half last season, finishing seventh for a year after finishing at just 28 overall. But they were still a porous secondary school at times, ending the year, allowing the second most passing yards overall, and having doubts about major improvements given the quarterbacks they faced (a track that included matches against Carson Wentz, Dwayne Haskins, Colt McCoy included). , Sam Darnold and CJ Beathard).
On Sunday there was a reunion with Wentz, but also the challenge of a great running game and one of the best offensive lines in the league. And against this group – on the road – Seattle’s defense allowed Indy to convert on the third down in just 5 of 13 attempts and made three key stops on the fourth down. Three separate defensive linemen registered sacks: Rasheem Green, Darrell Taylor and Benson Mayowa. The team also registered 10 quarterback hits.
Aside from a fumble and a brief shock at a boat, it actually wasn’t a very eventful day – and that’s perhaps the biggest surprise for any Seahawks game.
Seahawks injury notes
The Seahawks came into play with a clean health certificate. No players were stopped due to injury. That didn’t last four quarters of the game, however.
Carroll said center Ethan Pocic sprained his knee. The severity of this injury is not yet known.
Rashaad Penny’s left calf tightened. He was initially questionable about returning and was eventually downgraded to out. Carroll said the team stopped him primarily as a precautionary measure.
Wide receivers Penny Hart and Dee Eskridge both suffered concussions. The Seahawks have some depth on the practice team should one of the players be kept out of Week 2. Cody Thompson, Cade Johnson, and Aaron Fuller are all available to be promoted to the active roster.
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