There are going to be a lot of Seattle fans who will be sleepless Sunday night after the Seahawks fell 33-27 to the New Orleans Saints at home. Without Drew Brees, the Saints came into CenturyLink Field and took care of a completely flat Seahawks team from the start.
The Seahawks may have been undefeated coming into this game, but it was largely in spite of their sloppy play through the first two weeks. On Sunday, Seattle was similarly mistake-prone and New Orleans made them pay for their self-inflicted wounds. The game was never as close as the final score indicates. The Saints led 27-7 going into the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks scored a handful of garbage-time touchdowns.
It was an all-around poor performance by the Seahawks, who hardly looked ready to play against an NFC contender at home. As a result, here are four duds and three studs from this contest.
No. 1 Dud – Chris Carson
Carson has to be the biggest disappointment for the Seahawks in Week 3. He has hardly looked like the steady 1,000-yard rusher he was last season. And for the third time in three games, Carson fumbled the ball away.
On a 23-yard run that looked like it would kick-start a Seahawks scoring drive, Carson lost control and the ball was promptly returned 33 yards for a touchdown by safety Vonn Bell to put the Saints up 13-7.
Seahawks opponents have now scored 20 points off four Seattle fumbles this year, three of which are Carson’s.
No. 1 Stud – Tyler Lockett
Not much went well for the Seahawks on Sunday, but Lockett was one of the few bright spots.
Lockett continued to prove his status as the No. 1 wide receiver with a monstrous outing against the Saints. He hauled in 11 passes on 14 targets for 154 yards and his second touchdown on the season. The catches and yards are career highs.
On a day when everything that could have gone wrong for the Seahawks did, it is at least encouraging to know Lockett’s breakout 2018 season does not appear to be a fluke, and he is continuing his ascension as one of the best receivers in the league.
No. 2 Dud – Pete Carroll
During the postgame press conference, Carroll stated bluntly, “I had a particularly bad day.” This sums up his coaching performance on Sunday afternoon quite succinctly.
The Seahawks looked completely unprepared against a team missing its future Hall of Fame quarterback, and that falls squarely on the head coach. Riding high off an energizing upset win in Week 2, the Seahawks failed to build off their momentum by winning a game they absolutely should have.
Carroll’s in-game decision making was also questionable at best. Trailing 20-7 near the end of the first half, the Seahawks had the ball with under a minute to go. Seattle was driving but the clock was still running, and Carroll did not use any of his remaining timeouts.
This cost the Seahawks a shot for at least three points, as time ran out following Russell Wilson’s 54-yard bomb to DK Metcalf to put Seattle at New Orleans’ 16-yard line. Carroll’s clock management — or lack thereof — was entirely inexcusable for an NFL head coach, let alone a coach of his stature.
No. 2 Stud – Russell Wilson
The Seahawks’ loss certainly wasn’t due to Wilson’s play. He completed 32 of 50 passes for 406 yards and two more touchdowns, with another week without an interception. Wilson was also Seattle’s second-leading rusher with seven carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. For reference, Seattle’s top rusher, Chris Carson, had 53 yards on the ground.
No. 3 Dud – Special teams
One of the best-kept secrets about the Seahawks is the fact their special team return defense has been quietly one of the worst in the NFL. This was on full display right from the get-go on Sunday.
After Seattle’s offense went three-and-out to start the game, a wobbly 38-yard punt from the sure-footed Michael Dickson quickly turned into a disaster as Saints return man Deonte Harris ran the ball back 53 yards to give New Orleans an early 7-0 lead only minutes into the game.
No. 3 Studs – Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright
The Seahawks defense was equally as pitiful as the offense was at times, but it’s hard to blame either Wagner or Wright.
Both of Seattle’s top linebackers were clearly on their A-game on Sunday. The pair finished the game with a combined 31 tackles, 18 of which came from Wagner and 13 from Wright, who also had a pass deflection.
Wagner and Wright are the only two remaining defenders from the Super Bowl XLVIII team, and they continue to prove they still are at the top of their game.
No. 4 Duds – Anyone attempting to stop Alvin Kamara
While Wagner and Wright enjoyed strong performances, it’s hard to give much credit to anyone else on the defense, especially when being forced to defend against the Saints running back.
Kamara is one of the best backs in the entire NFL and constantly makes defenses look foolish. He had such a game on Sunday as he had 162 yards — 69 rushing and 92 receiving — on 25 total touches, scoring two touchdowns.
While he is one of the more slippery backs in the league, it was a mostly pitiful tackling day from Seattle. One of the hallmarks of a Carroll-coached team is their sound tackling, which was shockingly absent.
The Seahawks have a week to clean things up before a trip to Arizona to face a surprisingly competitive Cardinals team.
