The Seahawks escaped Cleveland with a bizarre back and forth win over the Browns to improve to 5-1 on the season. It was one of the more odd games in recent memory for Seattle, as both teams had long stretches of excellence or truly sloppy play.
The Seahawks found themselves down 20-6 at the start of the second quarter as the Browns looked unstoppable. Seattle then rattled off 19 unanswered points to take a lead, only to engineer a game-winning drive after falling behind by three.
In the end, the Seahawks made the requisite plays to squeak out a crucial victory, keeping pace with the competitive NFC West and improving to 3-0 on the road for the first time since 1980. As a result, here are the four Studs and three Duds from Week 6.
No. 1 Stud – Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson put forth another excellent outing in his MVP candidacy as his resume continue to grows. Once more, Wilson made plenty of magic out of nothing playing behind an offensive line missing two starters.
Wilson completed 23 of 33 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He also was Seattle’s second-leading rusher with 31 yards and a score on the ground. He has still yet to throw an interception through six weeks, compared to 17 total touchdowns on the year.
With Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes banged up and losing his last two games, Wilson is certainly beginning to separate himself in the MVP race.
No. 1 Dud – Seahawks pass rush
For a second straight week the Seahawks have faced one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and for a second straight week the pass rush has failed to make any meaningful impact.
Seattle’s pass rush didn’t come close to making Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield uncomfortable in the slightest. Not only did the Seahawks fail to register a single sack, they didn’t even get a quarterback hit.
The Seahawks had better hope the return of Jarran Reed from suspension next week will be the juice this unit needs, because it’s deeply concerning they are unable to perform against bottom-tier offensive lines.
No. 2 Stud – Chris Carson
Doubts about Chris Carson and his struggles continue to feel like distant memories. The third-year pro logged his third straight 100+ yard game against a leaky Browns run defense.
Carson finished with 124 yards on 24 carries and found the end zone once more with an astonishing 5.2 yards per carry.
The Seahawks offense is clearly at peak efficiency when Carson and the ground attack is able to get going. The excellent ball control Seattle has when Carson is at his best not only grinds away at opposing defenses, but also keeps a suspect Seahawks defense off the field and better rested.
No. 2 Dud – Seattle’s return defense
The Seahawks have struggled to defend against returns for a few years now, and this issue reared it’s ugly head again on Sunday.
On the first play of the game the Browns returned the opening kickoff 74 yards. Had it not been for Cleveland’s return man Dontrell Hilliard stumbling a bit on a juke, he would have easily made it in for a score.
While Hilliard was unable to make into the end zone, his explosive return set up a short field for the Browns, who were able to find pay dirt only three plays later. Unfortunately, the Seahawks are running out of time to correct this flaw, if they are even able to this year.
No. 3 Studs – Ball Hawks on Defense
The Seahawks defense has been uncharacteristically struggling to create turnovers this year. However, this wasn’t the case on Sunday against the Browns.
Mayfield has been a turnover machine and the Seahawks forced a few more out of him in crucial spots. When it was all said and done, the Seahawks had snagged four interceptions from the second-year signal-caller. Two were well into Seattle territory, including one in the end zone which deflected into the waiting arms of Tedric Thompson.
The third and final pick of the day came as the Browns were attempting to lead a comeback drive. Instead, Mayfield’s pass was behind his running back and bounced to K.J. Wright.
No. 3 Dud – Michael Dickson
It’s been a rough sophomore year for Seattle’s All-Pro punter, Michael Dickson. While Dickson has drilled plenty of awe-inspiring punts that have completely flipped the field, he’s also had plenty of outright dud attempts as well.
Such was the case on Sunday. Protecting a 25-20 lead, the Seahawks had forced a turnover on downs at their goal line. Seattle was unable to advance the ball and was forced to punt from its own end zone. Dickson completely shanked it and the punt only traveled 24 yards.
The excellent field position for Cleveland allowed the Browns to score what ended up being their final touchdown of the day only two plays later.
No. 4 Stud – Jaron Brown
For the most part, Jaron Brown’s second year in Seattle has been rather disappointing. The veteran has been unable to make any kind of presence through the first few weeks of the season. Going into Sunday, Brown only had eight total receptions for 116 yards.
Against Cleveland, Jaron Brown may have only hauled in 3 passes for 29 yards, but he found the end zone twice for his first two scores of the year.
Perhaps a solid day like Brown had will be enough to shake some rust off and allow him to become a bigger piece like Seattle had hoped.
The Seahawks will be back in action next Sunday at CenturyLink Field against Earl Thomas and the Ravens.
