After a wild back-and-forth season featuring the highest of highs – dethroning the as-of-yet undefeated 49ers in Week 10 – and the lowest of lows – getting stomped by the 4-9-1 Cardinals at home in Week 16 – the Seattle Seahawks finished their 2019 campaign with a heartbreaking 23-28 loss at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round. There is plenty to look forward to in the future (those young guys are looking pretty good), and a few things that need fixing before next year. For now, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Seahawks’ final game of the season.
THE GOOD
Russell Wilson: The Seahawks tried to establish the run for a good portion of the game, which didn’t work too well (Seattle’s running backs totaled 39 yards on 15 carries). Enter late-game Russell Wilson, who nearly led Seattle to a comeback win after trailing 21-3 at the half. In the last two quarters alone, Wilson went 15-18 with a touchdown after completing just six passes in the first half. It was a fine performance to add to his resume as an elite NFL quarterback, showing why he continues to be one of the league’s most dangerous men under center with the game on the line.
Tyler Lockett: Seattle’s early game plan did not appear to involve Lockett very much, as he was only targeted three times in the entire first half. It may have been a mistake – when he did get the ball, he was incredible, totaling nine catches on 10 targets for 136 yards and a touchdown. Lockett’s ability to make contested catches makes him invaluable to the Seahawks’ offense, and he did everything that he could to carry them against a staunch Green Bay defense.
THE BAD
The offensive line: Although he put up 64 yards on the ground, Wilson quickly learned that the Green Bay defense was not afraid of his ability to escape from pressure – he was hit 10 times over the course of the game, five of which were sacks. The right side of the unit struggled the most – tackle Germain Ifedi had serious difficulty against Packers edge rusher Za’Darius Smith – and the number of plays when Wilson had to run for his life reached the double digits. Thankfully for the Seahawks, Wilson can make some serious plays with his legs, but the team needs to rebuild and revitalize the offensive line this season to protect their MVP-caliber quarterback long-term.
Jadeveon Clowney, penalty king: Clowney was all over the stat sheet against the Packers, for both defensive plays and penalties. This particular note focuses less on his stellar play and more about the three flags that he drew, beginning with a personal foul on the last drive of the second quarter in which he tackled Packers tight end Jace Sternberger by the helmet at the Seattle 27. What would have been third-and-8 after Sternberger’s run turned into a Green Bay first down at the Seattle 13; however, this was not the most costly penalty of the drive for Clowney, as he later jumped offsides on third-and-goal to set up an Aaron Jones one-yard touchdown run that increased the Packers’ lead to 18 points. Clowney also picked up a defensive holding call on one of the last drives of the game.
Penalties have been an issue for the Seahawks throughout the season (through 18 games, they have racked up 126 penalties for 1,043 yards), and Clowney follows only Germain Ifedi for the most-penalized member on the team with 12 total flags. With this three-penalty performance, he matches his total from the Oct. 27 match against the Atlanta Falcons.
No answers for Adams: The Seahawks knew going into the game that Packers’ Davante Adams is a special football player; nevertheless, they seemed completely lost when trying to cover him. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers targeted Adams for all four quarters, and the wide receiver responded brilliantly with 160 yards and two touchdowns. It didn’t seem to matter who covered Adams – he excelled across the middle, giving all of Seattle’s safeties absolute fits, but he also burned cornerback Tre Flowers multiple times and drew a pass interference call against CB Shaquill Griffin. The Seahawks’ defensive backs have shined at times this season, but the unit as a whole could use some fine-tuning in the offseason to find ways to shut down elite wideouts such as Adams in the future.
THE UGLY
Another controversial end: Seattle’s season effectively ended with 2:00 left in the fourth quarter, when officials awarded former Seahawk Jimmy Graham the game-clinching first down after linebacker Bobby Wagner appeared to tackle him just short of the line. The call stood after replay review, infuriating Pete Carroll after what seems like an entire season of controversial calls that went against the Seahawks. Most recently, in Week 17 against San Francisco, Seattle fans raged when 49ers linebacker Fred Warner was not flagged for pass interference in the end zone. This time, the spot of the ball seemed a little too generous to many, acting as yet another chapter in a familiar narrative.
That being said…
They punted?!: The Seahawks had all the makings of an epic second-half comeback, outscoring the Packers 20-7 in the last two quarters. They got the ball down 23-28 with 4:54 left on the clock – plenty of time to score with all of the momentum on their side. Seattle was able to take plenty of time off the clock, but an unfortunate third-down sack by Green Bay’s Preston Smith, who completely overwhelmed tight end Jacob Hollister on the right side, brought the Seahawks to fourth-and-11 with 2:41 left in the game.
Bafflingly, Pete Carroll made the call to punt the ball away. Yes, the Seahawks were on their own 36. Yes, they needed 11 yards for that crucial first down. Yes, the Packers defense would undoubtedly be ready for a pass – after all, the only Seahawk who had run for over 10 yards that night was Russell Wilson himself. It didn’t matter. Aaron Rodgers is a future Hall of Fame quarterback, known for coming up big in the clutch. Davante Adams had been having his way with Seattle all night, and Jimmy Graham was feeling good with 40 yards on just two catches. Giving them the ball back with that little time on the clock ensured that they only needed two first downs to ice the game and send Green Bay to the NFC Championship – and that’s just what they did, with methodical precision.
Even if Graham had been called short of the first down on that very last play, the Seahawks defense would have needed to stop the Packers from gaining just a few precious inches – a tall order against either a highly-favorable QB sneak or a rush from the excellent Aaron Jones. The Seahawks needed to put the game away earlier – instead, they put themselves in the worst possible situation, depending on a defense that has been inconsistent at best this season against one of the top players in the league. It was an inexcusable call, and it was an absolute momentum-killer in a must-win situation.
