The Seattle Seahawks moved to 7-2 with a 40-34 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, giving fans plenty to talk about before next week’s matchup. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Seahawks’ victory over the Bucs.
THE GOOD
Jacob Hollister: Hollister was promoted from the Seahawks’ practice squad to fill in at tight end after Will Dissly’s season-ending injury last month, and proved his worth in a big way against the Bucs with two touchdowns. The first came with 29 seconds left in the second quarter, cutting Tampa Bay’s lead to eight points, while the second was as a desperate lunge over the goal line in overtime, inspiring a celebratory dogpile in the end zone. Hollister could very well be an emerging red zone threat and may well see more targets after Sunday’s performance.
Tyler Lockett: The Wilson-Lockett connection continues to be one of the NFL’s best, totaling 152 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions against the Bucs. Through nine games, Lockett already has 767 yards and six TDs on 59 receptions, leading the team in catches and yards by a wide margin. Even with the recent addition of wide receiver Josh Gordon off waivers, don’t expect to see Lockett’s targets diminishing anytime soon.
D.K. Metcalf: Sunday was another big day for the rookie, who caught six of nine targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. Late in the fourth quarter, Metcalf caught a long pass from Wilson and quickly zoomed away from Bucs cornerback Jamal Dean to the end zone for a total of 53 yards. “He’s the real deal,” said coach Pete Carroll after the game. “He’s well ahead of the curve.”
THE BAD
The pass defense: The Seahawks’ pass rush was nearly nonexistent against Tampa Bay, only recording three hits on Bucs QB Jameis Winston. In all, Winston finished the afternoon with 335 yards and 2 TDs – numbers that Seattle’s defense cannot afford to allow in future weeks as they chase a division title.
The Seahawks had no answer whatsoever for Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who had 180 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions, and fellow receiver Chris Godwin also put up a respectable 61 yards on 7 catches. Eight different Buccaneers players caught passes from Winston, who had plenty of time to find his targets. Despite the draft picks and acquisitions that Seattle has made to build the pass rush, the unit just did not click this week.
THE UGLY
Jason Myers: A miss from 47 yards out, a botched extra point, and a wide right game-winning attempt from 40 yards on the final play of regulation – it was an ugly day for Jason Myers, who has now missed three of his last five field-goal attempts. “He’s our kicker,” said Carroll after the game. The Seahawks signed Myers to a four-year, $15.45 million contract in March after he put together a Pro Bowl campaign for the Jets in 2018. He will need a serious bounce-back game against the 49ers next week on Monday Night Football to ease fans’ concerns.
Are Carson’s fumble issues returning?: Chris Carson struggled with hanging onto the ball in the first few weeks of the season, posting a lost fumble in each of the first three weeks before settling back into his usual groove. On Sunday afternoon, he had two more fumbles, one of which bounced out of bounds and the other of which was recovered by Bucs safety Jason Whitehead. Tampa Bay has the best run defense in the NFL this year – Carson was also the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards against them – so the Seahawks can only hope that this is less of a return to old problems and more of an aberration going forward.
