GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Seahawks’ struggles at Lambeau Field hit a new low Sunday in a 17-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
In Russell Wilson’s ahead-of-schedule return from finger surgery, the Seahawks offense was the worst its been in the Wilson-Pete Carroll era. The Seahawks were shut out for the first time since 2011, the year before Wilson’s arrival in Seattle.
The Seahawks haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 1999, a span of 10 consecutive losses.
The Seahawks’ record dropped to 3-6.
Three instant impressions from the game:
What’s wrong with Russ?
Would the Seahawks have been better off with Geno Smith starting again Sunday?
Almost certainly.
Wilson didn’t look right from the beginning. He was tentative and too quick to flee the pocket, and when he did throw, too many of them were uncharacteristically off target — like, way off target.
He was intercepted twice — both in the end zone, and both on unforgivable throws.
The middle finger on his throwing hand, no doubt, played a big part in all that. That finger is vital to the grip and release of the football for any quarterback, and Wilson wore a tape-like sheath around his finger.
You’d expect some rust, too, in Wilson’s first start in five weeks.
The cold conditions (and light snow) probably aren’t helping his finger either.
But he certainly wasn’t good enough Sunday, and he certainly didn’t live up to the lofty expectations he has of himself.
The Seahawks only got into the red zone once, and that drive ended when Wilson threw his first interception — right to former UW standout Kevin King. (Whether King maintained possession of the ball remains up for debate, but the interception stood.)
The Seahawks never got into any rhythm. Wilson struggled to get the ball to his best playmakers, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. They couldn’t get much going on the ground.
Wilson finished with the lowest passer rating of his career at 39.7. He was 20 for 40 for 161 yards. He was sacked three times and officially hit five times.
How much better will Wilson’s finger get before the Seahawks host Arizona next week?
Should Wilson consider sitting out another week or two, to let the finger perhaps recover more?
Where do they go from here on offense?
These are some big, big questions that need to be asked, entering Week 11 the Seahawks are running out of time to find suitable answers.
Defensive turnaround is legit
Bet you didn’t think you’d read these five words together at any point this season: The Seahawks defense is good.
It might be really good.
Facing perhaps the best offensive they’ll see all season, and against probably the best quarterback they’ll see all season, the Seahawks defense put together its best performance.
The defense gave the Seahawks a chance to win this one.
Jamal Adams might have played his best game as a Seahawk. He intercepted Aaron Rodgers in the end zone in the third quarter for his first pick since coming to Seattle last season.
The final score doesn’t do justice to Seattle’s defense. It was dominant for the majority of the game. It looked gassed late, after Wilson’s two interceptions, and after it was clear the game was out of reach.
We saw this script unfold in 2020, when the Seahawks were historically bad early in the season, only to turn things around in the second half of the season.
Why they keep doing this, well, who knows? But it seems they have found the formula again — and it appears this defense will have to keep it up if the Seahawks hope to have any chance of getting back in the playoff conversation.
A loss on a (shoe) toss
Seahawks fans have plenty of reason to gripe about the officiating from Sunday’s game. That ultimately didn’t decide the outcome, but one justifiable penalty might have.
Carlos Dunlap was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty midway through the fourth quarter after picking up the shoe of a Packers player and tossing it. It was unclear who the shoe belonged to or how it came off, but it found its way to Dunlap.
It was, frankly, a silly thing to do — especially with the NFL’s emphasis on those type of penalties this season. It had to be flagged.
And it was costly.
That penalty gave the Packers a first down into Seattle territory, and six plays later AJ Dillon plowed into the end zone to score the game’s first touchdown, giving Green Bay a 10-0 lead.
More silliness: DK Metcalf was ejected in the game’s final minutes after getting into it with several Green Bay defenders.
On a chilly evening in Green Bay, the Seahawks lost their cool time and again.
