By Matthew Asher
Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks stiff arms William Moore #25 of the Atlanta Falcons (Credit, Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
So much for Seattle having issues scoring against their opponents. After two straight weeks of playing down to the level of their opponents, Seattle beat Atlanta into submission, further proving that their now 9-1 record is not a fluke.
This is one of those games where Seattle could do no wrong. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll described the performance as “the best game we’ve played.” A bold statement, but one that’s tough to argue. Russell Wilson threw for almost 300 yards, Marshawn Lynch aka Beast Mode ran for almost 150 yards and Seattle’s defense limited Atlanta to just 10 points. That being said, this week’s “bad” and “ugly” portions aren’t really criticisms, just a few things to work on for their next game.
The Good
Marshawn Lynch gets an A
It doesn’t matter how many carries it takes, but if a running back can eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark, he’s done a good job for the day. It took Lynch just three quarters to get 101 yards on the ground. By the end of the game, Beast Mode finished with 24 rushes for 145 yards and one touchdown. Add three catches for 16 yards, and he had a game where any fantasy football owner would be glad to have him on the roster.
Russell Wilson gets an A
Coming into the game Wilson was averaging about 205 passing yards per game. By halftime Wilson had already thrown for more than 250 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the game completing 19 of 26 pass attempts for 287 yards, but in the second half Seattle was content to run the ball, a lot. With the team already leading 23-3 at halftime, it’s hard to argue with that game plan.
Wilson did a good job of spreading the ball around. Golden Tate led the team with six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown but Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse finished with 76 and 75 receiving yards, respectively. Kearse was responsible for Wilson’s other touchdown pass.
The “Bad”
The first, third and fourth quarters for Seattle get a B
The second quarter was when Seattle took control of the game and never looked back. Scoring 20 points and picking up more than 200 yards (including a literal, last-second touchdown drive) of their 490 total yards, there was bound to be a drop off in the other quarters.
The Ugly
Seattle gets a C- for the number of penalties committed
This was the one aspect of the game where Atlanta played much better. The Falcons were only called for one penalty resulting in 15 yards. Seattle was flagged nine times for 80 penalty yards. It didn’t matter in the outcome of the game, but nine penalties is too many for any team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Seattle now returns home for one more game before they get a well-deserved bye week as they take on the Minnesota Vikings. With two of the game’s best rushers, Adrian “All-Day” Peterson and Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, going head-to-head, this should be a good one. It should also be wide receiver Percy Harvin’s debut for the Seahawks, ironically playing against his former team, the Vikings.
Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 at 1:25 p.m. PDT.
For more Seahawks news and updates, visit Seahawks Central.
Matthew Asher is a freelance journalist. From an early age, sports have played a major role in his life. He graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Journalism. After college he spent 2 years working with CNN Sports and still occasionally writes sports articles for several publications both in the United States and Canada. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
