Monday, September 23, 2013

Seahawks get it done at home

Seahawks  45
Jaguars      17


The Seahawks were huge favorites to beat the Jaguars at home yesterday and what they did was just that.  Nevertheless, expectations being what they are, no one is content with the victory-- not even the fans.

This is a good thing. We saw what happened with the Philadelphia Eagles "Dream Team". They had lofty expectations given the depth of talent on their roster, only to watch everything fall apart as the team became complacent.  When faced with adversity, rather than strive for excellence, the finger pointing began.

Yeah, Seattle put up 45 points and never seemed to lose control of the game.  Sure, Russel Wilson threw for over 200 yards with 4 touchdowns-- Hell, even backup quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson passed and ran for a touchdown yesterday.  However, it was what Seattle didn't do that remained their focus in the aftermath.

Bobby Wagner, who had an impressive tipped-pass interception and was in on several tackles, said as much after the win.  He knew what was expected of the defensive unit and after allowing just 3 points from Super Bowl contender and division rival 49ers-- giving up 17 points to a Jags team that hadn't scored that many points all season was completely unacceptable.

Personally, I love it.  For a team and a community that has never really 'been there before', the team and the 12s are very much acting as though they have.  It bodes well for the arduous road ahead.

The other great thing through these first few games is that there has been week to week improvements made in different areas.  This week, the passing game stepped up with Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and Luke Willson each pulling down 5 balls a piece for 75 yards or more. Zach Miller had 2 touchdowns himself and Doug Baldwin made a spectacular one-handed catch.

Red Bryant left the game with back spasms and Jermaine Kearse hurt his ankle but otherwise the Seahawks got out of this win unscathed. Michael Bennett continues to be Seattle's most productive free agent acquisition, netting a sack and a half. Clinton McDonald also had a sack and a half as Seattle's front line continues to get better. Christine Michael looked great in his first show of extended playing time as the Seahawks backfield amassed 156 yards on the ground.

Another tough test lies ahead this week as Seattle faces another playoff hopeful on the road against the Houston Texans, however, the Texans haven't looked as impressive as they were hyped up to be.  All three of Seattle's division opponents lost this week and it looks like we might be seeing the demise of the 49ers. Frank Gore got into an argument with coach Harbaugh over abandoning the run game too early, Kaepernick continues to fail to carry his team in big moments, star defensive end Aldon Smith will miss time as he enters rehab following his second DUI arrest and injuries are beginning to expose the lack of depth.  Seattle has to win these next two AFC South road games against playoff hopefuls to truly assert their dominance.

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