Seven days after a game that seemed to prove right their protests that the debacle at Tampa Bay had been a mere blip and that they were instead ready to go on another of their patented second-half runs came a game that only raised more questions about where the season is headed.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — So what to make of the Seahawks now?
Seven days after a game that seemed to prove right their protests that the debacle at Tampa Bay had been a mere blip and that they were instead ready to go on another of their patented second-half runs came a game that only raised more questions about where the season is headed.
Sunday’s 38-10 loss at Green Bay, in fact, was maybe the most stunning of the Pete Carroll era for the surprisingly easy manner in which the Packers dispatched the Seahawks as well as being a shocking turnabout from last Sunday’s 40-7 win over Carolina.
The loss was the worst for Seattle since a 41-7 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants on Nov. 7, 2010, just eight games into Carroll’s tenure, and snapped Seattle’s NFL record 95-game streak of not having been beaten by more than 10 points. The last time that had happened was a 34-12 loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 30, 2011 in what was the first start for Richard Sherman.
“Yeah, it’s a different feeling for all of us,” Carroll said. “We don’t even remember those days — how many years ago was that? So we have had a remarkable run, and it’s the kind of stat that you don’t really want to be proud of but it is a remarkable run because those guys in that room are fighting and clawing and scratching to play so good for so long. This was a night that was just so out of character.”
Particularly for quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw a career-high five interceptions — matching the total he had in the first 12 games.
“That game was on me,” said Wilson, who threw two interceptions in the first half as Seattle fell behind 21-3 and then three more in the second as the Seahawks tried unsuccessfully to rally.
“He had a hard time tonight,” Carroll said of Wilson, who tied the second-most interceptions by a Seattle QB in team history last set by Jon Kitna against Tampa Bay in 1999.
Rookie running back Alex Collins also lost a fumble to give Seattle six turnovers, as many as the Seahawks have had in any game since 1995.
“Any time you turn it over you are going to get your ass beat,’’ said Seattle right tackle Bradley Sowell.
But Wilson wasn’t the only culprit.
Dropped passes by Doug Baldwin and Troymaine Pope led to two of Wilson’s interceptions.
And defensively, the Seahawks could rarely mount a pass rush as Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns and finished with a 150.8 passer rating, the highest of any quarterback against Seattle in the Carroll era.
While the game was also the first for Seattle knowing it will play the rest of the season without free safety Earl Thomas, Carroll pointed almost solely at the pass rush as the issue for the defense.
“We really disappointed in rushing the passer,” Carroll said. “Obviously he was back there all night long and Aaron did what he does so well. He moved beautifully and found guys and made it look easy. Very frustrating to me watching him have so much ease throwing and completing balls on us.”
Rodgers threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams on the third play of the game, which set the tone for the day.
Rodgers evaded pressure and Adams turned upfield and got behind Jeremy Lane and as Carroll said “off they went.”
An interception led to a 26-yard TD drive early in the second quarter and a 14-3 Packer lead, and then a short punt led to a 48-yard march to another Rodgers touchdown pass and a 21-3 halftime lead.
As the streak of never losing by 10 or more points in more than five years indicates, the Seahawks have usually been able to rally when they fall behind.
But it never happened Sunday. Two more interceptions led to two more Green Bay touchdowns in the second half as the Packers pulled away. Only a late touchdown pass from Wilson to Tanner McEvoy prevented the Seahawks from going without a touchdown for the fourth time this season.
“I’m not used to this feeling,” said Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who had never lost a game by more than 10 points in his NFL career. “It’s not a feeling I want to get used to.’’
Seattle fell to 8-4-1 on the season, dropped to the No. 3 spot in the NFC playoff standings, a half-game behind Detroit (9-4) and a half-game ahead of Atlanta/Tampa Bay and lost a chance to clinch the NFC West.
Seattle, at least, won’t have to wait long to get another chance to get that done, hosting the woeful Rams Thursday night at CenturyLink Field. That the next two games are at home, where Seattle is 6-0 as opposed to 2-4-1 on the road, was one of the few silver linings of the day.
“It’s really important that we handle this properly,” Carroll said. “We have a lot of work to do, a lot of stuff out in front of us at the end of the season that we have to be together in putting this behind us and moving forward.”
Carroll, who called the game “a miserable night” gave exactly that message to his team afterward, and in what might have been the best execution the team displayed all day, players almost unanimously echoed that thought afterward.
“Obviously it’s a terrible feeling,” said Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril. “But we’ve got to keep chopping that wood. We know what kind of team we are capable of being. We have to go out there and make it happen and show everybody.”
| Playoff picture | ||
| The Seahawks dropped to the No. 3 spot in the NFC. Six teams make the playoffs in each conference, with the four division winners seeded by record, followed by two wild-card teams. The top two division winners earn first-round byes: | ||
| Team | W-L | Playoff status |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dallas | 11-1 | NFC East leader |
| 2. Detroit | 9-4 | NFC North leader |
| 3. Seattle | 8-4-1 | NFC West leader |
| 4. Atlanta | 7-5 | NFC South leader |
| 5. N.Y. Giants | 8-4 | Wild card |
| 6. Tampa Bay | 8-5 | Wild card |
| 7. Washington | 7-5-1 | Not in |
| 8. Minnesota | 7-6 | Not in |
| Source: NFL.com | ||