Seahawks left seeking answers

RENTON, Washington — Pete Carroll tried to provide answers Monday to all the questions that arose from Seattle’s surprise season-opening loss. They weren’t easy to come by. Despite an incorrectly executed kickoff to start overtime, giving up eight pass plays of 20 yards or more, blowing coverage in the final minute of regulation that allowed St. Louis to pull even, or the inability to get oneyard on their final offensive play yet again, Carroll said the Seahawks “never should have lost that game.”

“We had plenty of opportunities to take the game in command and we didn’t seize those opportunities,” Carroll said.

The 34-31 overtime setback to St. Louis was the third time in Carroll’s tenure the Seahawks dropped their season opener, but those earlier losses lacked many of the questions that arose from this one.

Standing out were the two major special-teams mistakes and the run call on fourth-andone in overtime, where Marshawn Lynch was stopped.

Seattle’s special teams allowed Tavon Austin’s punt return touchdown in the third quarter — the third special-teams touchdown by the Rams against the Seahawks in the past four seasons — followed by Steven Hauschka misplayed kickoff to begin overtime, giving St. Louis great field position for what proved to be the winning field goal.

But Carroll believed one of the deciding factors was Seattle’s pass defence allowing eight pass plays of 20 yards or more, the most of any team in Week 1, as St. Louis took advantage of gaps in the middle of the field between the dropping linebackers and the secondary.

Last season, Seattle allowed 32 pass plays of 20 or more yards the entire regular season.

“It was a little bit of everything,” Carroll said. “They didn’t get after us outside and deep on deep balls. They didn’t get behind [free safety] Earl [Thomas]. They just got in-between us and around us and did a nice job with it. It’s just how it happens.”

Carroll was quick to say the absence of holdout strong safety Kam Chancellor was not the reason for St. Louis having so much pass success across the middle. Carroll said Chancellor’s replacement, Dion Bailey, played well with the exception of stumbling and falling on Lance Kendricks’ 37-yard touchdown catch in the final minute of regulation. Carroll later added, there’s been no movement on Chancellor’s

holdout.