Seahawks have date with Packers
RENTON, Washington — It’s always been a bit of a lingering question around the Seattle Seahawks when it came to Russell Wilson and the post-season.
If the Seahawks just let Wilson take over in the playoffs, how deep of a run could Seattle make? Is Wilson good enough to carry a solid team and make it championship worthy, like the Legion of Boom defence did en route to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory following the 2013 season?
This could be the year that gets answered if Seattle’s playoffopening win over Philadelphia is an indication. With Seattle’s already depleted run game shut down by the Eagles, Wilson and rookie DK Metcalf lifted the Seahawks into the divisional round of the playoffs with their 17-9 victory.
Wilson was tremendous, accounting for 325 yards passing and 45 yards rushing. Metcalf set an NFL post-season rookie record with 160 yards receiving on seven catches and a key 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The reward is a date with Green Bay in the divisional round on Sunday.
“It was fun and it was scary at the same time. The way the season’s been going, this team, you know I didn’t want this to be our last time playing football,”
Metcalf said. “So I’m just having fun out there with this team and just the group that we have.”
Wilson and Metcalf weren’t alone in their starring performances. Jadeveon Clowney had his best game in nearly two months but also became the target of anger in Philadelphia for his hit on Carson Wentz that knocked out the Eagles’ starting quarterback early on with a head injury. Clowney’s hit came late in the play and included helmet-to-helmet contact but was not flagged.
Clowney insisted after the game he was not trying to cause injury and Carroll defended Clowney on Monday.
“He hit him in the back of the head. He wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything. That just happened,”
Carroll said. “It’s football and unfortunate that he got banged [up]. Hate that he didn’t get to play the game. I don’t know why there is much discussion about it. The guy is chasing, and he dove on the guy and he hit him. It was unfortunate.”
With the run game essentially shut down, Seattle made a smart adjustment to let Wilson go to work through the air. Wilson’s 325 yards passing were the fourth most in franchise history in a post-season game. While Metcalf made the headlines, Tyler Lockett and David Moore combining for six receptions for 119 yards was a major contribution.
In last year’s playoff opener against Dallas, Seattle failed to make an adjustment away from the run quickly enough and was unable to rally late. This time the balance in the game plan was smart. Seattle recognized its inability to run early and allowed Wilson to carry the offensive load.
“We felt like with the play action and stuff like that, me moving around a little bit, every once in a while would be a good thing,” Wilson said. “We knew that they are a very aggressive defence, they’ve always been.”
Seattle must be better run blocking against Green Bay. Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch combined for 19 yards rushing on 17 carries. As great as Wilson was, there needs to be some balance with the run.