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Brady HendersonESPN
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks will still win the NFC West if they beat the San Francisco 49ers next week.
As far as silver linings go, that's not a bad one. And it might be the only one after a disastrous 27-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals that was hard to see coming.
It began so well Sunday for the Seahawks -- a three-and-out on defense, followed by an opening-drive touchdown -- but was all downhill from there. The Seahawks punted seven times after that, lost another fumble and lost their top two tailbacks -- Chris Carson (hip) and C.J. Prosise (arm) -- to injuries. They struggled to get to Kyler Murray -- who entered Sunday having been sacked the most times of any quarterback in the NFL -- and didn't fare much better when Brett Hundley replaced him in the second half.
That's right, an 11-win contender that's in line for a division title and a first-round bye just lost to a last-place team that came to CenturyLink Field with four wins and lost its starting quarterback before the day was over.
The Seahawks would have assured themselves of no worse than the NFC's No. 2 seed by winning their final two games. The division title is still up for grabs, but this loss was costly -- and discouraging -- in more ways than one.
Biggest hole in the game plan: It was more of a lack of an in-game adjustment to all the pressure Russell Wilson was facing. The Seahawks had a backup at left tackle (Jamarco Jones, making his first career start there) the entire game and at left guard (Ethan Pocic) for much of the first half. And they were facing one of the NFL's best pass-rushers in Chandler Jones. The Seahawks were asking for trouble by continuing to drop Wilson straight back as opposed to getting him out of the pocket on designed rollouts, and they got it. Wilson was sacked five times and officially took seven hits.
Troubling trend: Wide receiver David Moore's lost fumble following a first-down catch in the third quarter was the Seahawks' 14th lost fumble of the season. The most in the league entering Sunday was 15. Arizona drove for a field goal after that Seattle turnover. Losing 14 fumbles in a season won't sit well with any head coach, but it has got to rankle the defensive-minded Pete Carroll, especially given how much he emphasizes not turning the ball over. Moore's numbers have regressed after a breakout 2018 season.
QB breakdown: It was hard to imagine Wilson finishing with this stat line after leading the Seahawks on a touchdown drive to begin the game: 16-of-31 for 169 yards and that lone touchdown pass, which was to fullback Nick Bellore. His top receiver, Tyler Lockett, had one catch for 12 yards on eight targets, and his No. 2 receiver, DK Metcalf, finished without a catch on one target.
Buying Rasheem Green's breakout season: The second-year defensive end has been a regular in the defensive line rotation all season and started again Sunday with Jadeveon Clowney out. He batted down a pass on Arizona's first possession and then blocked a field goal in the third quarter, his second in three weeks. Green, a 2018 third-round pick, entered Sunday leading the team in sacks (albeit with only four) and has come on strong after an underwhelming rookie season. That should provide some hope for anyone who already has given up on first-round pick L.J. Collier.
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December 23, 2019 at 08:19AM
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Seahawks stunned, battered in ugly loss; can still win NFC West - Seattle Seahawks Blog- ESPN - ESPN
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