Bengals use big plays to crush Seahawks at home 34-12

By Kshell

The Cincinnati Bengals(5-2) spanked the Seattle Seahawks(2-5) in Seattle 34-12 behind three big touchdowns while the Seahawks offense continued to struggle. The Seahawks who were held to just 27 yards rushing on 18 carries(1.5 YPC) until the final two plays of the game when Leon Washington ran for 34 yards on the ground. Pete Carroll decided Tarvaris Jackson was too hurt to start so he went with Charlie Whitehurst who once again gave the team nothing so he decided Jackson wasn't too hurt to play anymore. The Seahawks outgained the Bengals 411 to 252 yet lost the game due to mistakes. The Seahawks had several dropped passes,  a punt return for a touchdown go against them then an interception returned for a touchdown. The Seahawks also botched a redzone attempt at the end of the half and while the Bengals didn't do much the Seahawks made sure they didn't need to. Now that the Seahawks are 2-5 while the San Francisco 49ers are 6-1 the season appears to be headed towards NFL Draft talk going forward.

The Bengals took the opening drive and drove 58 yards on 12 plays eating up eight minutes before the Seahawks held them to a field goal giving the Bengals a 3-0 lead. The Bengals tried to pound the run to Bernard Scott filling in for the injured Cedric Benson to control the clock. Scott ran the ball six times for 18 yards while Andy Dalton was five for five passing for 35 yards. The Seahawks who were starting Whitehurst quickly went three and out as the Seahawks had to punt from their own 24 yard line. Jon Ryan had a punt that went 65 yards that outkicked his coverage as Adam "Pacman" Jones made it "rain" as he returned the punt 63 yards to the Seahawks 26 yard line as Ryan tackled him. The Bengals continued to use ball control as Scott ran for nine yards to the Seahawks 17 yard line. Scott rushed for three more yards for the first down to the Seahawks 14 yard line. Dalton finally passed the ball as he found Jerome Simpson down the middle for a 14 yard touchdown giving the Bengals a commanding 10-0 lead as the first quarter was coming to an end. The Seahawks who had Whitehurst starting looked bleak as he proved the previous week he simply can't get the job done. Whitehurst responded to the score and actually appeared to show a resemblence of an NFL quarterback on the following drive.

Starting from their own 21 yard line the Seahawks already trailing 10-0 started their drive. After a Bengals 15 yard penalty which gave them the ball on their own 36 the Seahawks went to work. Whitehurst completed a pass to Zach Miller for a gain of 17 yards. He completed another pass to Sidney Rice for 15 yards to the Bengals 33 yard line. After a sack and a penalty facing a third and 19 from the Bengals 42 yard line Whitehurst hit Ben Obomanu for a gain of 13 yards which was short of the first down but gave the Seahawks a chance at a field goal. Steve Hauschka nailed the 47 yard field goal to open up the second quarter to cut the lead to 10-3. The Bengals then went three and out giving the ball back to the Seahawks. After the Seahawks went three and out Whitehurst saw his day end as Carroll had enough of his ineffectiveness. The Seahawks defense continued to play well as they once again three and outed the Bengals offense.

The Seahawks had made a quarterback change putting in the supposedly injured Tarvaris Jackson for Whitehurst. Starting from their own 28 yard line Marshawn Lynch fumbled the ball giving the Bengals possession on the Seahawks 31 yard line. The Bengals would self destruct committing back to back 10 yard holding penalties giving them the ball first and 30 from their own 49 yard line. Dalton would complete back to back passes setting up a third and 20 which the Seahawks defended well forcing the Bengals to punt from the Seahawks 41 yard line. For the Seahawks on their own 11 yard line facing a third and 10 Jackson hit Rice for a gain of 11 yards which Carroll had to challenge as the spot was off. The Seahawks ultimately would have to punt the ball back to the Bengals as they took over on their own 16 yard line after wasting the previous opportunity. There would be no wasting this possession for the Bengals.

The Bengals starting on their own 16 yard line would run Scott for a gain of three yards. Dalton would hit first round pick A.J. Green for a gain of six yards setting up a third and one. The Seahawks gave the Bengals a first down on a six yard penalty giving the Bengals the ball on the 31 yard line. On third and six from the 35 yard line the Seahawks committed another penalty this time a 14 yard penalty giving the Bengals another first down. Facing a third and 11 Dalton hit a crucial 14 yard pass to move the chains to the Seahawks 38 yard line. It was the Bengals who had a penalty pushing them back to the Seahawks 43. That is when the Bengals dialed up the long ball as Dalton hit Green who blew by the Seahawks secondary as Earl Thomas was late for the touchdown giving the Bengals a 17-3 lead. The Seahawks ended the half with the ball on the Bengals three yard line with 14 seconds left fourth and two with no timeouts. Carroll decided to go for it then the Seahawks called a run to Lynch who got the first down with a gain of two yards but time had expired so the Seahawks trailed 17-3 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Seahawks offense starting from their own nine yard line were facing a second and 10. That is when Jackson hit Ben Obomanu on a deep pass for 55 yards to the Bengals 36 yard line. With second and eight from the 34 yard line Lynch had his longest run of the game for nine yards to the 25 yard line. Jackson then completed a pass to Rice for 15 yards to the Bengals 10 yard line. The Seahawks offense would stall on the seven yard line and would this time elect to kick the field goal. Steven Hauschka nailed the 25 yard field goal cutting the lead to 17-6. At that point Seahawks fans were really wishing they had those three points that Carroll passed up on in the first half. The Bengals offense would take over to start the fourth quarter. At the Seahawks 48 yard line Dalton tried to go deep but Kam Chancellor intercepted Dalton on the 13 yard line then returned it eight yards to the Bengals 21 yard line as the Seahawks finally were having momentum on their side.

Facing a third and 11 from their own 20 Jackson would hit Doug Baldwin for a gain of 31 yards to the Bengals 49 yard line. On the next play Jackson would hit Rice for a gain of 35 yards to the Bengals 14 yard line as the Seahawks moved the ball 66 yards in just two plays. Still riding the hot hand Jackson completed a pass to Golden Tate for a gain of nine yards to the five yard line. This is when the Seahawks turned to Lynch who ran for three yards and the first down to set up first and goal from the two yard line. Lynch would then score his third rushing touchdown of the season from two yards out. Trailing 17-12 now the Seahawks decided to go for two but Jackson's throw to Obomanu was incomplete. After a long 45 yard kickoff return by Brandon Tate giving the Bengals the ball  on their own 43 yard line. The Bengals would eventually settle for a field goal giving them a 20-12 lead over the Seahawks with under five minutes left in the game.

That wouldn't be the last time Tate burned the Seahawks. The Seahawks offense went three and out and were forced to punt from their own seven yard line. Ryan had a 49 yard punt as Tate fielded the ball then made some defenders miss as he went up the sideline for the game clinching score. Tate ran back the punt 56 yards for the game clinching touchdown giving the Bengals a commanding 27-12 lead over the Seahawks. The Seahawks though didn't quit as they took over on their own 33 yard line. Jackson completed a 16 yard pass to Baldwin to the 49 yard line. Jackson completed his next two passes for 21 yards converting a crucial third down to the 35 yard line. After the third down incomplete pass Jackson was injured as Whitehurst came into the game with 1:40 left. Whitehurst hit Zach Miller who dropped the pass which was a theme for the Seahawks all game long. The defense would three and out the Bengals as they used up all their timeouts. Despite limping out there Carroll decided to go back with Jackson instead of Whitehurst despite the fact the game was out of reach with a minute to go in the ball game. Jackson showing a ton of heart for his teammates didn't want to be pulled much like Keith Price against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Jackson would be picked off though as the Bengals Reggie Nelson went 75 yards down the sideline for the touchdown to give the Bengals the 34-12 win.


The Bengals won this 34-12 in what is usually a tough road matchup. The Seahawks have now lost five games in a row to their old conference the AFC. The Bengals were led by the quarterback the Seahawks passed on Andy Dalton who was 18-29(62.1%) for 168 yards(5.8 YPA) with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His main receiver was A.J. Green who had four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. While Bernard Scott ran for 76 yards on 22 carries(3.5 YPC). Meanwhile the Seahawks were led by Tarvaris Jackson who was 21-40(52.5%) passing for 323 yards(8.1 YPA) with an interception. While the starter Charlie Whitehurst was 4-7(57.1%) for 52 yards(7.4 YPA). The main receivers for the Seahawks were Sidney Rice who had seven receptions for 102 yards. Ben Obomanu had four receptions for 107 yards while Doug Baldwin had five for 73 yards. The running game was led by Leon Washington who had 34 yards rushing on just two carries. Meanwhile Marshawn Lynch had a terrible game rushing for only 24 yards on 16 carries(1.5 YPC) with a touchdown and a fumble. This was a tough loss for the Seahawks who allowed two return touchdowns while their offensive miscues cost them once again. This has been a trying year for Seahawk fans which doesn't look to have any hope in sight for this season at least.

All in all, the Seahawks drop to 2-5 and have lost their last two home games. They will once again go on the road to Dallas this week a place they haven't won at since 2002. This year appears to be going down the drain and unless the Seahawks can somehow find an offense in the offseason I don't see next season being any different. The Seahawks when they were 2-3 had two winnable games coming up and they lost them both as the offense scored 15 points in those two games. The league has figured out the no huddle offense they run and the quarterback play continues to be suspect. This year has turned into what the Seattle Mariners just experienced a try out for the youngsters. Sadly as Seattle fans that seems to be how our teams are lately always waiting for next year and this Seahawks season is no different.

Observations:

-  Marshawn Lynch is proving yet again why the Buffalo Bills are a smart franchise to get rid of him. Lynch had another lackluster game with 24 yards rushing on 16(1.5 YPC) with a fumble while being shutout in the passing game. Lynch isn't getting holes but he also is slow. Lynch unlike the other running back in the same city Chris Polk is simply a short yardage. He can't beat you in other ways with his speed or with his pass catching ability. Lynch is proving to be a bust minus the one big run in the playoffs last year. This is a position the Seahawks have neglected far too long and must draft a runningback this year as Lynch has proven time and time again he isn't the answer at runningback for this franchise.

For the year Lynch has ran for just 263 yards(3.6 YPC) with three touchdowns and only 11 receptions for 83 yards. In six games this year Lynch has rushed for under 40 yards in four games and under 30 yards in three games. He has averaged less than 4.0 YPC in five games and less than 3.0 YPC in three games and even less than 2.0 YPC in two games. He has been a total disaster and once the Seahawks fans realize this the easier life will become. When the Seahawks let Lynch go he'll just be a goaline back for some other team. He has proven he isn't a starting runningback in the NFL.

- Tarvaris Jackson has actually impressed me this year. He has shown a ton of courage as he is getting killed this season having been sacked 20 times despite playing only 21 quarters this season. This past game despite obviously being hurt Jackson still threw for over 300 yards even though his receivers didn't help him out with all the drops. Jackson has shown he can be a nice backup quarterback who can fill in for the guy when he goes down. Jackson by no means is ever going to be the guy but unlike Whitehurst who obviously doesn't belong in the NFL Jackson has proven he still indeed has value. Jackson is also showing he is a better leader than I had ever thought he was and the fans are slowly starting to embrace Jackson(it doesn't hurt that Whitehurst has killed any chance of a controversy).

For the year Jackson has completed 60.9% of his passes for 1,335 yards(6.8 YPA) with six touchdown passes to six interceptions for a quarterback rating of 78.5 which is about what I expected from him. That shows he is an NFL quarterback but also shows he isn't a franchise quarterback that will lead you to the promise land anytime soon. As is I wouldn't mind him starting the year next year as the starter as the Seahawks hopefully are developing their first round draft pick at quarterback.


- Pete Carroll inherited a team that was short on talent and on the defensive side of the ball he has done a terrific job. He moved Red Bryant to defensive end, drafted Earl Thomas with 14th pick overall. He traded for Chris Clemons and signed Brandon Browner off the scrap heap. He got good value in the draft with Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and K.J. Wright showing he does know defense pretty well.

On the offensive side of the ball his moves have bombed. Russell Okung who was taken sixth overall can't go a game without jumping for a false start. James Carpenter was a questionable draft pick as well as he continues to be burned every week. Carroll traded 20 spots down in the second round plus gave up a third round pick for Whitehurst which has been a bust move. Gave up two draft picks for Lynch who has been terrible as well. Drafted Tate in the second round who has given the Seahawks very little. The Seahawks offense this year is averaging a pathetic 15.5 points per game in an offensive era where the rules are set for the offense. Carroll's teams are committing way too many penalties as well. I do think Carroll is a good head coach just not sure if he should be team president. There obviously needs to be an offensive guru in his ear this next offseason as he has shown he knows defense while showing he knows nothing about offense.

In conclusion, this years Seahawks season won't be very fun. From here on out there will be draft talk and rebuilding talk once again. There won't be any magical playoff runs like last season which is too bad. The Seahawks appear to be headed towards their fourth straight losing season something they haven't done since 1991-1994 which like this included a transition from their franchise quarterback to having nobody next in line. The fans aren't as patient with Carroll as most Seattle fans are I've noticed. This season has gone down the drain quickly with this embarassing home loss 34-12. Now the Seahawks despite us just now entering November and the season isn't even half over yet are already talking about next year. This should be another depressing final two months of the season much like 2008 and 2009 were.

Rookie Baldwin has big day in Seahawks stunning 36-25 upset win over Giants

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks(2-3) stunned the New York Giants(3-2) in the medowlands 36-25. Seahawks defense recorded a safety, a pick six while forcing five turnovers during the game. Seahawks no huddle offense continued to work this week as the Giants were on their heels entire first half. Marshawn Lynch had his best game of the season rushing for 98 yards with a touchdown. Tarvaris Jackson started the game off red hot then was injured as his backup Charlie Whitehurst threw the game winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks will now have a quarterback controversy. While the main star in this game was rookie wide receiver Doug Baldwin who had eight receptions for 136 yards with the game winning touchdown. For the Seahawks season to matter this was a must win. Now the Seahawks will head into their bye week at 2-3 and kicking themselves for losing last week 30-28 at home. The Seahawks won a game on the road which nobody expected them to do. This was the first win in the Eastern time zone for the Seahawks since 2007. This was an all around great team win for Pete Carroll and his Seahawks. The Seahawks the last six quarters actually look like a playoff football team.

The Seahawks did something against the Giants they hadn't done the previous four games which is score in the first quarter. In fact the Seahawks continued their no huddle attack which worked so well in the second half against the Falcons. The Seahawks began their drive from their 20 yard line which they let Tarvaris Jackson come out throwing. Jackson began the game with a completion to Ben Obomanu for a gain of nine yards. Jackson hit Lynch for a gain of 17 yards. Jackson hit Obomanu again for a gain of 11 yards to the Giants 43 yard line. After a four yard run by Justin Forsett to the Giants 39 yard line Jackson completed yet another pass to Sidney Rice for a gain of 16 yards. The Giants committed a 12 yard penalty helmet to helmet giving the Seahawks the ball on the 11 yard line. After an incomplete pass Jackson finished off the drive with an 11 yard touchdown pass to Obomanu to give the Seahawks an early 7-0 lead. For the Seahawks that was the first time all season long they had scored in the first quarter as the no huddle confused the Giants defense. Jackson was five for six passing on the drive for 64 yards including the touchdown.

The Giants were led by their quarterback Eli Manning who would respond to the Seahawks score with a score of his own. The drive began with a short run by Manning then a 13 yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw which he followed up with a five yard run. Manning hit Mario Manningham for a gain of 17 yards to the Seahawks 43 yard line. Manning hit Jake Ballard for a big gain of 28 yards to the Seahawks 15 yard line. After a short three yard run by Victor Cruz, Manning finally finished off the drive with a 12 yard strike to his tight end Ballard to tie up the game at 7-7. For the drive Manning was three for three passing for 57 yards with a touchdown. The Giants made that drive look pretty easy on the Seahawks secondary as it appeared Manning was poise to have a big day. He would have a big day yardage wise but far as being productive not as much as many expected.

What would happen next was a crazy swing of momentum trading places for both teams. After a Seahawks punt the Giants had the ball on their own 14 yard line. Facing a third and seven from the 17 yard line Manning was sacked by Chris Clemons which Manning fumbled. The ball was recovered by Earl Thomas on the Giants 11 yard line. After an incomplete pass the Seahawks gave the ball to Marshawn Lynch who fumbled the ball right back to the Giants. The Seahawks defense would three and out the Giants after the missed opportunity to take over on the Giants 48 line. Lynch would make up for his mistake as he busted his longest run of the season. Lynch ran for 47 yards down to the Giants one yard line showing a rare burst of speed. Lynch rushed for his second touchdown of the season with a one yard plunge to give the Seahawks a 14-7 lead on the road.

The Seahawks defense continued to dominate the Giants forcing them to punt on the following possession. The Seahawks took over from their own 13 yard line up 14-7 in the second quarter. Facing a third and seven from the 16 yard line Jackson hit Doug Baldwin for a gain of 21 yards. Jackson hit Baldwin again for a gain of 25 yards to the Giants 38 yard line. Lynch followed that up with a run of 13 yards to the Giants 25 yard line. Lynch then had a six yard rush to the 19 and after a first down run by Forsett was called back due to holding. Second and 14 Jackson hit Obomanu for a gain of six to set up third and eight from the Giants 23 yard line. Jackson hit Obomanu again for a gain of seven yards to set up fourth and one from the 16. Carroll decided to go for it as Jackson ran for two yards on a quarterback keeper to the 14 yard line. Jackson hit Obomanu again for seven yards to the seven yard line. On second and three fullback Michael Robinson ran for two yards to the Giants five yard line. Facing a third and one Robinson ran again for a gain of three yards to the two yard line. Robinson who had one carry all season would receive another carry going for a yard but fumbled on the two yard line so the Seahawks came up empty. Later in the game Earl Thomas intercepted Manning to the 50 yard line but the Seahawks offfense couldn't take advantage of the mistake.

The Seahawks would have the ball at midfield with under two minutes left in the half up 14-7. Jackson hit Leon Washington for a gain of six yards but after getting sacked was facing a crucial third and five. Jackson instead of throwing the ball away lobbed the ball down the sidelines to be picked off. Giants had the ball on their own 41 yard line 51 seconds left in the half. Manning would begin the drive hitting Hakeem Nicks for a gain of 12 yards. With 29 seconds left he hit Manningham for a gain of 10 yards to the Seahawks 37 yard line. Manning then hit Nicks for a gain of 18 yards to the Seahawks 19 yard line. Manning finished off the drive hitting Nicks on a fade pass burning Walter Thurmond who is filling in for Marcus Trufant. Despite dominating the first half the Giants had tied the game up at 14-14 heading into the second half.

The third quarter began with both teams trading off punts. The Seahawks took over on their own 29 yard line which saw Tarvaris Jackson rush for a gain of 11 yards to their own 40 yard line. In the process Jackson was injured and had to leave the game. Jackson wouldn't return and was replaced by Charlie Whitehurst. After a short run and a penalty Whitehurst hit Baldwin for a gain of seven yards to set up a third and eight. Then the Seahawks had another false start setting up a third and 13 which Whitehurst hit Baldwin for a gain of 10 yards. Punting from their own 47 yard line John Ryan pinned the Giants on their own five yard line. The Giants from their five yard line tried a stretch play to backup runningback Ware which was blown up by Anthony Hargrove. Hargrove tackled him in the endzone for a safety to give the Seahawks a 16-14 lead.


With 2:13 left in the third quarter the Seahawks took over with the ball on their own 34 yard line. On second down Whitehurst hit Rice for a gain of nine yards setting up a huge third and one from the 43 yard line. Whitehurst hit Rice over the middle with a bullet for a gain of 11 to the Giants 46 yard line. After an incomplete pass the Seahawks then turned to Lynch who busted an 18 yard run to the Giants 28 yard line. After back to back runs by Lynch set up third and five from the 23 yard line. Whitehurst was then sacked by former Seahawks safety Deon Grant pushing the Seahawks all the way back to the Giants 33 yard line. That set up a 51 yard attempt by Steve Hauschka who missed the game winning kick last week badly. This week Hauschka drilled the 51 yarder with ease. In fact he made it look so easy that looking back maybe Carroll knew what he was doing by asking Hauschka to attempt the game winning kick from 61 yards out. In the fourth quarter with now their backup quarterback on the road the Seahawks were leading 19-14 over the Giants. The fourth quarter would be a wild quarter with plenty of momentum changing plays for both sides. What happened next for the Giants is the type of play that normally would have broke the Seahawks spirits instead they kept playing through it.

What happened next to the Seahawks was a rather unfortunate play that at the time looked like turned the game for the worse. Facing a second and 18 from their own 27 yard line Manning hit Victor Cruz for a gain of five yards setting up a big third and 13 from the 32 yard line. Manning would roll to his right then throw the ball up for grabs. Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor tipped the ball in mid air while cornerback Richard Sherman went for the ball. Cruz caught the ball with one hand then rumbled for a 68 yard touchdown score to give the Giants 20-19 lead. Since the Giants were up by just one point they decided to go for two. Manning saw the Seahawks defense was weak up the middle so he audibled to a running play to Bradshaw up the middle. The Giants led 22-19 with 11 minutes left in the game.

After the Giants defense stuffed the Seahawks offense their offense took over up three points. The Giants then looked like the Giants of old which has hurt them in the past with a costly turnover. Facing a third and seven Manning would hit the hero Cruz for a gain of five yards only for Cruz to fumble the ball. Chancellor recovered the ball on the Giants 25 yard line to give the Seahawks new life. Whitehurst couldn't take advantage of the great field possession as the Seahawks didn't even advance the ball a single yard. Hauschka would tie the game up with a 43 yard field goal at 22-22 with 10:15 left in the game. The Giants would go on a long five and a half minute drive starting from their own 20 yard line. Bradshaw began the drive with two runs of 12 yards to their own 32 yard line. Manning would then hit a 17 yard pass to the 49 yard line. Manning hit tight end Ballard for a gain of 32 yards as he was dragging defenders down to the Seahawks 19 yard line. After a Bradshaw run of nine yards then a short rush the Giants had first and goal from the seven yard line. That is when the Seahawks defense would get tough and hold the Giants to a field goal. The Seahawks were trailing 25-22 with less than five mintues to go for Whitehurst needed a field goal for the tie and a touchdown for the win.

Whitehurst would create a quarterback controversy with this drive starting on his own 20 yard line. Whitehurst began the drive hitting Baldwin for a gain of 22 yards to their own 42 yard line. After an incomplete pass and a short three yard run by Washington the Seahawks were facing a huge third and seven from their own 45 yard line with 4:03 left in the game. Whitehurst hit Baldwin for a gain of eight yards for the first down. Whitehurst then hit Anthony McCoy down the middle for a gain of 20 yards to the Giants 27 yard line with a little over three minutes left. After a rush of no gain for Lynch is when Whitehurst would hit his biggest pass of his career. Whitehurst had a hard count which caused the Giants to jump offsides. Thinking the play was over most of the Giants defenders quit on the  play which Whitehurst saw a wide open Baldwin to his left. Whitehurst hit Baldwin for the go ahead touchdown to give the Seahawks a 29-25 lead with 2:37 left in the game. On the drive Whitehurst was four for five passing for 77 yards with the go ahead score. Whitehurst who to that point hadn't played very well will create a controversy for sure. More importantly for the Seahawks they had to stop Manning who was shredding their secondary with 2:37 left in the game up just four points.

Manning had one last drive left in him to scare Seahawks fans. Manning began the drive hitting Bradshaw for what should have been a two yard gain but Aaron Curry missed the tackle. Bradshaw would turn that into a gain of 15 yards to their own 35 yard line. Right before the two minute warning Manning would hit Cruz again for another huge play which went for 41 yards to the Seahawks 24 yard line. The Giants had to score a touchdown but time was no longer a problem for them. Manning then hit Cruz for a gain of 19 yards to the Seahawks five yard line with 1:27 left in the game. After a five yard penalty the Giants had the ball on the Seahawks 10 yard line. Manning hit Cruz who originally slipped on his route, then attempted another one handed catch. As he was going to the ground the ball slipped off his one hand as Brandon Browner snatched the ball. Browner then made his way up the right sidelines for a 94 yard interception touchdown return to give the Seahawks a commanding 36-25 lead with a little over a minute left in the game. That return was the longest interception return in Seahawks franchise history. The game would end as Manning was driving the Giants then would thrown another interception to Chancellor at the Seahawks 42 yard line. The Seahawks pulled off by far the biggest upset of the weekend winning their first road game on the east coast since 2007.

The Seahawks won this game on the road despite allowing a career high 420 yards passing to Eli Manning. Manning finished the game 24-39(61.5%) for 420 yards(10.8 YPA) with three touchdown passes but three interceptions with a fumble too. Victor Cruz had eight receptions for 161 yards with a touchdown but a costly fumble. The Seahawks defense caused five turnovers and a safety. The Seahawks had two quarterbacks play well today. First starter Tarvaris Jackson was 15-22(68.2%) for 166 yards(7.5 YPA) with a touchdown and an interception. Charlie Whitehurst off the bench was 11-19(57.9%) for 149 yards(7.8 YPA) with the game winning touchdown. Both quarterbacks benefitted from a breakout game by Baldwin who had eight receptions for 136 yards with a touchdown. Ben Obomanu also had six receptions for 51 yards with a touchdown. Rice had four receptions for 38 yards. The Seahawks also saw Marshawn Lynch have his best game of the year. Lynch rushed for 98 yards(8.2 YPC) on 12 carries with a touchdown. Lynch also caught four passes for 33 yards which proved to be his best all around game. The Seahawks safety play was great as well with Thomas and Chancellor each recovering a fumble then also intercepting a pass.

All in all, the Seahawks needed this win very badly as they improve to 2-3. The Seahawks have officially ended all "Suck for Luck" talk which will make some fans happy while other fans will be upset. The Seahawks offense actually played pretty well due to the no-huddle offense as both quarterbacks played pretty well while Lynch had his second best game as a Seahawk. The receivers made some plays which was nice to see that if Rice doesn't make any plays then nobody can. The defense despite giving up so many passing yards caused turnovers which is what defenses are all about in today's game. Overall, this was a huge win for the Seahawks this season as they are trying to defend their NFC west championship. Carroll showed with that win plus the Saints win last year he can beat his opponent despite not having as much talent as the other team. Carroll showed he is a top tier coach and hopefully the wins will start following him.

Observations:

- We have a quarterback controversy in Seattle due to Whitehurst hitting the game winning pass. Like last year with the win over the Rams I'm going to stick with the starter. I felt Jackson out played him and dating back to last week Jackson has played well in the no huddle offense Jackson threw for 166 yards completing 68.2% of his passes in the process. While Whitehurst threw for 149 yards while completing 57.9% of his passes in the process.

I think I'll trust Carroll's player evaluation over mine. Carroll has seen these guys in practice every day plus in the film room. Jackson started off slow but is looking pretty decent especially in the no huddle offense. Whitehurst looked a lot better than he did during anytime last season. Are either of these quarterbacks going to take the Seahawks to the promise land? No. I do like the fact that the quarterbacks both of them when asked performed well. I do like how both seem to have improved quite a bit over last season.

- Doug Baldwin has been a terrific pick up for the Seahawks. Baldwin was an undrafted receiver out of Stanford who made the team. For the season Baldwin has had 20 receptions for 330 yards(16.5 YPC) with two touchdowns already. That puts Baldwin on pace to catch 64 passes for 1,065 yards with 6.5 touchdowns. Those are great rookie numbers let alone a guy who was undrafted coming out of college. Considering second round pick Golden Tate still is taking forever to adjust to this offense that is impressive.

Baldwin had a breakout game with eight receptions for 136 yards with a touchdown. He caught the winning touchdown pass and was constantly catching big passes. This is the third week out of five games Baldwin has led the team in receiving yards for that particular game. The Seahawks might have found a gem in Baldwin like they did last season with Mike Williams.

- Marshawn Lynch finally had the type of game Seahawks fans have been waiting for. Lynch ran for 98 yards on just 12 carries with a touchdown. Lynch also caught four passes out of the backfield. Lynch did have a costly redzone fumble but he rebounded nicely with a long 47 yard run. Lynch actually showed a burst of speed for once which I haven't seen him do all season long. This was easily Lynch's best game of the season given the amount of yards he had, the yards per carry, the amount of receptions and even the touchdown. Going forward this is what the Seahawks need from Lynch if they have any chance of being a playoff team this year. Lynch needs to factor into the passing game more often in my opinion so when he does get shut down he is still a productive member to the team.

- This was an impressive win for Carroll and his group. He saw his best corner Marcus Trufant miss this game and second best receiver Mike Williams miss the game. His starting quarterback(Tarvaris Jackson) went down in the middle of the game as well. This was a team who gave the Seahawks their most embarassing loss of the season last year when the Seahawks lost 41-7 at home to the Giants. For Carroll to have his team rebound from that tough home loss to Falcons and win on the east coast was very impressive. I don't know if Carroll is the best president in the NFL but I do know the man can coach up talent as well as anyone in the NFL. Carroll didn't buy into the top 10 draft talk like he didn't last year. Carroll is trying his best to win this year because in the NFL you can't afford to tank a season or you could be out of a job very quickly.

In conclusion, this was a must win for the Seahawks and they responded well. Carroll has this team believing even though their fanbase(me) isn't quite yet believing. The Seahawks will now head into the bye week at 2-3 then take on the Cleveland Browns whose team president is Mike Holmgren. The Seahawks had a great game from their offense, defense and special teams. This was a total team effort and they had several opportunities to get down on themselves which they didn't. The Seahawks defeated a good team on the road and maybe as the season goes on this young team can play better together. The Seahawks showed sunday they are far from being dead in this NFC West playoff picture which Carroll has his team believing they can repeat as division champions.

Seahawks comeback falls short loses to Falcons 30-28

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks(1-3) found themselves trailing 27-7 to the Atlanta Falcons(2-2) in a game at home. The Seahawks stormed back to pull within 30-28 but a 61 yard field goal attempt by Steve Hauschka was wide left as the Seahawks fell just short. The Seahawks offense easily played their best ball of the season in the second half led by Tarvaris Jackson who threw for over 300 yards. He also threw for three touchdowns once again connecting on a deep pass to Sidney Rice. The Seahawks defense couldn't stop Matt Ryan early in the game while Michael Turner scored two touchdowns as well. The Seahawks were torched by the Falcons receiver duo of Julio Jones and Roddy White. The Seahawks will now have to go on the road for the next two weeks after falling to 1-3 their worst start since 2009 when they went 5-11.

The game started off terribly for the Seahawks as they went three and out. The Falcons took over on their own 28 yard line would go on a 12 play 72 yard drive having taken up over seven minutes on the drive. The drive would begin with two straight runs to Turner for nine yards. On third and one Ryan would hit Julio Jones for a five yard gain. After no gain, Ryan would complete a pass to Tony Gonzalez for a gain of nine yards. Turner would rush for three yards to record the first down to the Seahawks 46 yard line. Former Oregon State running back Jacquiz Rodgers would rush for seven yards then follow that up with an 11 yard run to the Seahawks 28 yard line. Ryan would connected on a pass over the middle to White for a gain of 26 yards to the Seahawks one yard line. After the Seahawks stopped Turner on the one yard line the Falcons finally punched the ball through. Ryan on a play action pass threw the ball perfectly over the head of K.J.Wright to Gonzalez for the one yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. The Falcons would have to wait until the second quarter before they would erupt on the Seahawks.

In the second quarter the Falcons would take advantage of a mistake by the Seahawks. The Seahawks on their own 36 yard saw Tarvaris Jackson throw an interception which was returned to the Seahawks 37 yard line. The boo birds were coming out on Jackson at that point although the Seahawks failures weren't resting just squarely on his shoulders. With the ball deep into Seattle territory didn't take long for the Falcons to score a touchdown. The drive would start off with Ryan hitting Turner with an eight yard completion to the Seahawks 29 yard line. Ryan would follow that up with an eight yard run of his own to the Seahawks 21 yard line. After an incompletion that is when Turner would score on a 21 yard touchdown run to his left. Turner simply out ran the Seahawks secondary for that touchdown to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. The Seahawks were in desperate need to strike back against a team who was 13-3 just a year ago. The Seahawks offense which had showed no signs this season of making this into a game would survive their own fan base on the following drive. As for the Falcons this was just the start to a very big second quarter which saw the Falcons score 17 points.

After a horrible kickoff return the Seahawks began down 14-0 on their own 16 yard line. The drive would start off with a Marshawn Lynch two yard run to the 18 yard line. Jackson would throw an incomplete pass setting up a third and eight on the 18 yard line. That is when Jackson would show the Seahawks 12th man a glimpse of what he is capable of doing. Jackson would hit rookie receiver Doug Baldwin for a 30 yard gain to their own 48 yard line. On the following play Jackson would have a hard count causing the Falcons to jump offsides which meant a free play for the Seahawks offense. Jackson looked to his right and saw his former Minnesota teammate Sidney Rice wide open as he hit him with a perfect pass. Rice would walk into the endzone untouched for the 52 yard touchdown pass by Jackson to cut the lead down to 14-7. The Seahawks were right back in the game. Unfortunately, the Seahawks would have that quick momentum taken away as the defense still couldn't stop the Falcons.

The Falcons would respond by going on an 11 play, 72 yard drive which lasted over six minutes. The drive would begin with Ryan completing a pass to Turner for a gain of 10 yards. Facing a third and 13 from their own 35 yard line Ryan would hit rookie receiver Julio Jones for a gain of 29 yards to the Seahawks 36 yard line. On third and seven from the Seahawks 33 yard line Ryan would hit White for a gain of 15 yards to the Seahawks 18 yard line. Ryan would hit White again for a gain of 16 yards to the Seahawks two yard line. After a short run by Turner to the one yard line, Turner would finish the drive off in style. It had appeared Turner was going to be stopped short but instead he did his best Bo Jackson impression making LeRoy Hill his Brian Bosworth. Turner scored on the touchdown giving the Falcons a 21-7 lead. The Falcons would force a three and out while then going on a nine play drive which accounted for 33 yards. The half would end when Matt Bryant would drill the 47- yard field goal giving the Falcons a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime.

The Falcons would begin the second half with the ball on their own 20 yard line. Ryan would once again hit Jones for a gain of 45 yards to the Seahawks 35 yard line. The Seahawks would stop the Falcons after that forcing a long field goal attempt by Bryant again going into the Hawks Nest. Bryant would drill the 50-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 27-7 lead which had everyone thinking this game was going to get ugly. The Falcons to that point were not being stopped and minus one long pass the Seahawks offense wasn't doing anything. Well that would change as the Seahawks offense would finally wake up to make this into a game again.

The Seahawks would receive a nice 36 yard return from Leon Washington to their own 39 yard line. Lynch would rush for three yards, then catch a pass for five yards setting up a third and two. Justin Forsett would rush for three yards giving the Seahawks a first down at midfield. Jackson would once again hit his rookie receiver Baldwin for a gain of 20 yards to the Falcons 30 yard line. Jackson would dump the ball off to Washington for a gain of four yards to the Falcons 26 yard line to set up a third and six. That is when Jackson would hit a receiver who hasn't been thrown to very much this season. Jackson would connect with Mike Williams for a gain of 19 yards. After a short gain by Washington then an incomplete pass the Seahawks were facing a third and goal. Jackson would connect with Williams for the six yard touchdown to pull the Seahawks within 27-14. For Williams that was his first touchdown reception of the season.

What would transpire next involved plenty of momentum swings. The Seahawks would record a stop on the Falcons. Then  on their own 28 yard line Jackson would complete a 26 yard pass to Lynch to the Falcons 46 yard line. He would then hit Baldwin for a gain of 11 yards. Jackson would complete a pass to Forsett for a gain of 17 yards to the Falcons 18 yard line. Jackson would throw an interception intended for Zach Miller to the Falcons five yard line. Seattle would then force a three and out. Washington would take the punt 33 yards to the Falcons 11 yard line. The Seahawks would waste little time as they handed the ball to Lynch. Lynch would bust the run for 11 yards for the touchdown. That touchdown would close the lead to 27-21 and for Lynch that would be his first touchdown of the season.

taken by Jimmy Hickey

The Falcons would go on a 13 play, 57 yard drive which took up six and a half minutes of clock. The drive would start on their own 20 yard line with Ryan hitting Jones for a gain of four yards. He would hit White for eight yards. On the 30 yard line Ryan would hit Gonzalez for a 22 yard gain to the Seahawks 48 yard line. On third and two from the Seahawks 40 yard line the Seahawks committed a five yard penalty give the Falcons a first down. Facing a third and eight from the Seahawks 33 yard line Ryan would hit Rodgers for a gain of 10 yards to the Seahawks 23 yard line. The Seahawks defense would deny them of the endzone which brought on Bryant again. Bryant would make the 42 yard field goal to give the Falcons a 30-21 lead. Due to a poor kickoff the Seahawks would still have life left in them.



The Seahawks would respond with a nine play, 60 yard touchdown drive to make the game interesting. Lynch would begin the drive with a six yard run to the Seahawks 46 yard line, Jackson would complete a pass to Ben Obomanu for a gain of 12 yards to the Falcons 42 yard line. Jackson would rush up the middle for a gain of 13 yards to the Falcons 29 yard line. Facing a critical third and nine Jackson would connect with Baldwin for a gain of 16 yards to the Falcons 13 yard line. Lynch would rush for two yards then catch a pass for another two yards which set up a critical third and six from the eight yard line. Jackson would scramble around buying time for his receivers to find a way to be open. Then Jackson found Obomanu wide open on the left side of the end zone for the easiest touchdown pass of his career. That would be Jackson's third touchdown pass of the game and more importantly pulled the Seahawks to within 30-28. The Falcons wouldn't score but would go on a 13 play, 37 yard drive while taking up over six minutes. By the time they punted the ball to the Seahawks there was only 1:49 left in the game. The Seahawks were starting from their own 15 yard line with only one timeout left in the game hoping to complete the comeback.

With the odds stacked against them Jackson would start the drive off with a nine yard pass to Forsett to the Seahawks 24 yard line. Forsett would rush up the middle for a gain of eight yards to the Seahawks 32 yard line. Jackson would complete a pass to Forsett for a gain of three yards, then to Baldwin for a gain of seven yards to their own 42 yard line. Jackson would hit Zach Miller for a gain of 13 yards to the Falcons 45 yard line with 22 seconds left. The Seahawks would spike the ball then see Rice be called for a false start pushing the ball back to the 50 yard line. Jackson would hit Miller for a gain of seven yards but would miss his throw on third down. Facing a fourth and eight with one timeout remaining the Seahawks elected to attempt the 61 yard field goal. Hauschka would miss the kick wide left as the Falcons would hang on for the 30-28 win improving to 2-2 while the Seahawks would fall to 1-3.

The Falcons controlled the time of possession for a little over 40 minutes as they put up 412 yards of total offense. The Falcons were led by Matt Ryan who was 28-42(66.7%) passing for 291 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Ryan also ran for 26 yards as well. Ryan's favorite targets were Julio Jones who had 11 receptions for 127 yards(11.5 YPC) and Roddy White who had six receptions for 78 yards(13.0 YPC). Ryan also hit hit tight end Tony Gonzalez for seven receptions for 56 yards(8.0 YPC) with a touchdown. Michael Turner carried the ball 26 times for 70 yards(2.7 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 18 yards to help the Falcons build an early lead on the Seahawks. The Falcons scored three touchdowns and three long field goals due to Matt Bryant to earn the victory on the road over the Seahawks.

For the Seahawks who saw their comeback effort fall just short they were led by Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson to date had his best game as a Seahawks quarterback completing 25 of his 38 passes(65.8%) for 319 yards(8.4 YPA) with three touchdowns to two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 96.3. Jackson also ran for 16 yards during the game. This game Jackson spread the ball around to his receivers. Doug Baldwin led the team with five receptions for 84 yards(16.8 YPC). He was followed up by Sidney Rice who had three receptions for 79 yards(26.3 YPC) with a touchdown. Mike Williams had three receptions for 36 yards(12.0 YPC) with a touchdown, Justin Forsett had three for 30 yards(10.0 YPC), Ben Obomanu had three for 25 yards with a touchdown. Zach Miller had three receptions for 21 yards while Marshawn Lynch had three for 33 yards.  Lynch also had just 24 yards rushing(3.0 YPC) with a touchdown on the day. The Seahawks fell behind early and couldn't run the ball effectively so they had no choice but to go to the air. Although the Seahawks lost at least for now Jackson quieted his home fan base from booing him after every incomplete pass.

All in all, the Seahawks must find a way to come out better in the first half. This season Pete Carroll has seen his team fall behind 19-0 in week one, 17-0 at halftime in week two, trailing 10-6 at halftime in week three to trailing this week 27-7. The Seahawks went toe to toe with one of the better teams in the NFC but in the NFL you are measured by wins and losses. The Seahawks are 1-3 as they are two games behind the San Francisco 49ers who hold tiebreaker so in reality they are two and a half games back. The Seahawks dropped a golden opportunity to jump into the NFC West race which is currently being held by Alex Smith and his 49ers. For the Seahawks to be successful for the rest of the year they have to match what their opponent is doing in the first half or this is going to be a very long season.

Observations:

- I thought Tarvaris Jackson played his best game as a Seahawks quarterback. He actually played better than any regular season game Matt Hasselbeck played in last season as well. Jackson completed 65.8% of his passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns. Of his two interceptions one wasn't his fault. The reason the Seahawks were back in this game was because Jackson was making plays with his arm. Jackson had seven different receivers with at least three receptions in the game showing he was sharing the wealth.

For the season Jackson has completed 62.2% of his passes for 846 yards(6.3 YPA) with five touchdowns passing and four interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 80.0. Jackson won't make you forget about Hasselbeck but it is time for the fans to give him a chance. If he is playing terrible then yea you can boo him but during today that was getting annoying. Jackson was the only reason the Seahawks even had a chance at the end of the game.

- For Pete Carroll this was a tough loss as the Seahawks fall to 1-3 and he falls to 8-12 as Seahawks head coach. I felt Carroll blew it at the end of the game by attempting the 61 yard field goal. The best chance was to let Jackson complete that fourth and eight pass then call timeout to kick the game winning field goal. Carroll did have his team ready and I will say the Seahawks aren't quitting on him like they did last year when they lost nine games by 15 points or more. The Seahawks have twice this year almost came back from large deficits only to fall short. In the NFL you have complete those comebacks or else you are in for a rough season. The Seahawks are now 1-3 with two east coast games then the bye week. This is the most critical stretch of the season for the Seahawks. Lose both games your season is over. Even a split will put the Seahawks at 2-4 which will make it hard to recover from that.

In conclusion, the Seahawks lost a winnable game today which is going to hurt going forward. If the Seahawks had any chances of being a playoff team they needed to win today's game in my opinion. Like I said for a franchise who hasn't won on the east coast since 2007 playing the New York Giants in New  York will be a tough challenge. The Seahawks can't afford to go 1-4 with another road game. This is critical to see if this season will matter or if the fans will be doing mock drafts by Halloween. For the Seahawks they can't accept close losses anymore they must find ways to win games like today or their season is in danger of being irrelevant.

Seahawks win home opener vs Cardinals 13-10!

By Kshell


The Seattle Seahawks(1-2) won a very important divisional game at home over the Arizona Cardinals(1-2) 13-10 to keep their hopes of defending their division championship alive. The Seahawks defense didn't allow a single point in the second half as Pete Carroll won his homer opener for his second straight season. The Seahawks also welcome back Sidney Rice who had a big game catching eight passes for 109 yards in his very first game with the Seahawks. He was easily Tarvaris Jackson's favorite target as Jackson was 18-31 passing for 171 yards passing with a rushing touchdown. The Seahawks rushing game wasn't great but was also effective today as Marshawn Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries. The Seahawks were led by their defense though recording three sacks with two interceptions. The Seahawks old friend from 2005 Jay Feely missed two field goals for the Cardinals. For those who don't remember Feely missed three potential game winning kicks against the Seahawks when he played for the Giants in 2005. The Seahawks win was like the weather during the game it wasn't pretty at times but at the end it was more than enough. The Seahawks defense stepped up and the offense did just enough for the Seahawks to earn their first victory of the season and are now just a game back of first place.

The Seahawks began the game with a nine play drive but were forced to punt. The Cardinals then went on an eight play 37 yard drive which ended with Jay Feely missing the field goal. That is when the Seahawks would go on a seven play 47 yard drive which would result in a field goal. The Seahawks would start off on the Cardinals 41 yard line when Tarvaris Jackson would hit Sidney Rice for a five yard pass. After the Cardinals committed a five yard penalty giving the Seahawks a first down, Marshawn Lynch would rush for five yards. That is when Jackson would finally go deep hitting Rice on the fade pass for a gain of 32 yards to the Cardinals 12 yard line. The Seahawks would complete two more passes that gained three yards total and would settle for a Steve Hauschka 30 yard field goal.

The Cardinals would respond with a 10 play 26 yard drive after a 51 yard kickoff return. This time Jay Feely would make the field goal to tie up the game at 3-3. On the following drive the Cardinals would go on an eight play 78 yard touchdown drive. The Cardinals would begin their drive with Kevin Kolb hitting Larry Fitzgerald for a gain of nine yards then would hit a 15 yard pass. Kolb would hit Fitzgerald again for a gain of 15 yards to the Seahawks 36 yard line. Kolb would hit Todd Heap for a gain of eight yards, then hit an 11 yard pass to the Seahawks 17 yard line. After a five yard run to the Seahawks 12 yard line the Cardinals would make the games first big play. Kolb rolling to his left would throw the ball in the back of the endzone in double coverage only for the Seahawks to see Fitzgerald jump up there to make the touchdown catch. The Cardinals would take a 10-3 lead with that catch as the fans were wondering what hit them.

The Seahawks would respond before halftime with good field position. They would only go eight plays for 16 yards. The Seahawks would receive a 52 yard field goal by Hauschka to cut the lead to 10-6. As the Cardinals were driving when Marcus Trufant intercepted the Kolb pass and ran it back 15 yards. The Seahawks had one last chance but Jackson would throw an interception at halftime. For the third straight week the Seahawks found themselves shut out of the end zone at halftime. The Seahawks were trailing 10-6 at halftime in a must win game.

The Seahawks would begin the second half with a 14 play 72 yard touchdown drive that lasted over six minutes. The drive would begin with Lynch having two carries for eight yards setting up a third and two. Jackson would hit Doug Baldwin for a gain of three for a crucial first down. On second down Jackson would hit Golden Tate for a gain of nine yards setting up a third and one. Lynch would record the first down with a three yard run. On third and 15 on their own 46 yard line Jackson would hit Baldwin for a gain of 20 yards to the Cardinals 34 yard line. Jackson would complete back to back six yard passes to the Cardinals 22 yard line. Jackson after a short run by Lynch would hit Rice for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinals 11 yard line. Jackson on the next play would show off his legs as he made several defenders miss as ran for an 11 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 13-10 lead over their divisional rivals.



The Seahawks offense would do nothing the rest of the game. The Cardinals would drive down to the Seahawks 31 yard line before settling on a Feely field goal attempt. Like he did in 2005 Feely missed the 49 yard field goal that would have tied the game up. After a Jon Ryan  punt of nine yards the Cardinals had the ball on the 31 yard line with 2:57 left in the game trying to send the game to overtime or win the game outright. Kolb would hit two passes for 21 yards to the Seattle 48 yard line. On fourth and 1 the Seahawks would be called for a defensive holding penalty which gave the Cardinals a first down at the Seahawks 34 yard line. After a Kolb incomplete pass, he would be sacked by Raheem Brock for a loss of two yards as Kolb fumbled the ball. The Cardinals recovered the ball to set up a third down. On third and long Kolb would throw a costly interception to second year player Kam Chancellor to clinch the victory for the Seahawks. The Seahawks offense would grind out some clock making the Cardinals use their timeouts. The Cardinals had one last shot but would fumble the ball after a 16 yard reception. The Seahawks would win the game 13-10. Like the weather the game started off ugly for the Seahawks but ended beautifully for the Seahawks to earn a much important division win.

For the Seahawks they were led by a defense who recorded three sacks and two interceptions.  On offense the Seahawks saw quarterback Tarvaris Jackson go 18-31(58.1%) passing for 171 yards passing with an interception. Jackson also ran for 20 yards with a touchdown which proved to be the game winner. His favorite weapon was his old teammate in Minnesota Sidney Rice. Rice would finish the game with eight receptions for 109 yards(13.6 YPC) with a long of 32 yards. No other Seahawks receiver would have more than two receptions during the game. The Seahawks running game was also better as Marshawn Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries(3.8 YPC) with a long of 23 yards. Lynch would also add a reception as well. His backup Leon Washington had 29 yards rushing on three carries(9.7 YPC) with a long of 21 yards. The Seahawks offense still was struggling but the defense stepped up when they had to. The Seahawks held the Cardinals to 3.2 YPC on 28 rushing attempts and 5.6 YPA on 39 pass attempts.

All in all, for the Seahawks season to even matter this year they needed this win desperately. The Seahawks offense didn't exactly light up the scoreboard but in the NFL that doesn't matter. What does matter is wins and losses. The Seahawks won the game and the "Suck for Luck" chants will have to be silent for at least a week. The Seahawks under Pete Carroll are trying to defend their division title and surprise everyone like they did last year. The Seahawks have reasons to be optimistic since they were 0-2 without Sidney Rice and with Rice they finally have a go to receiver which they haven't had in a while. The Seahawks won the game when many of their own fans thought they would lose. The Seahawks at least made themselves still matter for at least another week.

Observations:

- Lynch is still running east-west way too much but at least today he actually had some productive runs. Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries good for a 3.8 YPC average. Not great numbers but considering he had 19 carries for 44 yards(2.2 YPC) coming into the game the Seahawks will take that. Lynch isn't running behind a very good offensive line either like he needs to. Lynch did run just enough to help out Jackson so the Cardinals couldn't just blitz every play.

I would like to see Lynch be more a part of the passing game. I look at Chris Polk of the Huskies who was shut down running the ball against California but still had 85 yards receiving and think to myself how Lynch would never do that.  Lynch if he is going to be an effective power back needs to run more north-south as he dances way too much. I'd like to see a game where Lynch can score a TD and average over 4.0 YPC with 20 plus carries. Although he ran decent I still expect better from Lynch or his days in Seattle should be numbered after this season.

- The Seahawks finally saw why they signed Sidney Rice. Without Rice the Seahawks would have had no offense. You can tell he was teammates with Jackson as that was the only receiver Jackson appeared to look at. Rice would finish with eight receptions for 109 yards with a long of 32 yards. The Seahawks a franchise who hasn't had a pro bowl wide receiver since Brian Blades in 1989 are hoping Rice can eventually be that guy. Rice is a tall target who is very fast as we saw on that fade pass he caught from Jackson.

With Rice that appears he will be Jackson's go to receiver which every quarterback needs. Hopefully in the future when teams eventually double up on Jackson other receivers will be open for Jackson to hit for big plays. Rice is only 24 years old as well so signing him wasn't a move for this season as that was a move for the future as well. With Rice the Seahawks have a play maker at the wide receiver position that they haven't had in a very long time. Now the key will be for Jackson to distribute the ball out evenly like you see Keith Price of the Huskies doing so well. At least now the Seahawks finally had a chance to see their very talented wide receiver in Sidney Rice.

- In his home opener replacing Matt Hasselbeck and hearing Charlie Whitehurst chants Tarvaris Jackson came out victorious for the Seahawks in his home debut. Jackson finished the game 18-31(58.1%) passing for 171 yards(5.5 YPA) with an interception. He also finished with 20 yards rushing with a touchdown. Jackson was also sacked four times as the line didn't help out but he also hangs onto the ball way too long. Looking at those numbers I don't think that will silent the Jackson bashers including myself. The Seahawks won the game because of their defense not because of the offense. Jackson had a solid debut in Seattle but he must do a better job if he wants fans to forget about Matt Hasselbeck. His YPA and completion percentage are both terrible and must rise or the Seahawks will need to make a quarterback change down the road.

- For Pete Carroll this was a huge win as going 0-3 in the NFL means NFL draft talk for the next 13 weeks. Carroll who took a ton of heat this offseason for letting popular veterans like Matt Hasselbeck and Lofa Tatupu walk will feel better about this win. Carroll saw his Seahawks win the game like he drew up which was good defense and an offense who moved the chains. An offense who played field position all game long but ultimately didn't do much. For Carroll his franchise quarterback isn't on this roster currently but the Seahawks after winning the division title last year at 7-9 know they are capable of repeating as division champs. The Seahawks will have a big game this week at home against the Atlanta Falcons a team who destroyed the Seahawks last year at home. For Carroll he is now 2-0 in home openers with the Seahawks. Now Carroll has to find a way to keep this season important or the fans will lose interest fast. This was a big victory for the Seahawks as they couldn't afford to be 0-3 and more importantly 0-2 in division.

In conclusion, the Seahawks had to win this game or else their season would be over. Starting off 0-3 in the NFL would be like starting off 0-30 in major league baseball, and 0-15 in the NBA. The Seahawks had to win this game and the defense came through all game long.  The offense still needs to do more if the Seahawks are to be taken seriously for the season. Scoring 10 points per game which is what the offense is currently doing won't get the job done. The Seahawks scored only 13 points today but thankfully the defense bailed them out. The Seahawks behind the 12th man recorded a much important victory. Now we'll find out this week against the Falcons if the Seahawks are ready to repeat as division champs or if the "Suck for Luck" chants will be creeping back up as the Seahawks have a tough next two games. For now it was nice for the Seahawks to record their first victory of the season and third straight win over the Cardinals.