The Seattle Seahawks are back in action- Super Bowl caliber levels of action, if last night is to be believed. But what else would you expect from last year’s World’s Champions backed by the power of the 12th Man.
The first game of the season was a home game against the Green Bay Packers at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, and was expected to be quite the battle. The Packers have been held up as one of the top NFC contenders of the year, especially with quarterback Aaron Rogers healthy once again and back on the field. What actually happened was more like a blowout.
The Seahawks won, 36-16, and made it look easy. Their defense picked up right where it had left off in last season’s Super Bowl triumph over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, sacking Rodgers three times and limiting him to 189 passing yards.
The Seahawks ended up trampling the Packers 36-16, and without much struggle. Some questioned whether Seattle’s defensive line would be as strong as last year’s winning team, but it seems those questions have been answered- Seattle’s defense was hungry, and didn’t hesitate to take down Aaron Rodgers whenever they could. Their constant pressure ended up resulting in a a whopping three sacks against Rodgers, and limited him to just 189 yards from passes.
Defense alone doesn’t win games, of course, and Seattle was more than happy to demonstrate its offensive power to the 12th Man Fans. The beloved Marshawn Lynch cranked out a amazing 110 running yards as tailback, while also tossing 2 touchdown catches. The Seahawks’ quarterback, Russell Wilson, was unsurprisingly efficient as well- two touchdown passes, no interceptions. One of these passes, a 33-yard toss to Ricardo Lockette, was an especially well-called play that served to underlay Seattle’s dominance.
Seattle had 207 yards rushing as a team, and Russell’s close work with Percy Harvin had him finish the game with 11 offensive touches, which included four rushes for 41 yards.”If we already peaked this game we’re going to be in trouble,” Harvin said of the game. ”I hope we can just take this game and build on it.”
The Seahawks remain dominant among the NFC, and very likely the rest of the league- and they certainly were more than happy to show that Thursday night. Many are beginning to fear that that’s, well, only the beginning. Wilson is an incredibly efficient passer, becoming the first quarterback in history to have a passer rating of 100 or higher in both of his first two NFL seasons. His only problem, historically, is that his passes don’t often go as far as some- failing to achieve even 3,400 passing yards when 5,000-yards is now common for QBs. Percy Harvin could very much be the secret to setting a higher watermark.
The NFC playoffs may come down to which team, whether Seattle or New Orleans, can achieve the conference’s top seed for postseason games. Both teams excel at home, far outplaying darn near any other team on their own turf. The Saints will have this a bit easier in the NFC South, as the Seahawks have to contend with the Arizona Cardinals, 49ers, and St. Louis Rams in the NFC West. A pretty brutal combination, for sure.
Some expect 49ers to be the team that’s currently most likely to win a hard-fought playoff game on the road. It’s looking like they’ve got some stiff competition in the Seahawks, so long as their defensive team, incredible running game, and young quarterback continues to consistently approve. After all, they’ve already done a bang-up job of showing the rest of the league that this year’s Seahawks still aren’t kidding.
