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blstoker
Bill Bergen for HoF!
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Positives:
Russell Wilson - Dude has been unreal. The last 4 weeks have improved on what was a really good season already. What Seahawks fans know that other fans seem to have missed is that Wilson has played pretty well all season, he just wasn't getting the passing TDs, that has changed.
Seahawks Defense - The demise of the defense has been greatly overstated as fans and commentators alike overreact. They won't be as good as the last 2 seasons - but if they play well the next 3 games they could end the season with less than 300 YAPG and less than 20 PAPG. They are still a top 5 defense (3/2) and only 10 points behind being the #1 scoring offense in the NFL for a 4th straight year. If they don't look past Cleveland today and play like the last 2 weeks, they'll be in a good position to shut them down.
CenturyLink - Homefield hasn't been as strong for the Seahawks this year as it has in the past, as teams seem to be able to get around the crowd noise, especially in big moments. The team is playing better and the fans may want to make a statement against a young QB.
Negatives:
Gary Banidge - Despite being 30 years old and going into his 8th NFL season with a mere 45 career catches, Barnidge is leading the Browns in every receiving category (65-901-8). Seattle has played horribly against TEs at times this season, and Barnidge is having the best season of all the TEs the Hawks have faced. Let's hope that the adjustments that seem to have been made the last couple of weeks stay being made.
Johnny Manziel - I have never been one to like Manziel, so I may be overly critical of the guy - but to be a young QB who can't crack the line up when the 36 year old starter is 1-7 is saying something. That said, Manziel has put up descent numbers this season when he's gotten to play, and our secondary doesn't know what version they want to put out there from week to week
Bryce Brown/Christine Michael - Thomas Rawls was tearing up the league when he was handed the rock, but a broken ankle is going to keep him from catching and passing Todd Gurley as having the best rookie season among RBs. So, the Hawks are moving forward for what is most likely the last 3 games with an unknown commodity, and though there is hope, there is no indication exactly how this is going to look. Even with Michael being a Hawk for 2 years, he had only 53 touches - though there was explosiveness there when he did get the ball.
Matchups:
Baldwin/Lockett/Kearse vs. CBs - Cleveland's corners have been decimated by injuries this season. Joe Haden has been out since week 5, and 2 of their remaining CBs are questionable to play this week in Seattle. Seattle's receivers have been hot lately, led by Baldwin, and they have been beating teams in just about every way.
Benjamin/Gabriel/Bowe vs. LOB - Going along with the injury theme, Cleveland has lost 2 of their top 3 WRs on the with Hartline going on IR this week and Hawkins still not able to play since week 10. Benjamin and Company will need to have big games to take pressure off Manziel, Barnidge and Crowell.
Andy Lee vs. Tyler Lockett - Tyler Lockett is an explosive weapon, but he's been bottled up for most of this season on punt returns, averaging just 4.9 yards per return since his touchdown week 1 (and that goes down to 2.2 the last 5 weeks). Part of that is his willingness to return punts that don't have a high expectation of success, but that's even worse than what Bryan Walters did last year. Andy Lee is a stud at putting punts right where they need to be - so I can see Lockett's PR woes continue.
Overview:
This is a paper win for Seattle. Not just a win, but a complete beatdown - even with the injuries Seattle has (cause Cleveland has more). But, games aren't played on paper - so the team needs to come out focused and determined. The offense has been clicking on all cylinders lately, so let's hope they continue to do so as they try to maintain a high level of play as the playoffs approach. The defense has been playing well as well, but they are the unit I think is most likely to lose it's intensity if things go wrong early (sad to say with the track record they've had in the past).
Russell Wilson - Dude has been unreal. The last 4 weeks have improved on what was a really good season already. What Seahawks fans know that other fans seem to have missed is that Wilson has played pretty well all season, he just wasn't getting the passing TDs, that has changed.
Seahawks Defense - The demise of the defense has been greatly overstated as fans and commentators alike overreact. They won't be as good as the last 2 seasons - but if they play well the next 3 games they could end the season with less than 300 YAPG and less than 20 PAPG. They are still a top 5 defense (3/2) and only 10 points behind being the #1 scoring offense in the NFL for a 4th straight year. If they don't look past Cleveland today and play like the last 2 weeks, they'll be in a good position to shut them down.
CenturyLink - Homefield hasn't been as strong for the Seahawks this year as it has in the past, as teams seem to be able to get around the crowd noise, especially in big moments. The team is playing better and the fans may want to make a statement against a young QB.
Negatives:
Gary Banidge - Despite being 30 years old and going into his 8th NFL season with a mere 45 career catches, Barnidge is leading the Browns in every receiving category (65-901-8). Seattle has played horribly against TEs at times this season, and Barnidge is having the best season of all the TEs the Hawks have faced. Let's hope that the adjustments that seem to have been made the last couple of weeks stay being made.
Johnny Manziel - I have never been one to like Manziel, so I may be overly critical of the guy - but to be a young QB who can't crack the line up when the 36 year old starter is 1-7 is saying something. That said, Manziel has put up descent numbers this season when he's gotten to play, and our secondary doesn't know what version they want to put out there from week to week
Bryce Brown/Christine Michael - Thomas Rawls was tearing up the league when he was handed the rock, but a broken ankle is going to keep him from catching and passing Todd Gurley as having the best rookie season among RBs. So, the Hawks are moving forward for what is most likely the last 3 games with an unknown commodity, and though there is hope, there is no indication exactly how this is going to look. Even with Michael being a Hawk for 2 years, he had only 53 touches - though there was explosiveness there when he did get the ball.
Matchups:
Baldwin/Lockett/Kearse vs. CBs - Cleveland's corners have been decimated by injuries this season. Joe Haden has been out since week 5, and 2 of their remaining CBs are questionable to play this week in Seattle. Seattle's receivers have been hot lately, led by Baldwin, and they have been beating teams in just about every way.
Benjamin/Gabriel/Bowe vs. LOB - Going along with the injury theme, Cleveland has lost 2 of their top 3 WRs on the with Hartline going on IR this week and Hawkins still not able to play since week 10. Benjamin and Company will need to have big games to take pressure off Manziel, Barnidge and Crowell.
Andy Lee vs. Tyler Lockett - Tyler Lockett is an explosive weapon, but he's been bottled up for most of this season on punt returns, averaging just 4.9 yards per return since his touchdown week 1 (and that goes down to 2.2 the last 5 weeks). Part of that is his willingness to return punts that don't have a high expectation of success, but that's even worse than what Bryan Walters did last year. Andy Lee is a stud at putting punts right where they need to be - so I can see Lockett's PR woes continue.
Overview:
This is a paper win for Seattle. Not just a win, but a complete beatdown - even with the injuries Seattle has (cause Cleveland has more). But, games aren't played on paper - so the team needs to come out focused and determined. The offense has been clicking on all cylinders lately, so let's hope they continue to do so as they try to maintain a high level of play as the playoffs approach. The defense has been playing well as well, but they are the unit I think is most likely to lose it's intensity if things go wrong early (sad to say with the track record they've had in the past).
