The Seahawks opened their season with a hard fought 12-10 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. While they couldn't cash in a touchdown until the final minute of the game, it was a brutal game the Seahawks never were out of for a second. Also, they won. I'm gonna say it one more time, as people are currently throwing dirt on the Seahawks dynasty after Sunday's game... THEY WON.
This blog post is going to be unrestrained in its optimism, so I'll offer a caveat before we dive in... If it turns out Russell Wilson is significantly injured, and will miss a substantial amount of time then all of this optimism is misguided. If Wilson is hurt, everything is the worst and all expectations for the Seahawks season should be dashed against the rocks of the fates. If Wilson is hurt, rend your Seahawks garb and wail into the Puget Sound.
That said... While Wilson suffered an ankle injury on Sunday, he was capable of playing through it, which means that he (hopefully, knocking on all the wood in Washington) just suffered a mild high ankle sprain, and will likely not miss too much time. And assuming that's true... Everything is fine!
Because the Seahawks didn't just win, they dominated on defense, while hopefully surviving the worst case scenario on offense. So, while there were issues with the Seahawks performance on Sunday, let's break down why you shouldn't panic after the Seahawks went 1-0 to start the NFL season.
This game was destined to suck
In fact the whole first chunk of this season is going to suck, and was bound to the second that first round pick Germain Ifedi went down with a sprained ankle in practice last week. While Miami, New York and Los Angeles are all average to below-average teams, they all have great interior pass rushers, and without Ifedi the Seahawks are very vulnerable to pressure up the middle. This means that Wilson would have to deal with pressure all game, and the running game would struggle to establish itself.
So all of this happened. And aside from Wilson actually getting hurt, all of it was fine. The Seahawks dominated time of possession, executed better than their opponent on 3rd and 4th down, and never let the game get out of hand. The Seahawks have played so many games like this, and have won more than their share.
Jeremy Lane and DeShawn Shead were superb
After a rough preseason for the Seattle secondary, the biggest question for the team coming into the season on defense was whether or not the non-Richard Sherman cornerbacks could hold their own. Lane and Shead more than held their own on Sunday, they dominated in every way. They broke up passes, they blew up blockers, they got involved in the run game.
Jimmy Graham caught a pass
In a key moment, Russell Wilson was able to throw the ball to Jimmy Graham. That is AMAZING. I genuinely thought there was no way Graham would make it back by week one of this season, and while he was clearly not at 100%, he was a useful part of the Seahawks' game plan. This is a truly amazing recovery. It's very, very cool.
The worst player on the field was Earl Thomas
Some bad alien invaded Earl Thomas' body, and decided to make sure Thomas did everything wrong on Sunday. He missed tackles, took bad angles, and got beat deep. Earl Thomas was anything but the Earl Thomas we know and love. That said? There's no reason to think this is some sort of new problematic Earl Thomas. It's likely a blip, one that the Seahawks survived en route to giving up a mere 214 yards from scrimmage. That was the second lowest total given up by any team in the league on Sunday.
Michael Bennett got to do his sexy sack dance
After struggling a bit in the first half, Bennett got to the quarterback at a crucial moment. Also getting to the quarterback were Frank Clark, Cliff Avril, Bobby Wagner, and Cassius Marsh. That pretty much every pass rusher the Seahawks sent got pressure, and more importantly hit Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. The Seahawks ended the game with 9 QB hits and 5 sacks.
Doug Baldwin is so good
Baldwin's been a valuable member of this team since joining as an undrafted free agent back in 2012. But the back half of last season he ascended into the realm of the league's truly elite wide receivers. Amongst slot receivers he was arguably the best in the league last year. And Sunday, when Wilson was at his least mobile and needed someone to step up, it was Baldwin making a series of crucial catches before cashing in the game winning touchdown. Baldwin's performance last year was considered unsustainable? While this is admittedly meaningless after one game, he's on pace to top that performance.
The Cardinals lost
Because the Cardinals won the NFC West last year they were supposed to have a more challenging schedule than the Seahawks this year. However, with Teddy Bridgewater's injury and Tom Brady's suspension, their schedule involved dates with Sam Bradford and Jimmy Garoppolo while the Seahawks equivalent games are against Brady and Aaron Rodgers. This was supposed to potentially swing the division.
However! The Patriots beat Arizona in Arizona without Brady or Rob Gronkowski. Did it feel terrible rooting for the Patriots in the stadium where they crushed the Seahawks Super Bowl dreams two years ago? Nope, because for some weird reason I have no memory of that Super Bowl happening.
So the Seahawks are 1-0, they head down to Los Angeles to play the newly relocated Rams and their ridiculously good defensive line, and equally ridiculously bad passing attack. Will this game suck? Probably! Will the Seahawks win? Also, probably! Could they lose if it turns out Wilson is hobbled? Absolutely! Are the Seahawks in position as insufferable Super Bowl contenders? You know it!
