Star in the making
Seattle 44, Kansas City 14
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, August 24, 2012
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Temperature: 85°
Head Official: Craig Ochoa
Attendance: 99999
The Seattle Seahawks took to the field again Friday night, heading to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. There were many battles to be won in the position competitions, especially at QB. Tonight, the Seahawks may have found their starting QB for the regular season.
There was lots to love and almost nothing to hate about the game, so let’s see what I can dig up this week.
Love ‘em
Russell Wilson
Does it surprise you that Russell Wilson is the main topic of conversation yet again? I’m not. For all the naysayers who doubted his ability against first team defenses, I hope you’re satisfied. Wilson came out with intent to win this job and in my opinion he has.
For starters, the most telling statistic is that Wilson put the Seahawks in scoring position in the team’s first 7 drives. They scored on the first 6, with Steven Hauschka missing a 51 yard field goal on the 7th drive. Oh well.
Wilson was 13 of 19 for 185 yards and 2 touchdown passes. He also made a couple spectacular runs, juking Chiefs out of their shoes on his way to 58 yards on the ground. Wilson was poised in the pocket and delivered some solid passes when the opportunity presented itself.
There is no doubt in my mind that Wilson should be the Seahawks starting quarterback week 1 against the Cardinals. Let’s see what he does against the Raiders next week.
Robert Turbin
Robert Turbin got off to a slow start in this game, but once he got going, he was a whole lot of trouble for the Chiefs defense. He effectively replaced Marshawn Lynch as the team’s number 1 running back this week and showed he can handle being the second fiddle to Beast Mode.
Earl Thomas took an interception for a touchdown in the 44-14 beat down of Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Turbin has the same play style as Lynch – he’s bruising and doesn’t give up. His motor is always running and his legs are always churning until he gets taken down.
He makes the right small cuts most of the time and can hit small bursts of speed when he sees a hole open up.
His 93 yards and 1 touchdown tonight were a testament to what The Incredible Hulk can bring to this potent offense.
1st and 2nd team defense
The first team defense saw a lot of playing time tonight. Even when the second team came in, it was hardly noticeable. The Chiefs are young and have a flashy offense who, when healthy, have been known to put up some serious numbers against teams.
This Seahawks defense effectively stopped that offense, only allowing them to score 3 points until the third unit came in.
Richard Sherman was tenacious, in on several plays and breaking up several passes. Earl Thomas zipped around the field like usual, putting hits on people and even picking off a pass and taking it all the way for a defensive touchdown.
Bobby Wagner continued to prove effective, making several solid plays along with K.J. Wright and Leroy Hill. The defensive line was nothing but annoying for the Chiefs, constantly getting pressure on Matt Cassel and putting him on the ground several times.
This Seahawks defense looked like it could be possibly not just a top 3 defense in the NFL, but arguably the best in all the league.
Special Teams
Despite the 51 yard field goal miss, Hauschka was on point. Jon Ryan, when he finally got to punt in the 4th quarter, put 2 beautiful punts within the 5 yard line. Even Golden Tate got in on the action, returning a punt for a 92 yard touchdown.
This unit was spectacular this year. With another year under their belt, they seem to be even better.
Or are they just warming up?
Hate ‘em
Terrell Owens
I really don’t have much to say about Terrell Owens except that the experiment needs to end…now. While he did make one very impressive catch later in the game, he dropped 2 more picture perfect passes thrown to him by Russell Wilson.
Cut…him.
Jeremy Lane
After hearing about Jeremy Lane picking fights in the first camps of this offseason, I was already skeptical about the guy.
After seeing him play quite a bit in the second half tonight, I am even less impressed than before.
The guy is playing like he WANTS to pick fights. Aggressive is good, but looking for trouble is not what this defense needs.
He is also more focused on trying to put the hurt on players instead of focusing on the ball, because he missed a perfect opportunity for an interception and let it slip away when he was too busy trying to lay a shoulder into an inept receiver.
Cut him, too, please.
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