The Tennessee Titans came to town this past Sunday (on a jog that morning I passed a couple, the man wearing a Jake Locker jersey, and wished them luck) and the Seahawks were lucky to keep their home winning streak alive.
If not for a mediocre-to-poor game behind center from Locker fill-in Ryan Fitzpatrick, Seattle would have lost that game. The Titans were successful at preventing Russell Wilson from connecting on the long ball. I am beginning to notice a pattern with Wilson where he will tuck the ball and run now much more quickly this year than last. It must be a change in philosophy by the coaching staff, one that I generally agree with. Certainly last year I always wondered why Wilson didn't take off and run more often rather than "Tarkenton-ing" around behind the line of scrimmage. But now that long completions to Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin and Sidney Rice are memories growing ever more faded, I am a little hesitant to fully embrace a run-first Russell Wilson.
In the end, despite a potentially game-changing fumble by Marshawn Lynch that Russell Wilson recovered, the Seahawks got on track thanks to the former Cal Berkeley running back's rushing and receiving, not to mention a great sideline grab by Sidney Rice.
Seattle had to win. The Seahawks are on the road for the next two games against division opponents, starting tonight in Arizona. A loss at home prior to tough away dates would have limited chances at the Super Bowl to a long shot. Seattle has to post the best record in the NFC to have a real shot at Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey. The New Orleans loss in Foxborough helped. There are no more unbeaten teams in the NFC.
The early game on CBS was a match-up between defending champs Baltimore Ravens and the seemingly perpetually banged-up Green Bay Packers. The Packers came away with a big road win, 19-17. Randall Cobb and James Jones left the game due to injuries. This left Aaron Rodgers with a reduced receiving corps. He came up big nonetheless with a long ball to Jordy Nelson. Eddie Lacy had a big day on the ground for the Packers, rushing for 120 yards, and the Packers defense looked good, continually pressuring Flacco and shutting down Ray Rice. A.J. Hawk looked great.
The Sunday night game was a lackluster NFC East contest between Dallas and Washington. I took away from that game a couple of things: Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray gets hurt a lot, and RG3, following his knee surgery, is not the player he was last year. Maybe he'll get better. Maybe he needs longer to heal. But right now without his jets he's a mediocre player. Redskins phenom running back Alfred Morris is playing hurt as well.
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