The Seahawks lost to the Buccaneers 21-16 in a soul crushing stumble at Allianz Arena in Munich. The Bucs beat the Hawks across the board. They shut down the run game completely, with a defense that imposed its will on a hapless Seattle o-line and jammed up Kenneth Walker III all day. Conversely, their run game dominated, with Leaonard Fournette and Rachaad White pounding down the field to the tune of 162 yards. While Tom Brady had his way with the Seahawks secondary, Geno Smith looked harried and out of sorts through much of the game.
Pain points of note:
- There was absolutely no pressure on Tom Brady whatsoever. Dude had time to make pancakes and scramble up some eggs before passing the ball. Although he releases faster than any quarterback in the league, he really didn’t need to. He had plenty of time to throw to open receivers in the middle of the field, again and again.
- Early in the game, the Seahawks had a chance to go for it on 4-6 but opted instead to punt, taking a delay of game penalty in the process.
- Geno had some really rough patches. When given the chance to run an easy two yards for a first down, he instead threw the ball into coverage where the pass was broken up. Opportunity blown. Geno also lost the ball in the red zone- punched out by Bucs defender-losing possession and an opportunity to score.
- Seahawks did not seem to have any kind of plan for dealing with the Bucs run defense, ironically one of the worst in the league. Total rushing yards: 39.
- Seahawks were one for nine on converting third downs.
There were some positives. Tariq Woolen and Cody Barton both got interceptions. Geno threw for two touchdowns to Tyler Lockett and Marquis Goodwin. Michael Dickson had a stellar game. Overall, the Hawks played better in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. Many feel that the late rebound vindicated the earlier poor play. But it was too little, too late. The sideline shot of Geno Smith smacking his head pretty much told the story.
The Seahawks basically got schooled by the GOAT. However, this isn’t the end of the world. We’ve been floating along in an improbable fairy tale for a few weeks now. But every fairy tale has its dark turn. The witch puts the children in the cauldron. The princess gets trapped in a burning tower. Still somehow, things always work out. Our rookies have soared with astonishing success so far. This loss won’t change that. In fact, it will provide the experience they need to continue their ascent. The veterans will shake it off. And as for Geno, he’ll be fine. He just had a tricky day.
The bye week will allow the fellas to rest their bodies and brains, replenish their spirits in the company of loved ones and regroup for the next round. We fans can use the time to jump on projects we’ve been ignoring, make our Thanksgiving shopping lists or simply watch other games without the stress of caring about the outcome.
We’ll all meet again on November 27. The story will continue then.
