Things weren’t so easy in the Big Easy last Sunday, and the Seahawks lost to the Saints 32-39. It seems our beloved team just can’t get its Yin-Yang in alignment. While the offense is playing beautifully and is a lot of fun to watch, the defense continues to struggle mightily. And for this game, special teams only made it worse. Here’s the ugly, the bad and the good.
UGLY
Rashaad Penny’s injury is a soul crusher. He’s broken his fibula and will be out for the rest of the season. Injuries have plagued this poor man for most of his NFL career. When he came roaring back at the end of the 2021 season, he showed up as the running back we’d always known he was. Call it dumb optimism, but I really believed the injury curse was behind him. And when Chris Carson retired early, also due to injuries, it made perfect sense for Penny to step into that lead role. His states for the 2022 season so far- rushing for 346 yads across five games-only confirmed it. And now this, an unfathomable gut punch. Recent reports indicate that the surgery to repair the fibula and other damaged ligaments was successful. We’ll see what the future holds. For now, I wish Rashaad a speedy recovery and also loving encouragement as he navigates all the emotions around this devastating situation.
BAD
The Seattle defense had no answer for Taysom Hill, who steamrolled them for 112 yards and two touchdowns. There seem to be conflicting accounts as to how (if) the Seattle defense prepared for this threat. Visions of the Keystone Cops come to mind. In addition to that, we still have no discernable pass rush. There is nothing more annoying than watching an opposing quarterback with all the time in the world.
Special teams did not help matters. The botched fake punt (or whatever that was), was cringeworthy. It was hard to watch Michael Dickinson, a usually stalwart player, commit such an egregious debacle. Jason Myers missed PAT was simply irritating. How much are they paying this guy?
And of course, there were loads of penalties, something like twelve for eighty-five yards. Many were dubious, such as the holding penalty on Charles Cross that cost a touchdown by DK Metcalf. Regardless, penalties are a luxury this team can’t afford, especially when the defense is basically a liability.
GOOD
Lest we finish on a gloomy note, there were actually a lot of positives in this game. For starters, rookie play on both sides of the ball is great and will only get better. On the defense, Tariq Woolen made his third interception in three games. A Seattle podcaster referred to Woolen as “the second coming of Richard Sherman.” How cool is that to consider? On offense, Kenneth Walker III had his first big breakout run, pounding it 69 yards for the touchdown. It was thrilling. And with Penny out, Walker will no doubt shoulder much of the workload for the run game, a baptism by fire scenario. I think he’ll rise to it. Finally, Charles Cross and Abe Lucas continue to do really well. Yeah, Geno got sacked a few times. But some would say those were on Geno for holding the ball too long. And yeah, there was the aforementioned holding penalty on Cross. But the two young tackles had the likes of Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport in their faces all day long and held up really well. Big picture, these rookies are a lot of fun to watch. The future looks bright.
Geno Smith continues to play like a boss and is racking up all kinds of impressive stats. The Saints defense was one of the toughest he’s played against this season, and Geno delivered. As of now, Geno is ranked eighth among the top ten quarterbacks in the league. Let that sink in for a moment. This is not the story any of us thought we’d be living this season. And I’m all for it. To quote a stadium full of 12’s, “Geno! Geno! Geno!”
