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| Wilson was brilliant against the Packers. Photo Credit: Rick Bowmer/AP |
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks were looking to get off to a positive start for this new season and they accomplished that in front of their home crowd as they, at times, overwhelmed the Green Bay Packers on their way to a 36-16 win last night to kick off the new season of the NFL.
By: Michael Hanley
The evening started with a remembrance of the team that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl last season as they unveiled the new championship banner that now hangs in the rafters at CenturyLink Field. It was a brief but poignant moment for all those who were in attendance to witness that moment.
The focus though quickly turned to the current team who were readying themselves to try and take the first step in what will be a long journey toward their quest of becoming the first franchise since the New England Patriots of 2003 & 2004 to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Though they started off slow on offense, the Seahawks started to warm up and kick it into gear before too long. Russell Wilson picked up where he left off last season as he was sharp in the first half, as he was making his progressions through each play, finding the open man and completing the pass on most occasions.
The evening started with a remembrance of the team that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl last season as they unveiled the new championship banner that now hangs in the rafters at CenturyLink Field. It was a brief but poignant moment for all those who were in attendance to witness that moment.
The focus though quickly turned to the current team who were readying themselves to try and take the first step in what will be a long journey toward their quest of becoming the first franchise since the New England Patriots of 2003 & 2004 to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Though they started off slow on offense, the Seahawks started to warm up and kick it into gear before too long. Russell Wilson picked up where he left off last season as he was sharp in the first half, as he was making his progressions through each play, finding the open man and completing the pass on most occasions.
One particular play stuck out in the first half as Wilson ran a zone read play where he faked as if he was going to hand off to the running back, got the Packers defense to bite on that fake and then quickly went to his left and hit a wide open Ricardo Lockette for a 33 yard TD. It showcased just how much more evolved this Seattle offense has gotten under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who continues to add new dimensions and looks to this offense that will continue to keep defenses on their toes. Wilson finished the game 19/28, 191 yards passing, 2 TDs and no INTS.
Another star of this offense was Percy Harvin, who now fully healthy after missing almost all of last season, was featured early and often for Seattle. The Seahawks used him in multiple positions, from wide receiver to running back and punt returner. He was very effective as he was able to showcase the speed and athleticism he still has within himself. Harvin added another weapon that opponents will have to figure out how to stop. As Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll alluded to after the game, they have just scratched the surface in terms of plays they have for Harvin to run with on their offense.
Third star from the offensive side of the ball for Seattle was the always reliable and productive Marshawn Lynch. He looked as fast and in shape as he has been in his career. Lynch was able to bowl over the Packers defense at times and scratch out those tough yards after initial contact, something he has made into an art form during his career.
He wound up carrying the ball 20 times for 110 yards and rushing for two TDs. His 110 yards rushing was the 20th time he had gone over the 100 yards rushing mark since he joined the Seahawks in 2010.
Meanwhile on the other sideline, it was a struggle on both sides of the ball for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers was limited to just 189 yards passing on 23 of 33 passing. He was under constant pressure from the Seattle pass rush, as he had to use his mobility to escape what would have been surefire sacks if it were another quarterback.
The Seahawks defensive line did get their hits in with Rodgers as they were able to sack him three times , which included a strip of the ball from Rodgers caused by Michael Bennett that landed up in the Green Bay end zone and wound up being a safety for Seattle, making it a 22-10 lead at the time.
The secondary also gave Rodgers fits as he almost exclusively to one side of the field, the part where CB Richard Sherman was not defending. It cut the room to operate for Rodgers in half and made it even more difficult for him to find open receivers.
The Packers emerging star running back in Eddie Lacy was non existent in this game as he only carried the ball 12 times for a minimal 34 yards before leaving with a concussion in the 4th quarter. Lacy tried to go wide on the Seahawk defense a couple of times but they shut him down once he tried to get to the corner and turn.
The same result happened when he went up the middle, into the teeth of the Seattle defense, as they stonewalled him once they made initial contact. This resulted in the Packers having to be a little more on dimensional in their offensive approach in the game.
Though the Seahawks defense had a solid performance all the way around, Sherman still was far from satisfied with his unit’s play (Via Tim Booth /AP):
''It wasn't dominant at all. We have a lot of things to clean up,'' Sherman said. ''We missed some opportunities on some turnovers. We missed some tackles on key drives we could have stopped we had some key penalties. These are all things we need to clean up because we have a really high standard.
That type of mentality of always wanting to improve and never resting on their reputation or cutting corners is what makes this defense so consistently dominant. There's always that air of competition with this unit, making each other better and benefitting the whole group as a whole when it comes to game time.
The Packers tried to start a rally in the 4th quarter as Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 3 yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 29-16 at that moment but Wilson and company would have an answer.
Wilson lead the Seahawks on a 13 play, methodical, down the field drive that took up 7 minutes of game time and capped it with a 15 yard TD pass to Derrick Coleman that sealed the victory for Seattle. It was a drive symbolic of why they have risen to the top of the NFL world, as they were challenged by another team to give response after cutting into their lead and promptly did just that, coming up with their finest scoring drive of the game.
Seattle gets 9 days to prepare for their next opponent, on the road in San Diego to face the Chargers while the Packers play the Jets for their home opener.
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