CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russell Wilson has spent this entire Seahawks season preaching positivity.
After Seattle’s 0-2 start, the quarterback reminded players of the 2015 season, when the Seahawks dug out of a similar hole and rallied to make the playoffs. Prior to the Green Bay game in Week 11, Wilson gathered the team and delivered a message about perseverance and belief. This past week, the seven-year veteran spoke to the team about playing without fear, a message he reiterated before a key drive in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
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The team values Wilson’s demeanor in clutch situations, but this team needs more than wise words. Lip service only goes so far. Experience is the Seahawks’ greatest teacher, and it’s taught them valuable lessons throughout the year.
After wins in Weeks 3 and 4, the Seahawks found their offensive identity. After beating the Raiders in Week 6, they found their inner dog. After beating Green Bay and then clawing back to defeat the Panthers 30-27 on the road Sunday, the Seahawks discovered their most important characteristic.
“We found out how to finish,” center Justin Britt said while Rich Homie Quan’s “Type of Way” blasted in the background of Seattle’s celebration in the visitor’s locker room at Bank of America Stadium.
“Every year you talk about it and you work for it, but it’s kind of like of a groove that you kind of have to get into. Until it happens and you feel it as a team – as an offense, defense, special teams, as a team – it’s only then you can take it and build from that.”
And with that hard-earned knowledge, perhaps Seattle (6-5) can build a road to the postseason. It’s now a simple path in these final five weeks: Win, and you’re in.
“We’re just in finish mode,” Britt said. “We understand the situation. We’re in playoff mode, fighting for our lives to get in the playoffs.”
As I was interviewing Sebastian Janikowski in the doorway of the locker room, Wilson whizzed by seeking props for predicting Janikowski would hit a game-winning kick, shouting, “I told you you was gonna hit it!” I assumed Wilson talked to him that prior to Janikowski jogging onto the field for the 30-yarder as time expired. Janikowski wasn’t sure when exactly Wilson made the prediction, so he yelled over to Wilson for confirmation.
“Late third.”
While Wilson’s overly optimistic personality may seem cliche to those watching it since 2012, the reality is his voice carries weight in the locker room, especially in times when believing is half the task. Because he’s poised and calm when the game is on the line, everyone else can be, too.
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“I think the guys feed off of it,” said Wilson, who had his best performance of the season, completing 22 of 31 passes for 339 yards and touchdowns to receivers Tyler Lockett and David Moore. “I think they know it. I think they have seen it. I think they believe it. I think they experienced it.
“Hopefully experience it more.”
Wilson doesn’t have to hope. Eight of Seattle’s 11 games this season have been one-score contests. The Seahawks are now 3-5 in those instances and are almost guaranteed to be in more down-to-the-wire contests as they battle for postseason position. Wilson has been in this situation before. So have a handful of the other veterans. Slowly but surely, the young players are getting a taste of what it takes to thrive under do-or-die circumstances.
“They can get used to it, they can build that resiliency,” receiver Doug Baldwin said of his young teammates. “It’s kind of like building a callus to these hard, difficult situations. So, when they get in these situations in the future they know what to expect, they know how to handle it; they’re not over-energized or over-stimulated; they’re calm, collected and ready to do their job and proceed for a victory.”
After Seattle’s loss to the Chargers, I was critical of their inability to close games. With this run-first mentality, it didn’t look like the Seahawks were built to become a pass-happy team in the clutch. They flipped the script Sunday. Key plays made in the fourth quarter Sunday just weren’t happening earlier in the year.
– Down 27-20 and facing a fourth-and-3 from the 35, Wilson panned right, look back to his left and fired a 35-yard bomb to Moore, who beat defensive back Corn Elder down the life sideline for the game-tying score.
– With Carolina on the verge of retaking the lead and facing second-and-7 from the Seattle 37, the defensive line finally flushed quarterback Cam Newton out of the pocket and forced an incompletion with under two minutes remaining. On the next play, rookie cornerback Tre Flowers stopped receiver DJ Moore short of the line to gain, setting up a missed field goal.
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– On third-and-5 from the 37, Wilson bought time in the pocket with a side step to his left around a block from left guard J.R. Sweezy, then hit Lockett for 43 yards to set up Janikowski’s game-winning kick.
Beating a Packers team whose coach is on the hot seat at home is one thing. Making the aforementioned clutch plays through the air and on defense Sunday, against perhaps its toughest opponent to date, suggests Seattle has truly turned a corner.
“I think earlier in the year we kind of struggled with that,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “There was a lot of close games that we should have pulled out. I think that’s us being young and us having to figure out how to win. I definitely feel like we’re doing that.”
Bend, Don’t Break
Seattle’s defense employs this philosophy, but it came real, real close to breaking completely on Sunday.
– Seattle allowed a season-high 476 yards of total offense and the Panthers punted only once, which was also the only time a Carolina drive didn’t end in Seattle territory. The Panthers (6-5) had seven trips to the red zone, though the Seahawks were able to limit the home team to just three red-zone touchdowns. The latter is impressive, but the former is cause for concern going forward.
– Seattle’s defense finally forced a turnover, with safety Bradley McDougald intercepting Newton in the end zone in the third quarter. McDougald deflected a pass headed toward tight end Chris Manhertz, then brought it down himself for Seattle’s first turnover since Week 8.
“In that situation, we definitely needed a stop or a turnover, something big, because they were going in to score and create a bigger lead,” McDougald said. “We ended up capitalizing off of that with a score, so it definitely helped us.”
– Seattle was unable to recover any of Carolina’s five fumbles on Sunday, either because the ball went out of bounds (that happened twice) or the Panthers were quicker to the rock. Seahawks defenders were most upset about the result of Newton’s fumble in the second quarter. Wagner appeared to be the first one to the ball, but Carolina’s Chris Clark was awarded the recovery.
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“I’m still trying to get a clear decision on that, that doesn’t make sense to me,” McDougald said. “We have the ball under the pile, we get up with the ball, we hand it to the referee and they give it to the other team. That doesn’t make sense. Besides the things that we can control, we just need to keep hustling and get to the ball. Once the ball is out, find a way to get it.”
– Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey rushed for 125 yards on 17 carries and had a 1-yard touchdown carry in the third quarter. He led the Panthers in receiving, too, catching all 11 of his targets for 112 yards along with a 2-yard touchdown on a pick-play in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks had success slowing opposing tailbacks through the halfway point of the season, save for a Todd Gurley eruption in Week 5, but the past five weeks have been rough with Melvin Gordon, Gurley, Aaron Jones and now McCaffrey running wild.
– The Seahawks were unable to sack Newton, nor were their defensive linemen able to apply much pressure in the pocket. Newton completed all 14 of his passes in the first half and finished with 256 yards on 25 of 30 passing, with that interception. Defensive end Frank Clark nearly dropped Newton in the backfield in the third quarter, but the shoestring tackle attempt wasn’t enough and Newton galloped for 26 yards. Seattle was able to win this game without getting to the quarterback, but that’s certainly not sustainable.
Dynamic Duo
Lockett had five catches for 107 yards and Moore had four grabs for 103, which is the first time all year Seattle had two wideouts go over 100 yards in the same game. With the ground game not dominating as planned – running back Chris Carson had just 55 yards on 16 attempts – Seattle needed to air it out to win, which it did. On Seattle’s final two drives of the game, Wilson completed 7 of 9 passes (minus his spike) for 121 yards and a touchdown, with no sacks. Lockett (who now has a team-high eight touchdowns) and Moore have been Seattle’s most dynamic receivers most of the season, so it’s fitting they delivered in the team’s biggest game.
“Our receivers did amazing today,” Britt said. “Russ did an absolute fantastic job, and you saw the greatness that Russ brings. It’s nothing new. We’re used to it, we expect it from him, and he came out and showed out. So whenever he made those throws at the end of the game it was no surprise, it was just really good to see that happen.
“As soon as they were going out for a field goal I told (offensive line coach Mike) Solari, I said, ‘They’re about to miss this and we’re going to go win.’ That’s just our mindset, that’s just the way we think about things. All we need is a chance, and we’re going to go take it and run with it.”
Five Thoughts
1. Sebastian Janikowski nailed his second game-winner of the season (Week 4). Much was made of Seattle’s lackluster kicking situation last year, but the veteran has been clutch when called upon. I also enjoyed his responded to Wilson’s third-quarter premonition.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I hope so.’ I want those things. Especially a 30-yarder? I’ll take that.”
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2. The most spectacular play of the day came when Chris Carson attempted to hurdle Panthers safety Eric Reid in the second half. Carson started his jump at the 32-yard line but his feet couldn’t clear Reid’s helmet and the running back ended up doing a midair somersault, then sticking the landing at the 35. Carson has completed a few hurdles this year, but landing like Spider Man might be his best trick yet. (Somehow, Russell Wilson graded that move a 9 out of 10, so today we learn that Wilson is a secretly the Simon Cowell of football acrobatics.)
3. While we’re on the subject of grading, Lockett’s touchdown celebration in the third quarter deserves a perfect 10. He reenacted Allen Iverson’s famous step-over from the 2001 NBA Finals; Lockett played Iverson, while Moore was Tyronn Lue. It was beautiful.
4. Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly, the two best middle linebackers in football, were both at their best on Sunday. Wagner finished with 11 combined tackles and a forced fumble, while Kuechly had a game-high 12 tackles, one for a loss. Wagner had the play of the day, however, making an ope-field tackle on McCaffrey on a screen pass in the second quarter, limiting what should have been an explosive play to a gain of eight yards.
“I was getting in my drop, then I seen them kind of drop it off to him and I seen three guys by myself, and I just said, ‘Don’t let the ball get outside of me,'” Wagner said. “I took my shot and I made it, like Jordan.” (Of note: Wagner is a Jordan Brand athlete, so that was a shameless plug.)
5. McDougald now has three interceptions on the season, which leads the team. Shaquill Griffin has two. Griffin plans to retake the lead very soon.
“Next week I’m definitely getting me one, I’m calling it right now,” Griffin said. “You the first one to hear it.”
Quotable
This wasn’t a great standalone quote as much as a behind-the-scenes moment in the locker room.
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I sat down next to Britt, who at first had his head turned the other way.
“‘Sup, Justin?” I said. To that, Britt quickly turned, frowned and yelled in my face “What?!” and I nearly fell out of my seat.
He was joking, of course. And I knew that. But the petrified look on my face didn’t indicate as much. Laughing hysterically at my heart practically skipping a beat then jumping out of my chest, J.R. Sweezy yelled, “You almost had a heart attack!”
Yes I did, Sweezy. Yes, I did.
(Top photo: Bob Donnan/USA Today)