Seahawks @ Chiefs

[Idahawk]

Forecast is calling for snow and bitter cold and you know it will be loud .

Chiefs are stout defensively , and I look for them to load the box to stop lynch and they will probably spy Wilson , a formula that causes Wilson problems .....if they can do it?

With Unger back we looked much better up front and the Seahawks can unleash 3 backs as well as Wilson on the chiefs. If the westher is crap , the Seahawks should have an advantage in the run game .

 

[seahawkblitz]

We'll be ok. Just need to play stout D and weather the storm early. I think if we can keep them from getting off to a fast start we will be able to grind out the win. They are definitely going to try and make sure we don't hang another 300 yards rushing on them, very curious to see what our game plan is for this one.

 

[TheBandwagon]

Forecast is calling for snow and bitter cold and you know it will be loud .

Chiefs are stout defensively , and I look for them to load the box to stop lynch and they will probably spy Wilson , a formula that causes Wilson problems .....if they can do it?

With Unger back we looked much better up front and the Seahawks can unleash 3 backs as well as Wilson on the chiefs. If the westher is crap , the Seahawks should have an advantage in the run game .

Surprisingly KC has been at the bottom of the league in run defense even though they are like #6 overall, mainly because they have the #1 ranked pass defense in the league at just over 205 yards a game and the #1 scoring defense, allowing around 16 a game. It's pretty clear where the Hawks are gonna try and mount the attack.
But yeah, if any team is going to stack the box against the Hawks it's them. The Hawks are going to have to get the passing game going to get some of those guys out of the box and give Lynch some room to run. So far this offense has lacked balance and they are going to need it or points are going to be extremely hard to come by in this game.

One sign that favors the Hawks is that KC is 5-2 against the AFC and 1-2 against the NFC this year so far. When all is said and done it'll probably boil down to turnovers and field position. Arrowhead (aka the Snake Pit) historically hasn't been kind to the Hawks as all Hawk fans know and just about every loss boiled down to sacks, turnovers, penalties. They take care of stuff on their end, they can take this game.

 

[TheBandwagon]

I know I've been a bit critical of the passing game and the WRs in particular but Wilson has been part of the problem too and he'll be the first to tell you as much. His passer rating has been in the 70s since the Rams game and he hasn't consistently been able to find open targets. In the plays where he has found someone, he's been misfiring more frequently than usual and his accuracy is down. But far too many times he drops back and just can't find anyone to throw to. Hard to tell if the WRs are just failing to get open or if Wilson is just failing to spot them.

This is going to be a tough matchup to figure some things out in the passing game but on the other hand when Wilson has slumped in the past it's been these types of situations where he's come out of it and started making some huge impact plays throwing the ball. Seems like he thrives on it. He'll be under pressure and will have to make some plays that will seem impossible to make in order for the Hawks to win this game (kinda like the seemingly impossible play Romo made on us at the end of the Dallas game when he completed that pass on 3rd and 20).

The Hawks don't need to be a high caliber passing team to win. They've shown over and over again that they can win when Wilson throws for under 200 yards. But that's also when the defense was playing at a much higher level than it is now. The Seahawks are at their best when Wilson throws for over 200 yards. 200 has to start being the floor for this team rather than the ceiling and it will require improved play all around: the WRs, Wilson, the O-line, everything.
It has to start tomorrow.

 

[Idahawk]

Ground and Pound and then take some shots down the field , something we haven't done in a while .

I also like our blitz to press Smith all day and force him into some bad throws .

Go hawks

 

[szat]

Hard fought game, not disappointed with the performance at all, given the circumstances; being away in historically hostile stadium, hot KC team, cold, all the injuries, and generally not playing up to potential (except for lynch!).

I think if we had Mebane OR Wagner we win this game. We gave up too much rush up the middle.

If we get Wagner back next week, I think we have a chance to beat Az and maybe have a shot at the division... I say that as Detroit is loosing 6-14!

If we cant beat Az at home, we will be lucky to get a wild card.

 

[TheBandwagon]

I'm just kinda throwing this out there but just think of this as a sort of theoretical benchmark and see if it holds up. Take Wilson's total passing yards and divide it by 10 and that will be a pretty good indicator of how many points the Seahawks will score in that particular game. If he throws for 170, they score 17. If he throws for 250, they score 25+. It's obviously not going to hold up every time but it seems to be fairly close to that formula in a lot of games. X factors like turnovers the defense forces can disrupt it either up or down. Since the defense is usually giving up points somewhere in the 20-25 range this year (as opposed to 15.9 last year) then when the passing game is sitting at under 220 yards it's pretty much cutting the margin down to the bone, like it did today. They can still win but it makes it a lot tougher.

Remember how things were going back toward the end of 2012? During that 5 game winning streak when they were scoring 30+ a game and blowing out teams by 25+ a game? It always started with Beast Mode back then as it does now but the offense was at its highest point since Wilson got here and it was an offense that had balance and it was an offense that was throttling teams a hundred different ways: pound and ground, midrange passing game, bubble screens, bootlegs, deep hits off play-action, Wilson gashing teams running the ball. THAT is what this offense is designed to do when it's clicking and the right guys are on the field. Hard as it is to believe, it's not designed to be Lynch, Lynch, Lynch, Wilson run, Lynch, screen pass, Lynch, Wilson run, 6 yard pass, Lynch. It's been going that way because all the other stuff just isn't working. One gets the sense that the offense has been running a contingency plan all season. Rice, Tate, Mike Rob and Zach Miller are gone, replaced by Kearse, Baldwin, Paul Richardson and Luke Willson. Might just be that this offense just isn't as good as it once was.
But we'll see if it still has some upside this year and if they can still put something together.

 

[Idahawk]

I only tout running Lynch , because the passing game is non existant , plus you have Turbin and Micheal at your disposal as well , yet were still trying to be this passing team when clearly were struggling . Lynch was supposedly dinged up and yet we try and run him into the heart of their D of 4th down ? I didn't once see or maybe didn't notice Wilson moving the pocket , giving him and his WRS a chance , that's the formula that works .

All that said we haven't lost by more than a TD all season and we had a chance to win this game too . Something's off with this team and not just injuries, could be Lynch and his situation IDK but I wish it would end .

Cards at home then the 49ers on turkey day ! Oh boy

 

[TheBandwagon]

How many times have you seen them in that exact same situation on the road where they are behind by either 3 or 4 (or at least within a TD) with possession at the end and a chance to win the game? It's happened more times than I can count. Mainly because I have a little time to kill I'll list all the games where that exact scenario played out:

Week 1 2012 @ AZ. Result: 20-16 loss
Week 4 2012 @ STL: Result: 19-13 loss
Week 7 2012 @ SF. Result: 13-6 loss
Week 8 2012 @ DT. Result: 28-24 loss
Week 12 2012 @ MIA. Result: 24-21 loss
Week 13 2012 @ CHI. Result: 23-17 win
Week 19 2012 @ ATL. Result: 30-28 loss
Week 1 2013 @ CAR. Result: 12-7 win
Week 4 2013 @ HOU. Result: 23-20 OT win
Week 5 2013 @ IND. Result: 34-28 loss
Week 14 2013 @ SF. Result: 19-17 loss
Week 2 2014 @ SD. Result: 30-21 loss (was 27-21 when the Hawks got the ball back at about the 2:00 mark)
Week 11 2014 @ KC. Result: 24-20 loss

In every one of those games just about the exact same scenario played out with the Seahawks in possession inside the last 2 minutes and down by 6 or less with a chance to win the game. Historically they haven't fared well in that situation and it's something to maybe keep in mind the next time they are inevitably in that situation again.
One thing they've had a tendency to do for quite a while now, in a lot of road games is they start out slow and then get a momentum shift that carries them to that situation of having to put points on the board on the last possession with the game on the line. But in every one of them they dig themselves a hole early and have to climb their way out of it. Like falling behind 14-0 early in the playoff game against the Redskins and falling behind again 27-7 the next week in Atlanta, or falling behind 20-3 last year at Houston.
The main difference yesterday is that the Hawks recovered and got it going earlier than usual after falling behind 7-0 and then again at 14-7.

Overall they played playoff caliber football on the road in a tough environment against an arguably legit SB contender and the hottest team in the AFC. They did better than a lot of teams would have and was a good showing for a team still trying to get its bearings. But that's the kind of game a Super Bowl contender might win but the type of game a wildcard caliber team would probably lose. In order to get where they need to be and where they were last year they need to break through and win that type of game.
Even with all the injuries and all the stuff that has gone sideways this year they are still better right now than 20-25 teams in the league. So, hope does remain.

 

[seahawkblitz]

We always hold out hope. But the reality is the division title is practically out of reach. Even if we sweep AZ we still need some help to get it done. The wild card looks like it's going to be pretty tight, in all likelyhood we can only afford one more loss if we are going to sneak into the playoffs and give ourselves a chance. I'm thinking if we split with AZ and win the other 5 we will get in there. Which means we need to sweep the niners, first chance coming 4 days after a battle at the Clink with the cards. Gonna be a tough road to hoe for sure, but we are far from finished. All we need to do is peak at the right time and get a place at the table. But the time is now, zero margin for error the rest of the way. Time to give the Cards a reality check and get our swagger back!

 

[RAMSWRATH]

Rams will beat AZ in St. Louis.

 

[szat]

Mainly because I have a little time to kill I'll list all the games where that exact scenario played out:.

Man your really grinding on hawks stats!

Yeah, I am getting tired of hearing Pete "we were right in this thing till the end" and RW "I live for these moments". How about we just get up 14-21 points and blow a team out for once? I like nail biters too (you forgot to add the NFC Championship BTW) you adrenaline junkies, but we been dropping these close ones.

It seems like we play to protect a lead rather then stay aggressive. Offense too conservative, we need more explosive plays/weapons.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

Or the Seahawks are not as good as last year due to injuries, players leaving, teams game planning, dissension from Harvin trade, front office throwing the beast under the bus, RW isn't black enough, etc.

 

[TheBandwagon]

(you forgot to add the NFC Championship BTW)

That game did cross my mind but the reason I didn't include it was because although they had to come from behind in that game, it was different because it was the Niners rather than the Seahawks who had the final do-or-die possession with a chance to win it rather than the other way around. Similar type of game to the ones listed but the roles were flipped.