Whew! We won and that’s it. I, too, like many fans were presuming not only a win but a blowout win. I presumed that Rivers would be taken down with the best defensive front in the league. Instead, their OL protected him as if he was their father. Rivers doesn’t play defense so we went up against an inspired and good defense. Turns out the Colts were prepared and motivated. They were 8-2 not too long ago and in the mix as one of the top teams in the league. At one point I remember seeing them at number one in a weekly power ranking early on. They are a good team that has suffered catastrophic injuries. They are in the midst of a late season slump because of that.
The Colts played a fully complimentary game in all three phases. Rivers did enough to keep them in it in which the play calling kept him safe.
I’m not paying attention to any critiques and questioning of our team. We won a tough game. To much chagrin of the fans, it wasn’t pretty but I’ll take it. Look, the season is a long one with hills and valleys. Not every game will be a cakewalk like the last two games. Even the 2013 team struggled to beat a bad Tamp Bay team at one point being behind 0-21 before coming back to win it. Like coach MM says, winning comes in all shapes and sizes. The great teams find a way.
Next onto the game of the year. It’s a clean slate this week. Whatever issues there were are lessons to be learnt. What happens will be what happens in the moment of the game. What a great ride this season has been!
Agreed. Inability to move the ball with consistency + lack of any viable run game could make our lives really tough. Wonder if we have been figured out.
I do think if we limit the turnovers as Sam has been doing recently, that might be enough though
I see this as a good game for Darnold. He was under contant pressure(his achilles) and he did not have any turnovers. We would have won the Rams game if Sam doesn't throw 4 interceptions. This was a blueprint on how the Seahawks can win in the playoffs, much more so than the Vikings or Falcons game.
Hats off to our defense for keeping us in this game. This definitely felt like a trap game with all the Rivers hype leading up to it. The Colts defense has been solid this year, but it seemed like they had some extra juice. Our offense was definitely anemic. There were some flashes where things started to click but we couldn’t put together a complete possession all day. It’s definitely a concern and something they need to fix fast!
Rivers is a Master at Motivation, plus he's naturally likeable. His guys got personal in protecting him and we never got unduly rude. It helps when officials move the chains, to boot. We took one bulsht DPI while they ignored at least 2 flagrant DPIs on them- one in the end zone. Most teams get pissed and play worse. We expected it, shook it off and played harder. I believe the Team's link with the 12s is real and sincere. Thursday is our last game until we return in the playoffs. Take it to the Bank: We'll be back.
Why do the Hawks keep handing the ball to Ken Walker? It just doesn’t make sense. One drive yesterday was three Walker runs for a total of six yards and then a punt. We were lucky to get field goals. At the start of each game my family jokes about establishing the run. They hand it to Walker and we all roll our eyes. Good guy. Great breakaways several years ago. But no more.
MM saw our running back Coach leave ("He won't be back this year"-MM). May be bad, but I suspect Mike is trying to weed out why the running game continues to flounder. K9 was exceptionally lousy. Looks and acts like an internal drama? If so, Mike is right to force a resolution. Hey, realize EVERYBODY is tired right now. Wake up, Boyz. It's Go Time.
You know you have a pretty good team when the media and fans complain about HOW they win lol. Pretty? Nope. Counts the same? Yep. They have 11 wins and will be in the playoffs, so that's all that really matters to me. The next 3 games are just prep for the first game that will REALLY matter from here on out.
It was absolutely unsurprising to me that the Colts fought like crazy. They have good players on both sides of the ball, and were fighting for their playoff lives. It seemed unlikely to me that we would beat their asses in some crazy one sided game. I didn't quite expect it to be as close as it was at the end, but FG's instead of TD's will get you into these types of games.
Rams on Thursday night with absolutely nothing to lose. Winning would be great. Losing would be fine. We're going to The Dance, and all that will matter is how we do when we get there.
Between now and then, we really need to sort out our running game. We will need one when it's showtime.
Boy Howdy, Chris! Are you saying I can go redeem my bet that we make the Playoffs?? Nah. I still have one that sees us win the Division... And yeah, I think Mike is addressing an internal drama concerning the running game. As usual, he's going straight at it. Cut the bulsht and all the rumors it generates. It's Focus Time.
That was two teams playing as conservative as they could, outside of a snow game. Colts clearly asked Rivers to do nothing and just try to grind out the game as fast as possible. Seahawks in turn obviously seemed an eye on Thursday and just wanted to get done in return. Defences ontop on both sides, no shock there from two of the best in the league.
I hope MM/KK have something cooking for the Rams. Job done here, just. No worrying injuries. Hoping the boneheaded plays are done with and Thursday will be a fired up explosive team. Rams had to dig in more against the Lions, hoping we can leverage some of that and sap their energy with a smother defense. We got the Win, it was bad and ugly, but a win. Don't waste this golden opportunity to smack the Rams and claim the NFC. Do that and no-one will ever mention this game again, thankfully.
HooRah, KH! Seems in years past we've let Others dictate outcomes. Yesterday was about changing that attitude. In one year, we are watching Sam take command on the field (albeit late).
I was there; in person Sam looked poised, extend plays, made good decisions. No turnovers. He blew that pass to shaheed in the end zone and missed cupp on another down there, otherwise I thought it was a real good day in the face of porous oline play and zero run game. Cupp gets 3 extra important yards every time he touches the ball. They need to figure out how to get it to him more. He’s got enough in the tank and far more productive than the RBs or TEs.
Let's not forget Bobo masters the Contested Catch. And YACs. I pray we learned something solid about our running game yesterday. It may be time to see the Pass set up the Run?
I also think Kupp played (another) helluva game in the unseen or mostly unseen ways. We have two LEADERS on the team that are worth their weight in gold: Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence. Yes they're old, near the end of their careers etc. But what they're teaching AND demonstrating to the young guns on the team is hard if not impossible to do as a coach. Great shout-out!
Got to give credit to the Colts. What a game plan! Stuck to their strengths and masked the obvious weakness. Old man Rivers still has the game processing speed and just enough of an arm to complete tons of short throws. But he also missed on two deeper throws that could have won the game for them and it was clear that he will be by far the least athletic person on the field every game he plays until he retires again. It was remarkable how on point he was with the three step drop passing game though. Wouldn't be surprised if the Colts win a couple more and sneak in the playoffs.
The vanilla defensive play calling by the hawks (especially in key passing downs) was super surprising to me. I feel like I expect some exotic simulated pressure or corner blitz in those situations this year but Mike was just sending two tackles and two olbs/edges. Was the threat of the run keeping him honest or was he just saving some tricks for the Rams/9ers games?
All in all a thrilling win that I'm very glad the hawks are taking to the bank. Looking forward to the showdown on Thursday!
I think that's the challenge of the MM defense though. The only way you stand a chance is by executing the the short passing game flawlessly. It requires patience and precision and there will be traps along the way.
The 16 points tied for the fewest points scored by the Colts. We are still the number one team by net points. We are the number 2 defense team and I think we slipped some and are the number 5 offense.
Staggering to me we are still the #5 offense or even in the top 10. Guess we have the ability to suddenly pull a rabbit out of the hat to the tune of 30 pts in a half, multiple times, but I fear we're in for some really tough days against the Rams, Niners and once we get past Tampa or Carolina in the playoffs. Just some really ugly series out there, nearly wasting a phenomenal defense and kicking game.
I think KK was the worst performer today. Either the game plan or the play calling or both were not up to par. Sam wasn't impressive and Geno might have done better with the pressure.
Yes I thought the play-calling was terrible, and whatever we were doing with the OL was equally terrible. If Indy had DeForest Buckner out there, we lose today.
I hope this inspires filmmakers to make The Replacements 2, putting Keanu "Footsteps Falco" Reeves Vs. Phillip Rivers in the championship game. Nan desu ka!
Whew! We won and that’s it. I, too, like many fans were presuming not only a win but a blowout win. I presumed that Rivers would be taken down with the best defensive front in the league. Instead, their OL protected him as if he was their father. Rivers doesn’t play defense so we went up against an inspired and good defense. Turns out the Colts were prepared and motivated. They were 8-2 not too long ago and in the mix as one of the top teams in the league. At one point I remember seeing them at number one in a weekly power ranking early on. They are a good team that has suffered catastrophic injuries. They are in the midst of a late season slump because of that.
The Colts played a fully complimentary game in all three phases. Rivers did enough to keep them in it in which the play calling kept him safe.
I’m not paying attention to any critiques and questioning of our team. We won a tough game. To much chagrin of the fans, it wasn’t pretty but I’ll take it. Look, the season is a long one with hills and valleys. Not every game will be a cakewalk like the last two games. Even the 2013 team struggled to beat a bad Tamp Bay team at one point being behind 0-21 before coming back to win it. Like coach MM says, winning comes in all shapes and sizes. The great teams find a way.
Next onto the game of the year. It’s a clean slate this week. Whatever issues there were are lessons to be learnt. What happens will be what happens in the moment of the game. What a great ride this season has been!
Agreed. Inability to move the ball with consistency + lack of any viable run game could make our lives really tough. Wonder if we have been figured out.
I do think if we limit the turnovers as Sam has been doing recently, that might be enough though
Natural letdown playing reeling Colts and 44 year old QB, with Rams upcoming… Like I’ve said before, A WIN IS A WIN
I see this as a good game for Darnold. He was under contant pressure(his achilles) and he did not have any turnovers. We would have won the Rams game if Sam doesn't throw 4 interceptions. This was a blueprint on how the Seahawks can win in the playoffs, much more so than the Vikings or Falcons game.
Hats off to our defense for keeping us in this game. This definitely felt like a trap game with all the Rivers hype leading up to it. The Colts defense has been solid this year, but it seemed like they had some extra juice. Our offense was definitely anemic. There were some flashes where things started to click but we couldn’t put together a complete possession all day. It’s definitely a concern and something they need to fix fast!
Rivers is a Master at Motivation, plus he's naturally likeable. His guys got personal in protecting him and we never got unduly rude. It helps when officials move the chains, to boot. We took one bulsht DPI while they ignored at least 2 flagrant DPIs on them- one in the end zone. Most teams get pissed and play worse. We expected it, shook it off and played harder. I believe the Team's link with the 12s is real and sincere. Thursday is our last game until we return in the playoffs. Take it to the Bank: We'll be back.
Why do the Hawks keep handing the ball to Ken Walker? It just doesn’t make sense. One drive yesterday was three Walker runs for a total of six yards and then a punt. We were lucky to get field goals. At the start of each game my family jokes about establishing the run. They hand it to Walker and we all roll our eyes. Good guy. Great breakaways several years ago. But no more.
MM saw our running back Coach leave ("He won't be back this year"-MM). May be bad, but I suspect Mike is trying to weed out why the running game continues to flounder. K9 was exceptionally lousy. Looks and acts like an internal drama? If so, Mike is right to force a resolution. Hey, realize EVERYBODY is tired right now. Wake up, Boyz. It's Go Time.
You know you have a pretty good team when the media and fans complain about HOW they win lol. Pretty? Nope. Counts the same? Yep. They have 11 wins and will be in the playoffs, so that's all that really matters to me. The next 3 games are just prep for the first game that will REALLY matter from here on out.
It was absolutely unsurprising to me that the Colts fought like crazy. They have good players on both sides of the ball, and were fighting for their playoff lives. It seemed unlikely to me that we would beat their asses in some crazy one sided game. I didn't quite expect it to be as close as it was at the end, but FG's instead of TD's will get you into these types of games.
Rams on Thursday night with absolutely nothing to lose. Winning would be great. Losing would be fine. We're going to The Dance, and all that will matter is how we do when we get there.
Between now and then, we really need to sort out our running game. We will need one when it's showtime.
Boy Howdy, Chris! Are you saying I can go redeem my bet that we make the Playoffs?? Nah. I still have one that sees us win the Division... And yeah, I think Mike is addressing an internal drama concerning the running game. As usual, he's going straight at it. Cut the bulsht and all the rumors it generates. It's Focus Time.
Two more writing tidbits among so many we've been privileged to receive:
"Just for kicks" as a title to today's article
"Myers dams Colt's Rivers"
Spectacular dude!!
Thanks!
That was two teams playing as conservative as they could, outside of a snow game. Colts clearly asked Rivers to do nothing and just try to grind out the game as fast as possible. Seahawks in turn obviously seemed an eye on Thursday and just wanted to get done in return. Defences ontop on both sides, no shock there from two of the best in the league.
I hope MM/KK have something cooking for the Rams. Job done here, just. No worrying injuries. Hoping the boneheaded plays are done with and Thursday will be a fired up explosive team. Rams had to dig in more against the Lions, hoping we can leverage some of that and sap their energy with a smother defense. We got the Win, it was bad and ugly, but a win. Don't waste this golden opportunity to smack the Rams and claim the NFC. Do that and no-one will ever mention this game again, thankfully.
HooRah, KH! Seems in years past we've let Others dictate outcomes. Yesterday was about changing that attitude. In one year, we are watching Sam take command on the field (albeit late).
I really dislike “cardiac” football but I will take the “W”! May the 12s be with you and Go Seahawks!
I got not one damn smile yesterday until The Boot.
I was there; in person Sam looked poised, extend plays, made good decisions. No turnovers. He blew that pass to shaheed in the end zone and missed cupp on another down there, otherwise I thought it was a real good day in the face of porous oline play and zero run game. Cupp gets 3 extra important yards every time he touches the ball. They need to figure out how to get it to him more. He’s got enough in the tank and far more productive than the RBs or TEs.
Let's not forget Bobo masters the Contested Catch. And YACs. I pray we learned something solid about our running game yesterday. It may be time to see the Pass set up the Run?
I also think Kupp played (another) helluva game in the unseen or mostly unseen ways. We have two LEADERS on the team that are worth their weight in gold: Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence. Yes they're old, near the end of their careers etc. But what they're teaching AND demonstrating to the young guns on the team is hard if not impossible to do as a coach. Great shout-out!
BTW I'd add Jarran Reed to this list as well, apologies to Jarran.
Got to give credit to the Colts. What a game plan! Stuck to their strengths and masked the obvious weakness. Old man Rivers still has the game processing speed and just enough of an arm to complete tons of short throws. But he also missed on two deeper throws that could have won the game for them and it was clear that he will be by far the least athletic person on the field every game he plays until he retires again. It was remarkable how on point he was with the three step drop passing game though. Wouldn't be surprised if the Colts win a couple more and sneak in the playoffs.
The vanilla defensive play calling by the hawks (especially in key passing downs) was super surprising to me. I feel like I expect some exotic simulated pressure or corner blitz in those situations this year but Mike was just sending two tackles and two olbs/edges. Was the threat of the run keeping him honest or was he just saving some tricks for the Rams/9ers games?
All in all a thrilling win that I'm very glad the hawks are taking to the bank. Looking forward to the showdown on Thursday!
I think it was the colts screen/check down game that caused MM to not blitz. Rivers wasn’t looking down field.
Looked like Rivers wasn't fooled by MM's hidden blitzers.
That's a good point. It's kinda scary that any team with a savvy veteran QB can neutralize our biggest advantages on D by simply dinking and dunking.
I think that's the challenge of the MM defense though. The only way you stand a chance is by executing the the short passing game flawlessly. It requires patience and precision and there will be traps along the way.
The 16 points tied for the fewest points scored by the Colts. We are still the number one team by net points. We are the number 2 defense team and I think we slipped some and are the number 5 offense.
Staggering to me we are still the #5 offense or even in the top 10. Guess we have the ability to suddenly pull a rabbit out of the hat to the tune of 30 pts in a half, multiple times, but I fear we're in for some really tough days against the Rams, Niners and once we get past Tampa or Carolina in the playoffs. Just some really ugly series out there, nearly wasting a phenomenal defense and kicking game.
Good team's find a way to win. The Seahawks found the way to pull out a victory.
I think KK was the worst performer today. Either the game plan or the play calling or both were not up to par. Sam wasn't impressive and Geno might have done better with the pressure.
Yes I thought the play-calling was terrible, and whatever we were doing with the OL was equally terrible. If Indy had DeForest Buckner out there, we lose today.
I hope this inspires filmmakers to make The Replacements 2, putting Keanu "Footsteps Falco" Reeves Vs. Phillip Rivers in the championship game. Nan desu ka!