Once again, all that separated the Seahawks and Patriots was one yard.
Just like the Malcolm Butler interception in Super Bowl 49 and the Seahawks’ goal-line stand in the 2016 regular-season rematch, the latest showdown between these perennial powers also came down to a defensive stop at the 1-yard line.
Cam Newton had already scored twice on 1-yard quarterback keepers to the left side earlier in the night, including a touchdown on the previous possession that made it a one-possession contest. So with the Patriots on the 1-yard line again and only enough time for one game-deciding play, they again put the ball in the hands of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound former NFL most valuable player.
This time, the Seahawks were ready.
Lano Hill submarined New England’s lead blocker and L.J. Collier shed a block at the line of scrimmage to meet Newton in the backfield, forcing him into a premature leap that ended nowhere near the goal line.
The unlikely Seattle duo’s tackle for loss as time expired preserved a nailbiting 35-30 win that improved the Seahawks to 2-0 and kept another spectacular Russell Wilson performance from being spoiled.
Here’s a look at some of the key Seahawks storylines from their dramatic primetime victory Sunday night:
RUSS KEEPS ON COOKIN’
One week after his nearly flawless season-opening performance in Atlanta, Seattle’s superstar quarterback put on another sizzling show.
Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 288 yards and threw touchdowns to five different players, carving up a New England secondary that many consider to be the league’s best. He also scrambled five times for 39 yards and finished the night with 327 total yards.
Wilson’s full passing arsenal was on display during his five-touchdown masterpiece. He eluded pressure and fired a strike to Tyler Lockett in the end zone. He uncorked deep touchdown passes to DK Metcalf and David Moore. He found rookie Freddie Swain on a crossing route for another score. And with a hand in his face, he tossed his fifth touchdown of the night by floating a perfect 18-yard pass off his back foot on a swing route to running back Chris Carson.
This all came after Wilson endured a bad break on the third snap of the game, when a catchable pass went off tight end Greg Olsen’s hands and was snagged by New England safety Devin McCourty, who returned it for a pick-six to put the Seahawks in an early 7-0 hole. But Wilson bounced right back, completing each of his next 12 throws on his way to spearheading a rare offensive onslaught against a Bill Belichick-coached team. This was one of just 16 times that an opponent scored at least 35 points against the Patriots during Belichick’s legendary 20-plus seasons at the helm, according to Pro Football Reference.
And through two games, it’s hard to overstate just how spectacular Wilson has played.
Wilson has completed 52 of 63 passes for 610 yards and nine touchdowns, with the lone blemish being an interception that wasn’t his fault. His 82.5 completion percentage is the highest in NFL history through the first two weeks of a season among all quarterbacks with at least 40 total pass attempts, according to Pro Football Reference. His nine touchdown passes are tied for the second-most in NFL history through two weeks. He’s averaging 9.7 yards per pass attempt. He’s rushed for 68 yards, at a clip of 8.5 yards per carry. And of his mere 11 incompletions, three were drops and three were throwaways.
Just like last season, Wilson has established himself as the early front-runner for league MVP. But the difference this year, at least through two games, is that the Seahawks have truly “let Russ cook.”
That three-word rallying cry has been popular among Seattle fans who have clamored for their team to open up the offense and allow Wilson to operate a more pass-oriented and aggressive attack, especially early in games.
The Seahawks certainly did that in their season-opening win over Atlanta. They called passes on 18 of their 25 offensive plays in the first half of that game and finished the afternoon with a pass rate of 65.5%, which was a sharp increase from last year’s 54.3%.
There was some speculation that Seattle might get back to its usual establish-the-run mantra against New England, given that the Patriots have arguably the league’s most talented secondary. Yet while the Seahawks did sport a more balanced attack in Week 2, they remained aggressive and committed to the pass in early-down situations.
Wilson dropped back to pass on 21 of his team’s 34 offensive plays in the first half, including on 11 of 16 first-down plays during that span. Seattle has called passes on 18 of its 28 first-down plays in the first half this season for a rate of 64.3%, which ranks third in the NFL. That’s a dramatic rise from last season’s 47.6% rate in such situations, which ranked 19th.
Over the past two games, the Seahawks have unleashed Wilson like never before. And the results speak for themselves. Seattle ranks second in the NFL with 36.5 points per game and is second in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which calculates a team’s success on every play over the course of the season, based on situation and opponent.
METCALF HIGHLIGHTS BIG NIGHT FOR RECEIVERS
Last year, New England allowed just four touchdown passes to wide receivers over the course of the entire season. The Seahawks matched that total Sunday night, with four different receivers hauling in touchdown receptions against the Patriots’ elite secondary.
Metcalf highlighted the Seattle receiving corps’ big night with four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Even more impressive was that most of his work came against star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year. Metcalf beat Gilmore for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter, racing past the lockdown corner and using his physical frame to haul in a contested catch before sprinting the rest of the way to the end zone. Prior to that, Gilmore had gone a league-high 104 consecutive targets without allowing a touchdown, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Through two games, Metcalf has eight receptions for a team-high 187 yards and two long touchdowns.
But Metcalf wasn’t the only Seattle receiver with a standout performance against New England’s talented secondary. Lockett caught seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, bumping his season totals to 15 receptions on 16 targets for 159 yards. Moore had three catches for 48 yards, including a sensational 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter when he demonstrated exceptional body control to get his left foot inbounds and hit the pylon with his right foot, all while making a tightly contested grab as he was falling to the ground. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the pass had a completion probability of 6.3%, which made it the second-most improbable catch of the last two seasons. Rookie sixth-round draft pick Freddie Swain even joined the scoring spree with a 21-yard reception in the third quarter for his first career touchdown.
Seattle’s receiving corps has complemented Wilson’s brilliant start with excellent play through the first two games. Even with Josh Gordon yet to be reinstated from his suspension and Phillip Dorsett on the injured reserve, this might be the best collection of pass-catchers Wilson has ever had. If and when Gordon and Dorsett return, Wilson’s array of weapons will only get more dangerous.
PASS PROTECTION QUIETLY PROVIDING RARE STABILITY
Competent pass protection from Seattle’s offensive line is an underrated aspect that’s helped make Wilson’s scorching start possible.
For years, the Seahawks suffered from porous offensive-line play that made things difficult on Wilson and left him needing to make Houdini-like escapes on a regular basis. In five of the past seven seasons, Seattle finished 30th or worse in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block grades.
But through two games this year — even with no preseason contests to break in three new starters along the offensive line — the Seahawks are ranked 19th in pass blocking. While that’s still slightly below average, it’s a marked improvement from last season’s No. 30 ranking.
Seattle’s offensive line has allowed five sacks and 24 quarterback pressures, but Wilson appears much more comfortable in the pocket than previous years, which has allowed him to go through his progressions and zip the ball all over the field with historic accuracy during his torrid two-game start.
DEFENSE STRUGGLES AGAIN, AND SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURIES
Aside from the game-saving stop on the final play, it was largely another forgettable performance from the Seahawks’ defense.
Seattle came in focused on stopping the Newton-led ground attack. One week prior, New England piled up 217 yards rushing at a 5.2-yard clip against Miami, while running the ball on two-thirds of its offensive plays. The Seahawks did a good job of containing Newton and the Patriots’ ground game Sunday night, limiting them to just 67 yards at an average of 2.7 yards per carry.
But Newton picked apart Seattle’s defense through the air, completing 30 of 44 passes for 397 yards at a clip of 9.0 yards per attempt. It was similar to the season opener, when the Seahawks allowed 434 yards passing to Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ array of talented receivers.
Seattle has surrendered 831 passing yards through the first two games, which is the second-most in NFL history, according to Pro Football Reference. And while the Seahawks rank third in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.0) this season, they are 29th in both yards allowed per play (6.6) and net passing yards per attempt (8.2).
One caveat with those concerning numbers is that a significant portion of the passing yardage occurred when the Seahawks were playing prevent defense while holding leads in the fourth quarters of their two games. In those situations, they were content to give up some yardage underneath in order to protect against big plays.
Another caveat is the personnel challenges Seattle’s secondary was dealt Sunday night. Free safety Quandre Diggs was ejected in the first quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit, and nickel cornerback Marquise Blair suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in the second quarter. That left the Seahawks without two starting defensive backs.
Second-year pro Ugo Amadi filled in well for Blair at nickel corner, but Diggs’ absence was sorely felt. Newton had success attacking downfield after Diggs was ejected, connecting with Julian Edelman for several big completions.
The return of Diggs should greatly benefit the Seahawks, but it remains to be seen how they will fare after the injuries sustained Sunday night. In addition to Blair, Seattle also lost veteran rush end Bruce Irvin to a season-ending torn ACL late in the fourth quarter. Irvin was expected to play an important role in the Seahawks’ pass rush, which was already virtually nonexistent over the first two weeks with just three sacks and a pressure rate of just 17.5%.
Seattle’s defense faces another considerable challenge Sunday afternoon when Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ talented receiving corps come to town. Dallas’ potent aerial attack should provide a measuring stick as to whether the Seahawks can make some strides on defense, or whether their concerning performances of the past two weeks could end up being season-long trends.
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