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Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 8:25 am
by South Pender
The Seahawks-Vikings Monday nighter was an unexpected game in some respects. The Vikings, surprisingly, looked pretty awful, and Kirk Cousins (their $84M QB) really seemed off his game. If not for the garbage-time TD, they would have been shut out. The vaunted Vikings D got gashed for 214 yards on the ground by the Seahawks' running attack, whereas the Seahawks held the Vikings' ground game to 77, holding their ace RB Dalvin Cook to 55. Russell Wilson didn't have much of a night through the air (10/20 for 72 yards and 1 int.), but made up for it with 61 yards rushing and 8.7 yards/carry. In a lot of ways, it looked like vintage Seahawks football--great D, pound the ball on the ground. I think I heard Russell Wilson say, after the game, that the interception was an attempt to throw the ball away--out of bounds--but it slipped out of his hand. I thought that the Seahawks' rookie and 2nd-year DBs (Griffin, Thompson, and Flowers) played surprisingly well against a QB that has been completing 73% of his passes this season, holding him to 61% and 208 yards.

This sets the Seahawks up for a very good (almost certain) shot at making the playoffs. In fact, if they win next Sunday in San Francisco, they're in. If they win 2 of their last 3, they'll be the No. 5 seed. A lot of folks are saying that this might be Pete Carroll's finest season as Seahawks coach--taking a team to the playoffs that had been pretty much completely written off at the beginning of the season (and after their 0-2 start), having lost more than half their starting defense from last year.

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:55 pm
by KnowItAll
yippee, nice comeback win for the chargers. A little help from the seahawks and chargers might have a shot at first overall in AFC.

would love to see an all LA SB.

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:48 pm
by Ballistic Bob
Now Kansas wont lie down for the Seahawks in 10 days
BB

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:53 pm
by South Pender
Yesterday's Seahawks-49ers game was a big disappointment for Seahawks fans. They should have won it against the 3-10 niners, but played uncharacteristically sloppy football and basically shot themselves in the foot. Penalties were the worst of it, I guess--14 for 148 yards, the most penalty yards in the Seahawks' history. Particularly egregious were the penalties against RG Ethan Pocic in overtime that completely shut down the 'Hawks chances of getting anything going. Pocic went in for 2nd-stringer Jordan Simmons, who was replacing the first-string RG D.J. Fluker.

A win would have clinched a playoff spot for the Seahawks and all but insured them of the 5th seed in the NFC. Had they won, they could have rested some of their starters in the last two games to get ready for the playoffs. Not now. They have two home games left in the season, and the next one--against the Chiefs next Sunday--will be a very difficult game. Their last game is at home too against the Cardinals. The Seahawks need one win from these two games to clinch a playoff spot, so the most likely scenario is for them to lose next week and then have to win in their last game. (Actually, it turns out that they could lose both of these games and make the playoffs at 8-8, but this would require help from other teams, and is, therefore, not a likely outcome.) So what looked like a certain playoff berth for the 'Hawks last week is somewhat less certain now.

The injuries to Simmons and, perhaps more importantly to SS Bradley McDougald, are a areal concern at this point. Pete Carroll will have perhaps his biggest challenge of the season in getting the team back to playing winning football. It's crunch time now, and we'll see what the Seahawks are made of!

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:21 pm
by KnowItAll
Ballistic Bob wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:48 pm
Now Kansas wont lie down for the Seahawks in 10 days
BB
hopefully, now the Seahawks wont lie down for Kansas

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:59 pm
by Ballistic Bob
Let's hope Seahawks tank next week to get to face the Cowboys instead of da Bears. BB

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:58 am
by South Pender
Ballistic Bob wrote:
Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:59 pm
Let's hope Seahawks tank next week to get to face the Cowboys instead of da Bears. BB
It's the other way around. If they tank next week against the Cardinals, they would have to face the Bears if the Vikings win next Sunday (a distinct possibility if the Bears decide to rest some starters). If they win, they get the Cowboys in the Wild Card game no matter who else wins in Week 17.

Last night's win against the high-flying Chiefs may have been the Seahawks' best game of the year. Despite some injuries to key O-line players, their run game was clicking (210 yards), and Russell Wilson had what is probably his best game of the season. He went 18 of 29 for 271 yards, 3 TDs, and no ints., and put together a splendid 127.2 passer rating. More spectacular than his rating, though, were his beautiful deep passes--two to Doug Baldwin and one to Tyler Lockett. This prompted Sunday Night Football color guy Cris Collinsworth to opine that Wilson is the best deep-thrower in football.

It was interesting to see two guys with serious baseball credentials--Wilson and Patrick Mahomes (both drafted by MLB teams)--dueling it out. You can really see the effects of excellence in baseball in Mahomes' game, with the precision of his passes from all angles and from the pocket or on the run, and overhead, sidearm, three-quarters. Same with Wilson who was an infielder.

Next Sunday they host the Cardinals. I think Pete Carroll will have them ready to close out the regular season with a win. Then on to the playoffs....

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 10:09 am
by Ballistic Bob
A fifth seed can host a playoff game. BB

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 10:28 am
by South Pender
Ballistic Bob wrote:
Mon Dec 24, 2018 10:09 am
A fifth seed can host a playoff game. BB
Extremely unlikely and impossible in the first two rounds. It would happen only if both the 5 seed and 6 seed win on the road in the Wild Card round and then both go on to win on the road in the Divisional round, thus knocking out the first 4 seeds in the process. Then the 5 seed would host the 6 seed in the Conference final. For the Seahawks--in the NFC tournament--if they win next Sunday and nail down the 5 seed, this would mean beating the Cowboys (4 seed) in the Wild Card round and then beating the Rams (2 seed) in the Divisional round, all the while seeing the Vikings (or Eagles) beat the Bears (3 seed) in the Wild Card round and then go on to beat the Saints (1 seed) in the Divisional round. By then, the Saints, Rams, Bears, and Cowboys would all be gone, and only the Seahawks and Vikings (or Eagles) would be left. This would bring up a home Conference final for the Seahawks. So maybe a 1% chance!

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:58 pm
by KnowItAll
What? No horrays for the Hawks?

I have been cheering more for some other teams but will sure be cheering for the Hawks next week.

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:20 am
by South Pender
Delete. Double post.

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:22 pm
by South Pender
South Pender wrote:
Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:20 am
KnowItAll wrote:
Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:58 pm
What? No horrays for the Hawks?

I have been cheering more for some other teams but will sure be cheering for the Hawks next week.
Oh yeah, huzzas for the Seahawks! Despite a pretty awful game yesterday (albeit a win), a great regular season for a team that was completely counted out in the preseason. Many were predicting a 4-12 or 5-11 season for the decimated 'Hawks. My own fearless prediction before the season got underway was 8-8. Happy to find that they were better than this, ending up at 10-6.

The Seahawks offense was improved somewhat over the 2017 edition (with the return to a dominant ground game), but the defense, which had been the team's major strength, had lost so many important Pro Bowl-level stars: Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Sheldon Richardson--more than half of their 2017 starting defense. So a fall-off was inevitable with so many rookie or 2nd-year, untested replacements, and the 2018 D was unsurprisingly not up to previous standards. The most noticeable drop-offs were found in: (a) the free safety position, (b) the pass rush, and, perhaps to a lesser extent, (c) the corners. Those are the areas (particularly free safety, which has to be the 'Hawks' #1 priority) where John Schneider and Pete Carroll will need to concentrate in the upcoming free agency period and the later draft.

Pete Carroll has done a pretty fabulous job with the team this season. Many have said that this has been his best season as the Seahawks' coach. He has just been re-signed to a 3-year extension, and with GM John Schneider's sharp eye for players who can help the team, I think we can expect more improvement in 2019.

They go to Dallas next Saturday for their Wild Card game. Unfortunately, they lost out in the scheduling, having to play on Saturday, rather than Sunday (there will be two Wild Card games on each day); so a short week. Dallas has improved greatly through the season and are healthy at this point; they will be a really tough challenge for the 'Hawks who will still have some of their starters on the limp, including both guards (who were conspicuously absent yesterday, with predictable results). But, regardless of the outcome, just getting to take part in the playoffs this season has to be considered a real success for the Seahawks. :beauty:

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:48 pm
by Robbie
Final four:

NFC: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
AFC: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs

Any personal bias or affinity for any team to win?

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:24 pm
by KnowItAll
Robbie wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:48 pm
Final four:

NFC: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
AFC: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs

Any personal bias or affinity for any team to win?
very much want either of the NFC teams to win.

NO>LA>NE>KC

I favour NO over LAR because I want to see Brees get another one before he is done

Re: 2018-19 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:36 pm
by WestCoastJoe
Robbie wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:48 pm
Final four:

NFC: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
AFC: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs

Any personal bias or affinity for any team to win?
I like the Patriots. It is amazing how the cast changes, around Brady and Belichick, and they keep winning. They lose assistant coaches -- no problem.

They get phenomenal production out of whatever receivers and running backs they have. Brady delivers.

I know next to nothing about the Rams or Chiefs. Even the Saints with Brees.

I used to know so much about every team, especially when I ran a football pool. But those days are past. The NFL game does not interest me so much anymore. It is nice, however, to see how the offences have opened up. It seems to me they have adopted some CFL attitudes.

Just IMO ...