EPS 39: Seattle Seahawks Take Care of Business Against 49ers

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Hawks Playbook Podcast Episode 39 – Seahawks Take Care of Business Against 49ers

Open: Seahawks fans, welcome back to the Hawks Playbook Podcast! Join your hosts Bill Alvstad and Keith Myers for your post game analysis and smart Seahawks talk, as well as a look forward to our next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles in a prime-time Sunday night matchup in Seattle!  Getting by the hapless San Francisco 49er team was just not all that inspiring to be honest.  We were supposed to win this game, and we did. Although only being up 7-6 half way through the 3^rd quarter is sub-optimal, we did explode for 17 Points after that and slam the door shut.  But that was the easiest game remaining on the schedule. Stuff bout’ to get real now.

In the News:

• Seahawks DE Cliff Avril to undergo disc surgery to repair issue after player went down making a tackle against Indianapolis on Oct. 1^st. Avril is 31. He’s coming off a career year: 11 1/2 sacks in 2016, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He’s made $25 million the last four seasons including this one, part of the four-year, $28.5 million extension he signed in 2014. His deal has one year and $7 million remaining on it after this season. None of that 2018 money is guaranteed.
• The team is also expected to place safety Kam Chancellor on season ending injury reserve because of the “Stinger” he received a few weeks ago against the Cardinals. Chancellor, 29, signed his long-sought extension this August. It gave him $25 million guaranteed.

Featured Segment: Seattle Beats A Team It Was Supposed To Beat

The Seahawks go into San Francisco and win. Can you even imagine this game if we had lost? Okay, neither can we. But for 2 ½ quarters, Seattle made it more challenging that it should have been.  We are willing to set that aside, because in the NFL, a win is a win, and the Seahawks now sit at 7-4 and remain in a tightly contested battle for a wild-card spot in the NFC. The clearest path forward may very well be winning the NFCW division title over a surprising Los Angeles Rams team that just keeps on winning. They stand at 8-3 and have a one game lead over the Seahawks, with a key head to head game at home remaining.

• Seattle only flagged for six accepted penalties for 35 yards
• San Francisco giving up an avg. of 133.5 yards rushing coming into the game against the run (NFL worst). Seattle only managed 90 yards rushing, with 25 of those yards coming from Russell Wilson. Lacy had 46 yards on 17 carries. McKissic had 46 total yards on 4 carries and 4 receptions.
• Jimmy Graham caught another TD. Now has 8 TD’s, all in the last 7 games.
• Nick Vannett quietly taking over the #2 TE spot. Had 39 snaps on offense to Luke Willson’s 5 snaps. Vannett also had his first NFL TD.
• Russell Wilson became the 4^th QB in NFL history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in each of his first 6 seasons, joining Peyton Manning, Cam Newton and Andy Dalton
• Russell Wilson also now joins Cam Newton with the most seasons with 3,000 passing + 500 yards rushing at 5 each. Culpepper has 4. Cunningham, McNair and Young have 3 each. 7 players with 2 and 4 players with 1.
• Wilson is the NFL’s total yardage leader through 11 games with 3,430 total yards (3,029 passing and 401 rushing).

Featured Segment Two: Prime Time Game vs. Philadelphia Eagles at Home.

At 10-1, Philly comes into this game as arguably the best team in the NFL, and clearly in a class of its own in the top-heavy NFC.  They have scored the most points in the NFL, and only one other team (Ravens) have allowed fewer points after 11 games.  That’s dominant.  The Eagles have not lost since mid-September and ride in with a 9-game win streak. Can the Seahawks find a way to slow down the hot Eagles offense? Can Seattle score points on the very stingy Philly defense? Yes….and yes. But it will take an incredibly complete game by the sometimes up, sometimes down Seattle Seahawks.  One thing to consider is this: The Philadelphia Eagles only have one win against a team with a winning record.  Any way you look at it, it’s a great set up.  A terrific Eagles team on the rise against a perennial super power in the Seahawks.

• Carson Wentz was selected by the Eagles #2 overall in the 2016 draft. Carson is a competent QB, who is highly efficient. This season he has thrown for 2,657 yards with 28 TD’s and 5 Interceptions, and a QB rating of 104. In his career, he does have 19 interceptions….so see if Seattle can force him into throwing into coverage.
• Philly uses a tandem pair of running backs in Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. Blount has been the better of the two rushing 137 times for 658 yards and a 4.8 yards avg. Together they account for 147.5 yards a game, ranked 2^nd in the NFL
• Wentz has three primary targets: WR Nelson Agholor who has 33 rec, 458 yards and 6 TD’s. WR Alshon Jeffery who has 43 rec, 619 yards and 7 TD’s. TE Zach Ertz who has 55 rec, 639 yards and 7 TD’s. Wentz has 20 red zone TD’s on the season and has 32 red zone TD’s against 1 interception in his first two seasons.
• The Eagles are the #1 scoring offense in football at 31.9 points per game, and ranked 2^nd in the NFL in points allowed per game at 17.4
• Eagles have won 3 consecutive games by at least 28 points. The Eagles have only surrendered one Touchdown in the month of November.
• After facing the 7-4 Seahawks, the Eagles will travel back to Los Angeles to face the now 8-3 Rams. This will be a true test to see if the Eagles are the real deal this season.

Close: Thanks again for joining the Hawks Playbook Podcast this week.  Keith and I are back each week to bring you game recaps and game previews.  If you enjoy the show, leave a comment or let your friends know about the podcast.  You can find the show on Twitter @HawksPlaybook.  You can find Keith @MyersNFL and Bill is @NWSeahawk.  See you next week!!