SEATTLE, Wash.—It looked like the Seahawks were going to pull off yet another impressive fourth-quarter comeback to earn a victory Sunday, but instead it was Washington coming out on top after some late-game heroics from its offense.
Here are five rapid reactions to the Seahawks' 17-14 loss, which saw them drop to 5-3:
1. The Seahawks Couldn't Get Out Of Their Own Way.
Credit Washington for making some big plays when it needed them to pull out a road victory, most notably a spectacular final scoring drive, but the Seahawks certainly didn't help themselves in this game.
The Seahawks could have and probably should have led early, but got in their own way repeatedly, allowing Washington to not just hang around, but eventually take the lead going into the locker room. Both Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman had shots at interceptions and couldn't come down with the ball, Blair Walsh missed three first-half field goals, and perhaps most notably, the Seahawks committed nine first-half penalties for 64 yards, a total that ballooned to 16 for 138 yards by the end of the game.
The Seahawks did put together yet another impressive fourth-quarter drive, but this time they couldn't make the lead stand.
2. Russell Wilson Created More Fourth-Quarter Magic, But This Time The Seahawks Couldn't Protect The Lead.
Russell Wilson did not have his best game Sunday—both the eyeball test and the stat sheet told you as much—but as he has done some many times in his career, including just a week ago, he had some late-game magic up his sleeve.
After throwing two interceptions—plus a third on a 2-point conversion attempt—Wilson led the Seahawks to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including one to Doug Baldwin that looked like it might be a game-winner.
Unfortunately for the Seahawks, fellow 2012 draft pick Kirk Cousins had some late-game magic up his sleeves as well, completing two long passes, the second a 38-yarder to Josh Doctson that gave Washington the ball at Seattle's 1-yard line, setting up the game-winning touchdown run. That drive was particularly stunning considering how well the defense had played almost the entire game.
3. Bobby Wagner Was Dominant.
The Seahawks defense enjoyed a strong performance following a tough outing in last week's win over Houston, and nobody played a bigger role in that defensive effort than Bobby Wagner, who showed again why he is a two-time first-team All-Pro.
Wagner was responsible for Seattle's only first-half points, sacking Kirk Cousins in the end zone for a safety, and he also added another tackle for loss, a stuff for no gain at the goal line and a pass defensed in the first half, as well as eight tackles. For the game, Wagner finished with 12 tackles, three for a loss.
4. Dwight Freeney's Still Got It, And The Pass-Rush Was Strong Overall.
If the Seahawks hadn't called Dwight Freeney two weeks ago, the 37-year-old pass-rusher with Hall of Fame credentials was ready to call it a career. Instead, the Seahawks signed Freeney, and in two games the veteran is showing he's still got a little, or a lot, left in the tank. After recording one sack in last week's win over Houston, Freeney added two more Sunday, part of an overall strong performance from the defensive front.
Washington came into the game missing three starting offensive linemen, and the Seahawks took advantage, recording 6.0 sacks.
5. The Seahawks Showed Some Progress In The Running Game.
The Seahawks hoped to get their running game going after a rough performance last week, and while they didn't accomplish that in the way they had planned thanks to an injury, they did show progress in that department.
The plan coming into the game was to get more touches for Eddie Lacy, but he left the game with a groin injury after carrying six times for 20 yards. Instead, Wilson did most of the damage on the ground, gaining 77 yards on 10 carries. Thomas Rawls also contributed, gaining 39 yards on nine carries as the Seahawks finished with 148 rushing yards a week after being held to just 33 rushing yards on 21 carries.
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