Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett has been one of the best players on a struggling offense in recent weeks, and he came through with another strong performance on Sunday, catching seven passes for a team-high 68 yards and a touchdown.
Those catches, which included a great toe-tapping sideline catch and a beautiful over-the-shoulder touchdown grab, might not have been Lockett's biggest contribution to Sunday's 30-23 win over the 49ers, however.
As Seahawks coach Pete Carroll revealed after the game, Lockett stepped up in Saturday evening's team meeting and led a conversation, one Russell Wilson called "really touching, really special," that very well may have helped the Seahawks snap out a bat stretch that saw them lose six of their previous seven games before Sunday's win.
"These guys are bought in," Carroll said. "They have to be to at this point to be hanging like this throughout. They are, and I trust in the leadership—Bobby (Wagner) and Russ and all the guys, Duane (Brown), I always tell you about that continue to send the message. They keep us together. Last night, Tyler did a really nice job in the meeting. He had a chance to bring up something that he wanted to talk about and gave them the opportunity, and he did a great job with our guys about hanging together and about why we are connected in the way we are. Really cool. I think it had something to do with today."
Carlos Dunlap II, who had two of the biggest plays of the day for Seattle's defense, recording a sack for a safety, as well as the pass breakup on fourth down that clinched the victory, said Lockett, "just basically made it open floor for everybody to communicate their why. Why we sacrifice what we do for this game. Why we continue to work and fight for this game, when the seasons go on the way it is. Why we're here. How did we get here. Where we came from. Who are we doing it for. A lot of the messages were very impactful."
Dunlap wouldn't reveal the specifics of what was said, but did note that the meeting brought players together.
"The best teams are families," Dunlap said. "We got to know each other a lot better yesterday, had one of those hard talks, and it feels good to get this win after something like that. We're setting a new foundation for us to build on, and right now we've got one win on that new foundation, and let's keep stacking them."
And while it's impossible to quantify just how much Saturday night's meeting affected Sunday afternoon's on-field product, what isn't up for debate is the fact that Russell Wilson and a struggling offense played their best game in several weeks, and that a defense that has been so good for most of the season again came through, most notably with a final red-zone stop to secure the win.
"For us, it's one of those things where we never give up," said safety Quandre Diggs, who recorded his team-leading fourth interceptions, one of three Seattle takeaways in the game. "We always fight. This is a very resilient group, and no matter how people bash us, and say we're done and all that, we always believe, and I think that comes from great leadership."
Seattle's offense, which has been out of sync for much of the season, got off to another rough start, but scored put together two second-quarter touchdown drives to get the Seahawks back int the game, then turned Diggs interception into a third touchdown—Lockett's 12-yard score—that put Seattle ahead for good.
As Lockett put it, the team offense has looked good in practice, but on game day there are too many mistakes, some of which were still evident on Sunday like penalties, sacks, or in the case of this particular game, turnovers. But even with those mistake, the offense was able to get on track and look as cohesive as it has since early in the year.
"You're sitting there like, 'Bro, what do we have to do?'" Lockett said. "And I think we finally got past that. We finally were able to put drives together, we finally were able to believe, we finally were able to move the ball and do what it is that we always knew we can do."
And again, it wasn't always pretty. Gerald Everett had a day to forget, fumbling twice and turning what should have been a touchdown into an interception; there were a couple of drive-killing sacks, including two that took the Seahawks out of field goal range; but the Seahawks did enough on offense to convert five of seven third downs during their three touchdown drives, and to run a season-high 68 plays from scrimmage, and to win the time of possession battle for the first time all season, and perhaps most importantly for their chances going forward, Wilson looked the best he has since returning from injury.
"Russ was strong," Carroll said. "Good, solid football game. Made some great throws in the game. Took a couple sacks, we need to talk about that; thought maybe we could get rid of the football. But I thought he played a really good football game. Two-minute drill was exquisite. Again, the play to Tyler for the touchdown, that orchestration of that route and the concept and the call, was a great call, by Shane (Waldron) and great execution by the guys, and great toss. Really, we should have scored the other time down there. Gerald had a chance, he's in the end zone, that's a touchdown. We had the other one, too. Russ had a couple more touchdowns in him today that didn't show up. I thought he played a really good game."
It was a weird, disjointed game, but it was still a win for the Seahawks, a win that, as left tackle Duane Brown put it, "Does everything. Winning does everything. Getting us on the right track. That's a really good team we went against, they've been on a roll, getting a win at home—we haven't been able to win at home for a while—it means everything. It's just a confidence boost, just a lot to build on. We've got a lot to clean up, it wasn't pretty by any means, but we'll take that ugly win any day of the week."
Seahawks players, dancers, and staff will wear custom designed cleats and shoes supporting causes they feel passionate about during Week 13 vs. the San Francisco 49ers on December 5.
Cody Barton — Paradigm Foundation
Paradigm Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit which strives to address the physical needs of those who lack the basic necessity of shelter.
Nick Bellore — 3 Mariposas Montessori
Montessori school provides accessible education for children ages one to 10 in a diverse and exemplary environment.
Marquise Blair — Youth Achievement Center
The Youth Achievement Center is an upcoming project in South Seattle, designed by and for young people, to provide supportive housing, services, and a community space.
Jordyn Brooks — Youth Achievement Center
The Youth Achievement Center is an upcoming project in South Seattle, designed by and for young people, to provide supportive housing, services, and a community space.
Pete Carroll — Choose 180
Choose 180 transforms systems of injustice and supports the young people who are too often impacted by these systems.
Chris Carson — Seattle Children’s Foundation
The Seattle Children's Foundation is dedicated to providing hope, care, and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible.
L.J. Collier — Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
PanCAN's vision is to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive.
Alex Collins — Adversity Kills
Adversity Kills inspires people to attack adversity head on and overcome any obstacle that life presents.
DeeJay Dallas — Justice For Black Girls
Justice For Black Girls intends to expand global knowledge of how U.S.-based systems of power respond to and perpetuate the abuse of Black girls in schools, in prisons, and in protests.
Seahawks Dancers — Broadview Domestic Violence Shelter
The Broadview Domestic Violence Shelter uses a trauma-informed care model to provide case management, children's programs, domestic violence and addiction support groups, parenting classes, and housing search assistance.
Will Dissly — 4ocean
4ocean is both a public corporation and certified B Corp which is committed to ending the ocean plastic crisis.
Carlos Dunlap II — The Carlos Dunlap Foundation
The Carlos Dunlap Foundations strives to bridge the gap between post-high school life and career-ready resources to allow more athletes and underserved youth to pursue educational and entrepreneurial aspirations with fewer barriers.
Gerald Everett — The Gerald Everett Foundation
The Gerald Everett Foundation's mission is to bring better change and coexistence in society and communities, and to bind stronger resources into the communities that are easily accessible.
Poona Ford — National Breast Cancer Foundation
The National Breast Cancer Foundation believes knowledge and early detection saves lives and is dedicated to educating women on what they can do to be proactive with their breast health.
Stone Forsythe — YESS Foundation
YESS aims to champion and empower Young Stroke Survivors and their families on the journey to reclaim a fulfilling life.
Kyle Fuller — Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)
BEAM works to remove the barriers that Black people experience when gaining access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing through education, training, advocacy, and the creative arts.
Geno Smith — 7 Sunday Heroes Foundation
The 7 Sunday Heroes Foundation works with dedicated and charitable people to help provide the support and resources our local heroes need to lead.
Penny Hart — Read and Right ATL
Read and Right ATL impacts local youth in Atlanta, GA, by donating books and empowering kids to increase literacy and encourage reading.
Gabe Jackson — National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.
Damien Lewis — His Steps Ministries, Inc.
His Steps Ministries Inc. aims to bring true and permanent change to the lives of substance abusers through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the sufficient resources of God's Word.
Colby Parkinson — Children’s Hunger Fund
The Children's Hunger Fund equips and positions church leaders and volunteers to reach suffering children and families in their communities by delivering food and hope found in the gospel of Christ.
D.J. Reed — National MS Society
The National MS Society aims to cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.
Alton Robinson — Pay It Forward
The Pay It Forward Foundation was established as a catalyst to inspire growth for the Pay It Forward philosophy; acts of kindness among strangers, generating a ripple effect from one person to the next and one community to the next.
Sidney Jones IV — Mental Health America (MHA)
MHA's work is driven by its commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services, early identification and intervention for those at risk, and integrated care, services, and support for those who need them.
John Schneider — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
Brandon Shell — National Stuttering Association (NSA)
The NSA's vision is to bring hope and empowerment to children and adults who stutter, their families, and professionals through support, education, advocacy, and research.
Freddie Swain — Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer's Association is leading the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
Darrell Taylor — American Breast Cancer Foundation
The American Breast Cancer Foundation works to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education, and support services.
Walter Jones — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
Russell Wilson — Why Not You Foundation
The Why Not You Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through education, empowering youth to lead with a "why not you?" attitude.
Al Woods — Community Change
Community Change works to build the power of low-income people, especially people of color, to fight for a society where everyone can thrive.
Bryan Mone —Choice Supports
Choice Supports strives to support individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions and ensure the rights and safety of people by coordinating support services to address specific needs & goals of the individual.
John Schneider — Ben’s Fund/Nine Line
Ben's Fund was established in honor of John and Traci Schneider's son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and, in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, is intended to provide financial support and guidance to children and young adults in the state of Washington who have autism.
