Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 17-12 loss to Giants

The Seahawks suffered an unexpected setback on Sunday afternoon, falling 17-12 to the New York Giants to drop to 8-4 on the season and lose sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

Seahawks lose to Giants | Offense hits low point | Russ cooked by Giants

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions of the hosts and producers from 710 ESPN Seattle’s shows to the loss to the Giants. Read a taste what they have to say below, and tune in to the station all day Monday for more in-depth coverage beginning with Danny and Gallant at 7 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30 a.m.

Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob

To call this game ugly, disappointing, frustrating, etc., doesn’t do it justice. This was beyond disappointing. It was a head-scratching car crash!

This offense was a no show. The play calling was disjointed and curious at best. Russell Wilson had one of his worst days we’ve seen in recent memory. The O-line is dealing with injuries that seemed to have definitely caught up with them, and they were dominated for a good part of the game. The fact that Russell held onto the ball as long as he did time after time looking for the deep ball while seemingly ignoring what the defense was giving him certainly did not help, either.

Throw in Pete Carroll electing to punt rather than attempt a 55-yard field goal (Jason Myers has hit from 60-plus this season) and another curious timeout in the second half, and it was a collective fail across the board.

The defense played well in the first half, pitching a shutout. The third quarter was a different story with the Giants scoring 14 points. Wayne Gallman rushed for 135 yards on 16 carries. That’s 8.4 yards per carry. The one area this defense has played well in the majority of the season has been against the run, but when they needed it most, that defense just wasn’t there.

Bottom line, the Seahawks played one of their worst games of the season and didn’t deserve to win. Anybody looking at this schedule and thinking any of these games are a gimme needn’t look any further than the debacle we witnessed in this game.

Stacy Rost – Jake and Stacy

When Giants running back Wayne Gallman Jr. broke through a group of defenders, found a hole, and sprinted 60 yards with only open field in front of him, it felt like we’d seen this before. Gallman slowed himself further downfield to dodge an attempted tackle by Jamal Adams and was brought down by speedy rookie linebacker Jordyn Brooks as a result. The Seahawks’ defense – which has allowed the most yards of any defense through the season – had allowed another explosive play.

They stumbled again on a second touchdown drive by the Giants, but one of Seattle’s worst losses under Pete Carroll doesn’t fall this time on the defense – a group that, outside of those two drives, performed well. Put this one on the shoulders of Russell Wilson, Brian Schottenheimer, and the rest of the Seahawks’ offense, who managed just a single touchdown.

The offense got plenty of help. The Seahawks’ defense held the Giants scoreless through the first half and recorded a safety on a blocked punt. When the Giants’ offense got the ball back late in the fourth quarter with a chance to seal the win, the defense forced them off the field and gave the ball back to Wilson with just under two minutes remaining.

This was Seattle’s moment. Weeks ago, this offense was leading the rest of the league in points per game and Wilson led all passers in touchdowns. He was heading up the MVP conversation, but a series of missteps since have seen him fall out of it. Struggles popped back up against the Giants. Wilson saw pressures but also held onto the ball far too long. He had a few overthrows, including what would’ve been a game-winning touchdown to wide receiver Freddie Swain.

Whatever the circumstances leading up to this moment, Wilson had a chance. He and Seattle’s offense had 1:48 to move 80 yards. If I’m telling you to choose a quarterback to stage a comeback like this, you’re choosing one of Wilson, Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers.

Instead, the quarterback and the offense that kept Seahawks fans eyeing a Super Bowl faltered again. Wilson’s fourth-down heave fell incomplete, and Seattle’s hopes of a comeback victory went away with it. Wilson’s abysmal day doesn’t change the fact that he’s one of the best passers in the league, and to think it does would ignore years of fantastic play and improbably comebacks. But if he wants to be the best – and I assure you he does – he can’t afford many days like this.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

Remember when the Seahawks’ offense was the NFL’s best?

For the second time in less than a calendar year, the Seahawks lost a home game to a backup quarterback. But it wasn’t the fault of the defense. Seattle held the opposition scoreless for an entire half for the first time all season. And while they had a rough third quarter, allowing huge runs over two touchdown drives, holding New York to less than 20 points should be considered a win.

It wasn’t the fault of special teams, either. Seattle blocked a punt for a safety, nailed its only field goal and PAT attempts, and dropped two punts inside the 20-yard line – though there was one head-scratcher. When facing a 56-yard field goal attempt, the Seahawks decided to punt even though Jason Myers had kicked a 61-yard field goal a few weeks earlier.

Russell Wilson no longer looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Over the last few weeks, we’ve either seen an erratic or overly cautious No. 3. He hasn’t been as quick or elusive as he used to be while under pressure. He’s thrown the ball into heavy coverage. His accuracy has been off. He seems hesitant to throw the football down field. And he’s even having difficulties with basic things like taking a snap.

Russ wasn’t the only problem Sunday. There were dropped passes, missed tackles, and musical chairs on the offensive line due to injuries. Pete Carroll even called a strange timeout down multiple scores. And it all added up to an embarrassing home loss against a sub-.500 team without its starting quarterback.

So much for what should have been the Seahawks’ easiest stretch of the season. You’d think next week’s game against the Jets would be the perfect antidote for Seattle’s recent struggles. But after this loss, the Seahawks aren’t allowed to take anything for granted.

The Groz – 710 ESPN Seattle host emeritus

There is no bright side, don’t look for it. The Seahawks inexplicably lost at home, giving up 190 yards rushing to a 4-7 team playing their backup quarterback. They even had the ball within a score and with two timeouts and over a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, which has been Russell Wilson time, and failed to score.

I have no idea what the game plan was, although it wasn’t executed. The Giants’ defense is good but not that good. Chris Carson and the running game was healthy, and there were plenty of healthy receivers. There’s really no excuse for Russell Wilson to play as poorly as he did. No MVP votes again this year.

The defense was good until it wasn’t. Terrible third quarter as the Giants ran all over them. You knew Colt McCoy couldn’t beat you, so why not load up against the run all game?

Obviously, Pete Carroll and his coaching staff had a bad game and week as I’m sure they will admit. They didn’t seem prepared for what the Giants were going to do.

It’s just one loss but it’s a crushing one. Carroll hasn’t lost many games when he’s been a double-digit favorite without something extraordinary happening. There was nothing extraordinary about how the Giants played. The Seahawks have to figure out what has happened, especially to their offense, or more embarrassment could be waiting next week against the winless Jets.

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