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Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 30-16 loss to Ravens

Oct 20, 2019, 5:20 PM | Updated: 7:52 pm

Seahawks picked off by Marcus Peters...

Marcus Peters had the first interception thrown all season by Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. (AP)

(AP)

The Seahawks lost for just the second time this season on Sunday, falling 30-16 to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field.

Ravens 30, Seahawks 16: O’Neil on Carroll | Rost on Wilson | Recap

As we do after each Seahawks games, we have compiled instant reactions from the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle to provide a sneak peak of what you’ll be able to hear on the station throughout the day Monday.

Tom Wassell – Tom, Jake and Stacy

This one was actually cruising along nicely for a while. In the first half the Seahawks contained the Ravens’ offense, holding them to 3-and-outs or at least preventing them from scoring for the most part. Yes, Russell Wilson threw an awful pick-6, but it’s his first interception of the season. I can forgive that. Lamar Jackson looked dangerous, but nothing he did was endangering the Seahawks from winning the game.

Fast-forward to the second half.

Tied at 13-13, the Seahawks were driving as they had all game, mixing up the pass with the run (actually passing a lot more than running at that point). Pete Carroll was faced with a decision to kick a field goal from 53 yards or go for it on fourth-and-3. He should have gone for it, plain and simple. I’m not just saying that after the fact. Scoring a TD there would have really put the Ravens in a tough spot, and if the Seahawks didn’t get it we would have had the same outcome. A 16-13 lead there wouldn’t have made me feel too much better about where the game was headed.

Instead, Jason Myers misses the kick, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram take over the game, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has his OWN decision to make on whether or not to go for it – he did – and all of a sudden it’s 20-13 Baltimore. On the next possession the Seahawks stall, and when the Ravens get the ball back, Lamar Jackson REALLY takes off with huge runs, chewing up a ton of clock (9 minutes, to be exact) and resulting in another field goal to make it 23-13.

Even though DK Metcalf fumbled and the Ravens recovered and ran it into the end zone, I didn’t feel like Seattle was going to erase a 10-point deficit with 3 minutes to go anyways. Just a feeling.

Bad loss, but thankfully it came against an AFC team and there’s still a lot of season to go.

One more thing: Don’t let anyone tell you that Pete Carroll was out-coached. Pete beat himself. There’s a difference between the opposing coach strategizing to put you in a tough position (playing the field position game, scheming your offense, etc). John Harbaugh did not fool Pete Carroll into attempting a kick instead of going for it on fourth-and-3. Pete made that mistake on his own. In the Super Bowl against the Patriots, Bill Belichick KNEW that the Seahawks were going to throw it at the goal line and sent in a specific defense to counter them. It worked. THAT was out-coaching the other guy. Today’s events don’t qualify.

The Groz – Host emeritus

It’s going to hard not to look at this game as a tale of two decisions. Pete Carroll goes for a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter of a tie game and Jason Myers misses. Eleven plays later, John Harbaugh goes for it on fourth-and-2 on the 8 and the Ravens score. The game was never the same after that and I’m not sure why.

Despite several dropped passes, the Ravens were able to trample the Seahawks’ defense in the fourth quarter at a time they may have been a little reluctant to throw. Up to that point the Seahawks had done as good a job as anyone in minimizing Jackson and the Baltimore offense. In fact the Ravens’ first offensive touchdown of the game took nearly three quarters, and this is a team averaging more then 30 points a game.

Russell Wilson was not at his best for sure and the Seahawks had two uncharacteristic turnovers, but it’s still hard for me to figure out why they collapsed so completely when they pride themselves on being fourth quarter warriors.

Lamar Jackson is a unique weapon – he really seems to play at a different speed then everyone else – and the Ravens are a good team, but I don’t envy ‘Tell the Truth’ Monday at the VMAC. It’s going to be painful.

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

If you were wondering how well this team can play if Russell Wilson doesn’t play great, we all found out today. This was the worst performance from Wilson in what is STILL an MVP season. His first interception of the year resulted in a defensive TD. It was a terrible pass, bottom line. But this loss was not all on Wilson’s shoulders by a long shot.

Lamar Jackson was special when running the ball. The key to this game for the Hawks was forcing Jackson to be a passer, where I believe he is far from elite. He ended the day 9 for 20 passing for 143 yards, no TDs no interceptions. The problem is when your team is given the gift of two defensive TDs off of turnovers, there is little need to put the ball in the air. There is also very little need to put the ball in the air when you’re killing the opposition on the ground the way that Jackson did (14 carries for 116 yards and a TD). Jackson showed why people are so enamored with him. He made back-breaking plays with his legs. He also showed us how far this Seahawks’ defense and overall team still has to go.

The Hawks are 5-2 and right in the middle of the NFC race. They’re a good,not a great team, and they showed us today that they’re not good enough yet to beat a really good team if Russell Wilson isn’t having a typical Russell Wilson day.

The rest of this team has to be able to get it done on the days where Wilson shows that he is human.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

It doesn’t take much to ruin a Presidential campaign. Sometimes, all it takes is refusing to wear makeup, forgetting your own policies or an unfortunate yell. One blunder, and boom … you’re done.

I don’t want to make too much out of Russell Wilson’s careless pick-six to Marcus Peters, but that stumble in his MVP campaign was the Dean-Scream-esque moment for a Seahawks offense that never recovered Sunday. On top of that, it opened the door for another MVP candidate to enter the fray: Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.

Everyone knows how mobile Jackson – who drew a Michael Vick comparison from Jadeveon Clowney after the game (and once from Vick himself) – can be.

“Yeah PAWL, but all he can do is run.”

I don’t subscribe to that theory. Jackson’s stats might indicate otherwise, but he made pretty throws downfield and was victimized by a few drops. And with the way he ran through and around Seattle’s defense (14 carries for 116 yards and a TD), even IF he could only run he’d be just fine. Because who can actually stop him? I don’t even blame the Hawks’ defense for their struggles containing him. Those Vick comparisons are legit.

I do blame a lackluster offensive gameplan. When Wilson’s struggles began – an 0-for-6 stretch in the second quarter, including the pick-six – the Hawks didn’t turn back to Chris Carson and the ground game. And for whatever reason, they kept trying to run plays AROUND the Ravens. Baltimore’s defense was too fast for that to work.

And I do blame Pete Carroll’s decision to attempt a 53-yard field goal in the rain on a fourth-and-3 at the Ravens’ 35. That’s a tough ask for any kicker, let alone Myers (who made the rest of his kicks today). Going for it (which the Ravens did on fourth-and-2 from the Seahawks’ 8 on the following drive, scoring a TD on said play) would have been a better choice. No matter Wilson’s struggles Sunday, he’s still Russell Wilson, and 3 yards is very manageable. Playing the field-position game and punting it (no matter Michael Dickson’s recent struggles) would also have been better than handing things over to Jackson and company close to mid-field.

Perhaps it was naive of me to ponder first-round bye possibilities for the Seahawks. The defense isn’t good enough to win a game on its own, and a sub-par day from Wilson completely derailed Seattle. The Seahawks were going to need to win this game to keep that conversation alive. The Saints, Packers, and 49ers all handled their business Sunday. The Seahawks didn’t. And without some help, any playoff appearance will likely start on Wild Card weekend.

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