Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 38-25 win over Falcons

The Seahawks are 1-0 to begin the season after an impressive 38-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Seahawks win: Recap and photos | New season, new Hawks? | Quick hits

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have enlisted the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle to provide their instant reactions to the victory.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg of Seahawks reaction from 710. Catch more Monday on the station, beginning with Danny and Gallant at 7 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30. And for another instant reaction take, check out Jim Moore’s quick column here.

Tom Wassell – Tom, Jake and Stacy

Russell Wilson: Aside from possibly holding the ball for too long on a play or two, the man was perfect. Deep ball, long ball, mid-range, running it. MVP-like. Great play-calling by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, too.

Running backs: Loved seeing Chris Carson run AND catch. Carlos Hyde had his say in this game too. Underrated pickup this offseason.

Wide receivers/tight ends: Umm. DK Metcalf is electric. Tyler Lockett is the security blanket. Both looked to be in midseason form. Will Dissly and Greg Olsen showed up as well.

Offensive line: Penalties need to be cleaned up but given that it was their first time out, that was very encouraging for a group that hasn’t played together.

Defensive line: Apparently, it DOES take a village. L.J. Collier, Benson Mayowa, Jarran Reed and the rest made Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan just uncomfortable enough to keep him from getting in rhythm, other than the 14 straight he completed in the middle of the game.

Secondary: I was so wrong about the Jamal Adams trade. Who cares about the draft picks? This guy is everywhere. Atlanta’s running game never got going because Adams owned the line of scrimmage all day long. How about Quinton Dunbar and then Shaquill Griffin twice with breakups on that defensive series with about six minutes to go that basically iced it? Breaking up three straight passes before an incompletion on fourth down? Tremendous effort there that led to Seattle scoring once again to put the game away.

Linebackers: Bobby Wagner was his usual self, present on so many plays – making tackles galore.

Special teams: Nice forced fumble by Marquise Blair on a Falcons fake punt run, but Atlanta’s recovered onside kick was the cleanest you’ll ever see.

Grade: A-

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

What a fantastic start to the season for the Seahawks. First of all, how amazing is it that Jamal Adams actually exceeded the hype? The guy was making plays all over the field. Anybody that had any reservations about what the Seahawks gave up in exchange for him I think feel pretty good right about things now.

As for the rest of the defense, Bobby Wagner had a great day and… that was about it. Keeping in mind it is Game 1 of a season with no preseason games to get acclimated, it was a tough day for Dunbar, Shaq and the pass rush.

I would imagine the “Let Russ cook” crowd are extremely happy with this game. Russell was an absolute magician out there: 31 of 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns passes.

Despite a drop, DK Metcalf picked up where he left off last year with four catches for 95 yards and a TD, and Tyler Lockett was as brilliant as ever (eight targets, eight catches).

The offensive line was pretty decent for the most part. Some struggles on the right side early in the game but they seemed to get that worked out. Russell was sacked three times but you could put two of those on him. The play calling was creative and aggressive, even mixing in some up-tempo at times.

Overall, a great start and a great game for the 2020 Seattle Seahawks.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

I don’t consider myself a “cooking person,” but I do believe that Russell Wilson will be the NFL’s MVP in 2020. And he played perfectly today, throwing just four incompletions (three of which hit DK Metcalf’s hands) en route to a 322-yard, four-TD performance.

Fourth downs were the difference in this one. Atlanta went for it four times, including a fake punt, and were stuffed on all four. On the other, Seattle ACTUALLY WENT FOR IT [gasp] on fourth and 5 at the Atlanta 38. That gamble paid off with 6 when Wilson lobbed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Metcalf.

Jamal Adams was all over the field, looking every bit worth two first round picks. He finished the day with 12 total tackles, including two for a loss, plus a sack and some QB pressures. Bobby Wagner looked great too, contributing seven tackles of his own (including a critical tackle for a loss) and two deflected passes.

But the game was not without concerns. We’re in for another year of Russell Wilson running for his life (three sacks and 10 QB hits) behind a patchwork offensive line. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ run defense had some serious issues before Atlanta was forced to abandon it altogether. And Seattle’s cornerbacks often looked overmatched by Atlanta’s elite passing attack.

Yards are far from everything, and the Hawks only allowed one big play. But Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage were able to do whatever they wanted. If they’d converted on those fourth downs, we’d be talking about another stressful Seahawks game.

A relaxing #Seahawks victory? #WhatAreThose

An in a nutshell recap of the 38-25 W:
– Russ is winning MVP [assuming he doesn’t die, OL]
– Schotty let Russ Cook
– But Schotty shoveled some chutzpah & modern concepts into the O!
– Adams & Wagner 👍👍
– The corners 😕
– The run D 😅 pic.twitter.com/k1pN1XPCYd

— Paul Gallant (@GallantSays) September 13, 2020

The Groz – 710 ESPN Seattle host emeritus

It’s hard not to overreact to NFL games, especially in Week 1 and particularly this year, but what a present for Seahawks fans today in Atlanta.

The offense clicked all day long as Russell Wilson cooked like an Iron Chef with a virtually flawless performance. He’s had so many great ones but this was a virtuoso, basically perfect performance. With the weapons he has, there is reason to believe that Wilson is going to have his best season. Greg Olson is a nice fit and the guys who returned performed the way we’ve seen them. And Wilson to Metcalf is only going to get better.

Despite the cost, it’s hard to feel the Seahawks overpayed for Jamal Adams. This is certainly just a one-game reaction but you saw the whole package. Adams rushed the QB, tackled well, covered better and was virtually flawless as well save for a collision with Shaq Griffin that cost a score. At age 24, this is a guy who is going to get better. He doesn’t remind me of anyone – he’s an original. If the choice was between him and Jadeveon Clowney for the long term, they made the right choice.

It’s the best win in a road opener in Pete Caroll’s 11 years, and of course it’s just one game, but if they keep it up all the pre-season goals are within thier grasp. A great way to start the season.

Jessamyn McIntyre – Danny and Gallant

The Seahawks started exactly the way we wanted them to – with a win. That aside, we wanted to see contributions from the newcomers and we certainly got it.

Greg Olsen scored his first touchdown as a Seahawk, rookie Freddie Swain recovered a Marquise Blair-caused fumble on a Falcons fake punt, and Jamal Adams was EVERYWHERE the ball was. It seems a bit early to say Adams was worth the pair of first-round picks for which he was traded, but I don’t care. He is every bit worth the two first-round picks.

The Seahawks went undefeated last year in 10 a.m. road games and that streak continues.

Did Russell Wilson ‘cook’ today? If throwing a 38-yard bomb to DK Metcalf on fourth down has him in the kitchen, I’d say so. Congratulations to all who had Chris Carson on their fantasy rosters this weekend as well.

The offense clicked, Russell was great and the improved secondary appears to have set the tone we wanted to see. This season has the makings of pure excitement and I can’t wait to watch them at CenturyLink next weekend.

Curtis Rogers – The John Clayton Show

Everything we’ve come to anticipate with Seahawks openers was more or less thrown out the window against Atlanta.

So often Seattle spends the first 80% of Week 1 trying to figure out who they are. It was evident on the very first drive that they knew what makes everything go, and that’s Russell Wilson. He was perfect and precise with every pass on a drive that had no business resulting in a TD after two sacks and a holding penalty.

On defense, Jamal Adams is decidedly the second-most important player to the 2020 Seahawks behind Wilson and it’s not really up for debate. Bobby Wagner remains incredible, but Adams plays with an energy and confidence not seen around the VMAC since the LOB days.

It wouldn’t have been a true Seahawks’ game without some headaches along the way (Damien Lewis’ holding penalties, Travis Homer), but you can’t help but be pleased with what we saw on Sunday.

Oh yeah, one thing specifically for Pete Carroll: You CAN win a game before the 4th quarter, and your team showed you exactly how to do that.

Did Seahawks Let Russ Cook? | Hawks, Adams beaming after his debut