Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 38-31 win over Dallas

The Seahawks are 3-0 on the 2020 season after a slugfest against Dallas that they won 38-31, but it may have cost them as Seattle has a lengthy list of injuries all of the sudden.

Seahawks 38, Cowboys 31 | Quick hits | Injury updates on Adams, Carson

That and much more is addressed as we look at the instant reactions to the Seahawks’ win from 710 ESPN Seattle’s voices, a weekly tradition at 710Sports.com during the football season. And remember, this is just a preview of all of the Seahawks reaction you’ll be able to hear all day Monday on the station beginning with Danny and Gallant at 7 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30.

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

Where to begin?

Let’s start with the good.

• Even on a day where Russell Wilson wasn’t nearly as sharp as he was in the first two games, he threw for five touchdowns and 315 yards.

• Tyler Lockett comes up with nine catches for 100 yards and three TDs.

• Ugo Amadi played a really solid game on a day where the secondary was absolutely shredded to pieces.

• Alton Robinson is activated for the first time this season and he comes up with a HUGE sack in the final minute of the game as Dallas was driving.

• The offensive line suffered two losses to injury in this game, Mike Iupati and Damien Lewis. But more often than not, Russell had all day to throw the ball.

• DK Metcalf came up with a crucial TD catch late in the game to give Seattle the lead. He ends the day with four catches for 110 yards and a TD.

Now for the bad.

This defense is a problem, “the end!” as Dave Wyman would say. They lost Jamal Adams to injury in this game, but they were struggling long before he left. Shaq Griffin and Tre Flowers were absolutely abused all day. Dak Prescott threw for 472 yards and three TDs. The Cowboys’ offense put up 522 yards of total offense for 31 points. There were missed tackles and very little pressure on Prescott for most of this game. Much like the first two games of the season, this defense gave up chunk play after chunk play.

3-0 is awesome. But what is becoming very clear is that this offense can’t afford to have an off day. On a day where Russell threw for five TDs and put up 38 points, it came to down to the final play of the game to secure the win.

I love DK Metcalf. He’s a brilliant talent with unlimited potential. But to start “Cadillac-ing” before you reach the end zone and have the ball punched out from behind for a touchback rather than a TD is completely unacceptable! I’m certain he’ll learn from it and we’ll never see that from him again. I still hope Pete Carroll lights him up for it behind the scenes.

Let’s hope the injuries to Adams, Lewis, Chris Carson and Jordyn Brooks aren’t serious.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

For about 10 minutes of gametime, I thought the Seahawks were about to cruise to a blowout. I forgot. They don’t do that. But I’ll GLADLY take a 3-0 Seahawks start, even if it gives me the indigestion.

We’re witnessing history with Russell Wilson. He set the NFL record for total TD passes through three games – 14, breaking Patrick Mahomes ’18 record of 13 – and his five TDs Sunday easily could have been six if DK Metcalf didn’t brain fart his way into the end zone.

Side rant: I know people hate that fumbles out of the end zone result in touchbacks. I love it. DK and EVERYONE who coughs up the ball close to the goal line deserves to be tomato’d by that NFL rule. The good news? He made up for it with the game-winning TD catch, and I doubt that’ll ever happen to him again. A hard lesson.

We’ve complained he’s been overlooked for years, but Russ is obviously the NFL’s MVP through three games. So now it’s time for the PNW to express our collective dismay about Tyler Lockett NOT being recognized as one of the NFL’s best receivers. Deep, short, or on a broken down play, he consistently steps up when Russ calls his name. He led Seattle with nine receptions on 13 targets, three touchdown receptions, and netted a 100-yard day.

Somehow, Pete Carroll’s Seahawks teams are 9-0 when they give up 400 yards passing. That’s really the only positive thing I have to say about the pass defense collectively. Yes, the two interceptions and fumble recovery were huge. But that wasn’t even a bend, bend, bend don’t break performance. This defense, one that preaches never giving up the big play, gave up three 40-yard TDs, two of them to a Cedrick Wilson.

Individually, there were some defensive bright spots. K.J. Wright had an incredible game, Ugo Amadi looks like a real player at nickel corner, and rookie Alton Robinson flashed alongside Jarran Reed getting after the passer. Seattle’s run defense deserves credit for keeping Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in check.

Unfortunately, the injuries keep coming for the Seahawks, who lost Damien Lewis, first-round pick Jordyn Brooks, Chris Carson, and Jamal Adams during the game. They also played without Quinton Dunbar and Lano Hill, who were inactive with injuries.

Things could be way worse. Again, Seattle is 3-0. But can Russell Wilson play like this every single week? He’ll have to.

Jim Moore – Bob, Dave and Moore

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to be relieved or excited, encouraged or discouraged.

Case in point, we could talk about Shaquill Griffin getting his first interception in 33 games. Or we could talk about the next drive when he was burned on two long-gainers that resulted in a Dallas touchdown.

Focusing on the bright side, the Seahawks are 3-0 and lead the NFC West. Russell Wilson did something no one else has ever done – throw 14 touchdown passes in the first three games of a season. And hey, they didn’t lose.

If they had lost, we’d probably be crushing them for yet another woeful defensive performance. Maybe you can chalk it up to numerous injuries, the latest of which sidelined Quinton Dunbar (knee) for the whole game and Jamal Adams (groin) in the second half. Or maybe they’re going to continue to struggle like they did last year no matter what.

It was nice to see Alton Robinson come up with a sack in the final 30 seconds, which made you wonder why we didn’t see him in the first two games when he was a healthy scratch.

It feels like nitpicking when there are so many issues in that defense, issues that will prevent them from making it to the Super Bowl if they continue. Or maybe they’ll just outscore all of their opponents in shootouts and hope that Wilson continues to cook like never before.

But if I’m Seahawks general manager John Schneider, I’m signing Snacks Harrison and Clay Matthews this week. Harrison would further bolster a run defense that has played well this season and held Ezekiel Elliott to 34 yards on 14 carries. Matthews is needed to help a pass rush that has managed only five sacks thus far.

You’re losing starters to injuries, and even when everyone was healthy, they were giving up yardage in bunches. You can’t waste what looks to be the best year in Wilson’s career, and think about this – I’d give him an A or an A- Sunday because he wasn’t his usually terrific self, under-throwing several receivers.

The Groz – Every day at 10:45 with John Clayton

It was an epic battle on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the Seahawks once again had unheralded heroes in improving to 3-0 on the season.

Seattle and Dallas were both dangerous wounded animals in a ferocious battle that I’d love to see again in the postseason. Key players in both secondaries went down and you knew two of the best QBs in the game were going to take advantage, and they did. But at the end it was a sack by fifth-round rookie Alton Robinson playing in his first NFL game and an interception by Ryan Neal, who was on the practice squad last week, that made the day.

Russell Wilson added to his MVP campaign on a day when he threw five TD passes (should have been six) with no picks, yet as Troy Aikman pointed out it wasn’t really his best day. That’s how good this man is right now. Great day for Tyler Lockett. A productive day for Greg Olson stood out. Leon Lett is a D-line coach for Dallas so he must have had a start when DK Metcalf relaxed costing him an easy touchdown (click here for context).

Injuries are piling up but the Seahawks are undefeated and still have the best QB in the game right now. The losses on defense are not going to be easy to replace so one thing is clear: “Let Russ Cook” is no longer a question. It’s the way in my opinion the Seahawks can keep winning for now and likely the rest of the season. Getting Russell Wison to the fourth quarter with a chance to win is not a bad way to fly.

O’Neil: Hard to imagine Seahawks losing with Wilson now, despite defense