Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 33-13 win over Texans

The Seahawks have won back-to-back games for the first time this season after coming away with a 33-13 win over the Texans in Houston on Sunday.

Fast Facts: Seahawks beat Texans | Penny breaks out

As we do after each Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions from the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle. See what they have to say below, and tune in Monday for full Seahawks coverage starting with The Mike Salk Show at 6 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30.

Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob

The Seahawks did what they were supposed to do – beat arguably the worst team in the NFL. Even at 4-8 coming into the game and playing on the road, there should have been very little doubt as to the outcome. But after the first half, that wasn’t the case. It was good to see the Hawks’ defense make some adjustments in the second half after making Texans quarterback Davis Mills look like Tom Brady in the first half, though.

Rashaad Penny had a career day (16 carries, 137 yards and two TDs), and it was great to see. Yes, it came against the worst rushing defense in the league, but it’s still a much needed day of success for a guy that has rarely been healthy or productive in his time with the Seahawks.

Tyler Lockett caught five passes for 142 yards and a TD, going over 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season as he remains one of the most underrated players in the entire league.

.@TDLockett12 knows how to socially distance. 😏 #ProBowlVote #WPMOYChallenge

📺 #SEAvsHOU on FOX pic.twitter.com/XwymZ84iOK

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 12, 2021

I would imagine Pete Carroll was also extremely happy with the run/pass balance that the offense had in this game (29 rushing attempts to 28 pass attempts).

Russell Wilson once again looked like Russell Wilson, extending plays, making beautiful downfield throws and, more importantly, no turnovers.

In the end, the Hawks kept their very slim playoff hopes alive with an efficient, dominant win over a team that they should dominate.

Mike Salk – The Mike Salk Show

Beating the Texans may not convince anyone that this is a contending team, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it wasn’t a dominant win because of how it started. It was.

Not only are the Seahawks not dead yet, they are very much alive after a dominant victory in Houston.

Yes, there was some frustration early as they let rookie Davis Mills complete his first 14 passes and get a quick touchdown on the first drive. But the defense shut it down from there and allowed just six points the rest of the way, half of which came on a 61-yard field goal. Mills was largely ineffective after that hot start, and for the second straight week Seattle pitched a shutout in the second half.

My hope is that this convinces Russell Wilson that this offense still functions better with a competent running game and a real commitment to running the ball. With Rashaad Penny’s strong running, everything functioned better, including Wilson.

They aren’t dead yet, and this was very much the blueprint for staying alive. Beat the Rams next week and we are having a whole new conversation.

The Groz – Host emeritus, 710 ESPN Seattle

It was a spotty first half but the Seahawks responded to dominate the second half and cruise to an easy win on the road in Houston.

A huge game for Rashaad Penny, which you’ve only been able to say two other times in his injury-plagued career, and Russell Wilson threw downfield a lot with some success, especially to Tyler Lockett, who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight year.

The defense played soft for most of the game, daring the 2-10 Texans and their rookie QB to beat them with long drives. They couldn’t.

The offense produced a ton of first downs and didn’t turn the ball over. The only thing lacking was Jason Myers in the kicking game, but that obviously wasn’t a factor today.

This turned out to be an easy win for the Seahawks like you would have hoped. Perhaps Penny can be a factor the rest of the way. You are developing some pretty good young defenders, as well.

The Seahawks have talked about running the table the rest of the way, and for one week they sure showed some good signs and didn’t look at all like a team mailing it in.

Seattle also improved to 13-1 in their last 14 games at 10 a.m. Remember when that used to be a problem? Too bad they don’t have any more this season.

Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

It wasn’t the most confidence-inspiring game, but when you hadn’t won consecutive games all season, you will take a win regardless of how it looks.

The Seahawks took advantage of a poor Texans run defense and got Rashaad Penny going early, which was great to see after his strong effort last week against the 49ers. It also opened up the “what could have been” debate with Penny if he had stayed healthy throughout his career in Seattle, but that is a question for another day. Today, it was a healthy Penny gashing the Texans’ defense for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns.

That @pennyhendrixx stiff arm 😳

📺 #SEAvsHOU on FOX pic.twitter.com/IUd7HFdKau

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 12, 2021

The Seahawks had the two most talented offensive players on the field in Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett, and it really just came down to those two making plays. The 55-yard touchdown pass before halftime swung momentum enough to give the Seahawks a lead they would not relinquish. Plus, we got the vintage “wow, only Tyler Lockett can make that catch” a couple of times today.

As we know, you can’t win a game in the first quarter, but the Seahawks’ defense didn’t do much early on to inspire confidence. Davis Mills should never start a football game 14 for 14, including an absolutely clinical seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the game. However, credit the Seahawks’ defense for finding ways to get pressure, make third down stops and take away short looks for Mills after that first quarter. It was a much-needed adjustment because the Texans’ rushing offense entered the game last in the league at just 78 yards per game and proceeded to get just 63 yards on 25 carries.

I’m not sure if we learned too much after this one that we didn’t already know, but it’s a win and a chance to keep the momentum rolling in a big game next Sunday against the Rams.

Justin Barnes – The Mike Salk Show

Not since 2019 have we seen a 100-yard rushing day from Rashaad Penny, but as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait a couple years and play the Houston Texans.

The final score tells a different story, but this game was a lot closer for the first three quarters starting with an opening drive TD from Texans QB Davis Mills, who stayed perfect for most of the first half. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned watching the Texans’ defense stop Russell Wilson and Co. and keep it to one possession game, but another huge day for Tyler Lockett and a couple explosive plays turned things around quick for the Seahawks’ offense in the fourth quarter.

Darrell Taylor was a problem for Mills and finished with another sack and one tackle for a loss. Great to see him continue to shine as the Seahawks win despite once again losing the time of possession battle by nearly seven minutes.

Wasn’t happy to see three gift-wrapped first downs to the Texans by way of penalty (eight total for 69 yards), but thanks to zero Seahawks turnovers and an offense that was able to convert more than 50% of third downs, the Seahawks were able to sustains long drives and run a balanced offense of 29 rushing attempts to 28 passing attempts before finally putting the game out of reach in the fourth. That sure feels a lot more like Pete Carroll football, doesn’t it?

Looking forward to hearing from a happy Coach Carroll tomorrow morning on The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30 a.m. after a big win on the road.

5-8 and not dead. Let’s go Hawks.

Rost: What we saw – and didn’t see – in Seahawks’ win over Houston