710’s Instant Reaction: Seahawks hold off Bengals 21-20 in Week 1

The Seahawks beat the Cincinnati Bengals 21-20 to open the NFL season Sunday, and as is the case with every Seahawks game, we have enlisted the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle for their instant reactions to the victory.

Seahawks 21, Bengals 20: Recap | Photo gallery | Box score

Here’s what they have say:

Dave “The Groz” Grosby

This was the kind of game that a good team finds a way to win and a bad team finds a way to lose. The Bengals rolled up more then 400 yards, nearly doubled the Seahawks in first downs, dominated time of possession and somehow lost. Cincinnati made critical mistakes when it mattered most and the Seahawks escaped with a win, which is all that matters.

Great debut for the most part by DK Metcalf and a nice start for Jadeveon Clowney. It seems odd on a day when the defense was dominated to say the best player was on defense, but Quinton Jefferson had a career game. He was all over the field.

Very disappointing day by the offensive line, which was a surprise, and a very tough day for the secondary, which was not a surprise. The Hawks will obviously have to play a lot better next week in Pittsburgh. This could have very easily been a loss but it wasn’t.

My biggest takeaways are that Metcalf is going to give defenses a lot to think about and the Seahawks found a way to win when playing poorly.

Tom Wassell

It’s Week 1, so an ugly win is entirely forgivable.

Tre Flowers might have some difficulty falling asleep tonight because he was lit up all day long. In fact nobody on the Seahawks’ defense behind the front four had anything resembling a good day. Jadeveon Clowney had a nice start to the game and then came up with a key sack later on, so good for him. Quinton Jefferson was a madman. He came up with sacks and had consistent pressure for most of the day. Al Woods did his part too with that sack/fumble that looked more like an interception.

On offense, DK Metcalf showed that he will be a featured part of the attack. If Lockett is tied up by opposing defenses he’ll be the guy to go to. The offensive line struggled in a way none of us expected, but it didn’t really affect their ability to move the ball save for a few sequences in the middle part of the game. Chris Carson didn’t have the biggest day in the world statistically but had multiple key plays in the game, and Brian Schottenheimer showed that he’s going to use him as a pass catcher more often. Russell Wilson looked like himself. Nothing spectacular, but the throws were where they needed to be and he couldn’t have timed a few of them better (like the Lockett TD off of play-action).

Shoutout to former UW wide receiver John Ross, who had a huge day with seven receptions, 158 yards and two TDs for Cincinnati.

Jake Heaps

While being outperformed in nearly every statistical category, the Hawks made plays when it mattered most and found a way to escape with a win at home against the Bengals.

Chris Carson and DK Metcalf were the stars on offense. Carson didn’t light up the stat sheet but he flashed with tough runs and one heck of a run-after-catch, bouncing off defenders that resulted in a crucial receiving touchdown in the second quarter. Metcalf came into the game with a mix of hype and skepticism, but he displayed he has what it takes to make an immediate impact for the Seahawks and Russell Wilson.

Jadeveon Clowney, Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson were the players on defense that stood out and came up big throughout the entire game.

Two clear areas that need immediate improvement for the Seahawks lie surprisingly first with the offensive line and then the defensive secondary. The offensive line gave up four sacks and nin QB hits and could not get the run game established. The secondary struggled throughout the entire game giving up 418 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Mike Salk

Can you win the game in the first quarter? NO! You know the routine by now and that’s why I could not believe the offense was booed throughout the second and third quarters the way they were. Come on. Yes, they had issues in protection and along the offensive line. But they were within three points the entire game and you have SEEN this before!

Of course Russ would get the final TD in the fourth quarter and the defense would hold. We have seen this movie a LOT! Just another day at CenturyLink playing Pete and Russ Ball.

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