Three Things from the Seahawks’ win over Chicago

The Seahawks have forced a punt on every opponent possession with Kam Chancellor on the field this season. They also have yet to allow a point with Chancellor playing.

Those are just some of the statistics you can over-react to after Sunday’s victory over Chicago as we count up the things that we learned and the things we’re still trying to figure out:

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Three things we learned:

1. The Seahawks made headway in their ground game.

For the first two and a half games, Seattle’s ground game could be measured in feet and sometimes in inches. That changed in the third quarter Sunday when the Seahawks got things going. Thomas Rawls carried seven times in the quarter, gaining 54 yards and gathering the momentum that took him to 105 yards. It was a promising step for a team that had turned to the passing game to jump-start the offense in the third quarter against Green Bay. Three games into this season, the Seahawks have yet to rush for a touchdown.

2. Seattle’s pass protection remains a contradiction in terms.

Russell Wilson was sacked on Seattle’s second play from scrimmage, setting the tone for what would be a recurring problem. He was sacked twice in the first series of the second half, too. It was a step backward after Week 2, when the Seahawks were markedly better in protecting their quarterback. “Unfortunately, we got rushed more than we thought we would,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We thought we’d be better than that going in. They did a nice job heating it up so we’ll see what those issues are.”

3. Frank Clark is going to have an impact on this season.

No one was more consistent in the preseason than Clark, who was effective lining up at defensive end and also at defensive tackle. He was largely invisible through the first two weeks, but against Chicago, Seattle made a point of getting Clark more opportunities and he made the most of those. In fact, Clark and defensive tackle Jordan Hill were the two players who stood out most along the defensive line.

Three things we’re still trying to figure out:

1. Which game was more indicative of what we can expect from Jimmy Graham?

He caught one pass against the Packers in Week 2, but you’ve probably heard all about that followed by the speculation of just how frustrated Graham was (according to some reports) or wasn’t (according to Graham himself). The Seahawks made it a point to get Graham the ball against Chicago, throwing to him on the first play and looking to him consistently. He caught seven passes against the Bears, giving him 14 receptions in three games this season. So was the game in Green Bay the exception or was the game against Chicago? Can Seattle keep Graham woven into the fabric of the passing game? We’ll see. While it’s kind of silly to project season totals after three games, he is one pace to catch 75 passes.

2. How much credit do you give Seattle’s defense for the shutout?

Shutouts are rare in the NFL. This was just the third time in Carroll’s six years in Seattle that the Seahawks held an opponent scoreless, and just the 19th time in franchise history. That said, Sunday’s game was against one of the most toothless opponents the Seahawks have played in the past 10 years. Chicago punted on each of its 10 possessions, never got closer than the Seattle 45. It was the first time since 1980 that an NFL team had played a game in which every possession ended in a punt.

3. How long will teams keep kicking to Tyler Lockett?

It took him three games to become only the second player in Seahawks history to score via a kickoff and a punt return in the same season. He has scored two touchdowns in the regular season after scoring three times in four preseason games. Each one of those touchdowns has covered more than 50 yards, and at some point, teams are going to start kicking away from Lockett, which will mean Seattle has to find other ways to get its rookie the ball.

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