2018 Seattle Seahawks: Highest of Highs, Lowest of Lows
by connorrice26 | 8 years ago | 1 Comments
KEY SIGNINGS AND DRAFT PICKS
Noah Renfree: A 76 OVR TE out of Arizona State, Renfree did not do much on the recieving end but was a superior run blocker throughout the season. He freed up space for Rawls and Procise on the outside and dished out his share of pancakes. He was released by the Seahawks at the beginning of the offseason and is now a New Orleans Saint.
Kyle Wilbur: A 72 OVR LOLB out of Wake Forest, Wilbur started all 16 games at the LOLB position and filled his role admirably despite a comparitive lack of talent. He finished the season with 23 tackles, a fumble recovery and an INT and is now an unsigned free agent.
Denard Wilbur: A 75 OVR tackle out of Texas, Wibur started all 16 games at the RT position and will reprise his role during the 2018-19 season.
Johnny Hekker: An 84 OVR punter out of Oregon State, Hekker put his league-high 97 kick power to good use throughout the season, bailing out the at-times anemic Seahawks offense by changing field position and giving the defense plenty of room to work.
Regular Season Recaps:
Week 1: Green Bay 17, Seattle 10
A game defined by long drives for both teams that stalled out near midfield. Russell Wilson would give everyone a glimpse of what was to come by passing for only 162 yards and 1 INT, and while the Seahawks defense came though with timely turnovers and a stout run defense it unfortunately wasn't enough to counteract the anemic offensive performance.
MVP: Michael Bennett (4 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 sack)
Week 2: Los Angeles 22, Seattle 14
Both linebacking corps were on one in this game, with the two teams combining for only 73 rushing yards. Eric Mackey put the league on notice by displaying his prowess in reading the field early in the season, going 21/25 with 2 TD's and 1 INT. The Seahawks had multiple opportunities to drive and potentially tie the game in the 4th quarter, but the Rams defense held firm and the Seahawks were unable to adapt to the impressive front 4 performance.
MVP: Doug Baldwin (6 REC, 123 yds)
Week 3: Seattle 26, Detroit 10
Jarran Reed had his coming-out party as one of the elite defensive tackles in this league, putting Stafford under durress all game and forcing the type of statline that would lead to Stafford eventually being bestowed the Sexy Rexy award. On the offensive side of the ball balance ruled the day, with 211 passing yards and 167 rushing yards. Rawls and Procise would begin to display the one-two punch that gave defensive coordinators headaches throughout the season.
MVP: Jarran Reed (2 sacks, countless block sheds and QB hits)
Week 4: Seahawks 37, Kansas City 31 (OT)
On a day where no one else wanted to, Russell Wilson stepped up and put on one of the greatest performances of his career. Wilson was able to fight off an outstanding offensive performance by the Chiefs and keep the Seahawks in this shootout, throwing a lazer to Lockett late in the 4th to force overtime and running in the game-winning TD. Wilson unfortunately was unable to replicate this performance consistently, but this game reminded Seahawks fans why they should be grateful to have such a capable veteran at the helm.
MVP: Russell Wilson (404 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, game-winning rushing TD)
Week 5: Seattle 37, Chicago 30
In retrospect, this was by some margin the best performance the Seahawks put on all year. Seattle put on a commanding performance after a shaky first quarter, gashing the Bears' defensive line with long run after long run and locking down the lethal Jordan Howard. After giving up a 90-yd game-tying drive defined by the smart decisions that would lead the Bears to their first Super Bowl since 1986, Tyler Lockett pulled off the best highlight of the 2018 season by breaking a game-winning kick return with only 12 sec remaining. Mixtapes were dropped. Women were impregnated. Legends were made.
MVP: Thomas Rawls (15 rushes, 167 yards, 1 TD)
Week 6: San Francisco 20, Seattle 14
Just as the Seattle passing game was starting to get in a groove, here it crashed and burned. A strong rushing performance by the 49ers combined with under 100 passing yards for the game by Russell Wilson led to one of the most impactful losses of the season. On the bright side, Rawls continued his strong start to the season by putting up 124 rushing yards.
MVP: Jarran Reed (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
Week 8: Seattle 20, Arizona 17
Seattle exorcised their demons and shifted the momentum of their season by putting together a strong 4th-quarter performance and making a game-winning FG as time expired. Not once under Bernie Sanders' tenure have the Seahawks been able to consistently run on the Cardinals, but Rawls fought for every yard he could and limited Arizona's time on the field. The LOB came through, forcing a season-high 3 INT's.
MVP: Kam Chancellor (3 tackles, 2 INT's)
Week 9: Seattle 40, Washington 17
Despite 3 turnovers, the Seahawks offense put together an incredible performance defined by long passing plays and time-consuming drives. With the game decided sometime in the 3rd quarter the backups got some reps, with Trevone Boykin and Alex Collins leading the offense for the entirety of the 4th quarter.
MVP: Russell Wilson (282 yards, 3 TD's, 1 INT)
Week 10: Seattle 55, Minnesota 24
A efficent Wilson performance was coupled by Thomas Rawls' single best game in his NFL career. The purple sea parted repeatedly and Rawls took full advantage, earning both a career high in yards and touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball the d-line forced 5 sacks and Bobby Wagner led the team in both tackles and INT's.
MVP: Thomas Rawls (11 rushes, 197 yards, 4 TD's)
Week 11: Seattle 6, Los Angeles 3
This was the only game of the year in which the Seahawks got completely outplayed yet snuck away with a victory anyway. Giving up over 300 yards of offense and yet holding the Rams to 3 points was proof of the clutch factor that the LOB has had throughout their time in the NFL, with ETIII and Chancellor both forcing key interceptions deep in their own territory. The defensive line also forced a season-high 7 sacks despite the absense of Jarran Reed. Rawls' prolific 3-week stretch came to a halt, with only 3 YPC in this game.
MVP: David Onyemata (3 sacks, 3 tackles)
Week 12: Seattle 31, Denver 21
Seattle absorbed a typically strong performance from 2017 MVP Glenn Draughn and managed to come away with the W in one of the less eventful games of the season. No individual player had either an uncomonly strong or poor performance, and the offense was able to take care of business when needed.
MVP: Russell Wilson (205 yards, 4 TD's. 1 INT)
Week 13: Carolina 30, Seattle 24 (OT)
This game was the catalyst for the Seahawks dropping 4 out of their last 5 games, and looking at both the statlines and how the game was lost it's easy to see why. An efficent offensive performance headlined by Rawls' 2 TD's was undone by Cam Newton's 90% completion percentage and a gutsy overtime drive that featured multiple third-down conversions and, much like the Seahawks had inflicted on the Chiefs in Week 4, a QB run to end the game.
MVP: Kam Chancellor (6 tackles, 1 forced fumble)
Week 14: San Francisco 27, Seattle 9
The 49ers completed the season sweep by forcing the Seahawks into their most anemic offensive performance of the season. No touchdowns were scored, and but for some long Hekker FG's this game was in danger of getting truly ugly. Russell Wilson had perhaps his worst game of the season, with a below 50% completion percentage and 2 horrific INT's.
MVP: Tyler Lockett (4 REC, 87 yards)
Week 15: Seattle 31, San Diego 7
In what would end up being Seattle's last win of the year, the Seahawks withstood an early 75-yd Melvin Gordon TD and took complete control of the game. Russell Wilson took advantage of what the Chargers defense gave him and had an over 80% completion percentage. Uncharacteristically one reciever made the majority of Seattle's big plays, with Tyler Lockett getting 6 REC for 145 yards and a TD.
MVP: Russell Wilson (17/21, 296 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT)
Week 16: Oakland 33, Seattle 14
(insert string of expletives here)
MVP: The local bleach factory
Week 17: Arizona 16, Seattle 7
Resembling far too many games against this Arizona side, the Seahawks were never able to get their offense flowing. Far too many stalled drives and missed opportunities led to a poor ending to the season. The defense did a good job keeping Seattle in the game, most notably Jarran Reed recording a sack and a fumble in his return to the field, but the Seahawks were unable to capitalize and ended the season losers of 4 of their last 5.
MVP: Jarran Reed (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble)