Seattle Seahawks can still win their division
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off back-to-back blowout losses, including a rare home embarrassment, and they’re looking for answers. The team is still 4-4, and tied for the division lead with the St.
Louis Rams, but they’ll need to improve on both offence and defence if they want to make the playoffs.
Last week the Seahawks lost 41-7 at home to the New York Giants, the week before that they lost 33-3 to the surprisingly good Oakland Raiders, in Oakland.
Matt Hasselbeck sustained a ‘slight concussion’ against the Raiders, and his bac up, Charlie Whitehurst, did not look ready to replace him in his first NFL start against the Giants, at least not yet. Whitehurst
went 12 for 23 with 113 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and had a 44.3 quarterback rating.
"I think that's what stands out to me about his game: One, that he was clear and he was comfortable with playing, and two, that there were opportunities out there that we know he can convert on," said
head coach Pete Carroll. "So I think the upside is all there. It happened to be a very difficult loss in his first start."
Some of the answers they’re looking for lay in the return of players from injury. Hasselbeck tops that list, and he could be ready to return to action this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
“He had a good workout today,” Carroll said about Hasselbeck. “I don’t go blow-by-blow on his workouts and all, but he had a good workout today. (He) responded well, best he has, and looks very good at
this point.”
Defensive tackle, Brandon Mebane, may return to the field this Sunday as well. He played in only four games before missing the last four with a calf injury. His return would greatly help Seattle’s run
defence, which has worsened week after week since his injury.
For the first five games of the season, Seattle didn’t allow a team to gain over 100 yards on the ground in one game. In the last three games, teams have averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground
against Seattle.
It’s not just the loss of Mebane that can be blamed for their recent defensive woes. Defensive tackle, Colin Cole, is out with a high ankle sprain, and not expected to return anytime soon. And defensive
end Red Bryant is out for the season with a knee injury.
"We've been trying too hard and stuff," Carroll said. "That's one of the big issues that I'm always trying to keep these guys from getting to that point because once you start pressing to try to make things
happen, knowing that's how we do well, by making things happen, then you get outside of the discipline of the defence and you can try too hard."
Seahawks’ cornerback, Marcus Trufant, has also noticed players on the defence trying to make big plays, but leaving glaring holes in the process.
"You try so hard to make plays ... but you still have to stay within the framework of the defence," Trufant said. "We have to try and find that happy medium. I think we can do that."
The Seahawks are still in a good position to win the division. They’re 2-1 in divisional games, but they’ll need some key players back from injury, and their defence will need to stick to their assignments.
This week’s matchup against the Cardinals could be a pivotal game for the ‘Hawks. If they win they’ll put some space between themselves and the Cards, and they’ll take sole possession of first place in
the division with St. Louis having a bye week. If they lose, it will be a three team race to win the division, and the Seahawks have the toughest schedule of the bunch with games against the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa
Bay Buccaneers remaining.
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