Last week's win over the Packers confirmed the excellence of Seattle's defense. Over the first three weeks, Seahawk defenders have established themselves as the stingiest unit in the league, allowing fewer points than any team in the league.
Historically, a weak pass rush has been the Achilles heel of our otherwise strong defense, but Monday night's eight-sack hammering of Aaron Rodgers was encouraging, though many of those were coverage sacks that should be credited to our smothering secondary.
The only troubling element was when the Packers shifted into a power running game in the second half, and our defense--normally sound on the ground--yielded generous yardage. When Seattle fully commits to stopping the run, we can. But when we must hedge our bets against the prospect of play action passing by a very capable quarterback, we are vulnerable on the ground.
Because our defense allows fewer than 14 points per game, we can generally win with just two touchdowns. Unfortunately, our offense's ability to meet that modest production target remains doubtful.
Seattle is still the league's poorest passing team. Russell Wilson has played well, but poor playcalling and butterfingered receivers have not helped matters. (If Golden Tate hadn't dropped two balls in the end zone earlier in the fourth quarter, we would not have needed a Hail Mary play.)
Everyone is picking the Seahawks to win, but we would be unwise to take the Rams lightly. Their roster is loaded with talent, they have a good coach now in Jeff Fisher, they played well at home earlier this year, and they are hungry for a win.
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