Grip on Sports: The Seahawks dominated but tougher weeks are ahead following their bye

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is this school of thought that proposes the NFL is a week-to-week league. Each game is its own mini-season, with anything possible. Take that thought into account assessing the Seahawks’ win yesterday over Oakland in London. Read on.

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• From the first drive on Wembley Stadium’s slippery grass to the last, Seattle looked like a dominant team Sunday. The offensive line was a brick wall, the skill position players looked quick and explosive, the defense featured an effective pass rush with some booming hits from the secondary.

The team’s play harkened back to the old days.

All well and good, as is the Hawks’ 3-3 record – after starting the season 0-2. Heck, even the one loss in the past four weeks was a close miss against the NFL’s best team.

But as solid as Seattle seemed in London, one has to take into account the competition.

Oakland is the worst team in the NFL. If not, the Raiders are as close as a team can be without being in the cellar. And they are dealing with a decimated roster.

How bad is it in Jon Gruden’s first year back on the sidelines? His team has won once, and that was a gift from the officiating gods in overtime against the Browns. At home. Otherwise, nada. Losses in Miami and Los Angeles. Losses at home. And now a loss in a foreign land.

The nice part about yesterday’s game, from the Seattle point-of-view, is the Hawks dominated. They didn’t win a squeaker. They came out, put together an almost 8-minute drive and scored a touchdown. Imagine that, it is possible to put the ball in the end zone right out of the gate.

And the defense never really bent much, giving Oakland just two looks at field goals. Besides, the group, led by Frank Clark’s relentless pass rush early, even gave the offense the ball in an advantageous position.

As we said, just like the old days.

So will the old shine stick around another week? Yes. The Hawks have a bye. Then it’s a trip to Detroit before back-to-back weeks with the L.A. teams (home vs. the Chargers and on the road to the league-best Rams).

All those weeks, one at a time, should be interesting.

• If the Washington State Cougars could put together five or six more byes, they might just make the college football playoffs. Heck, last week’s bye must have really helped, because they went from being unranked to appearing in both polls.

OK, we kid. And we understand other teams revealed flaws while playing, plus Utah’s performances the past couple weeks makes that win look even better. But we also think ESPN’s decision to bring GameDay to Pullman may have helped as well.

When the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader puts its stamp of approval on your program’s 5-1 record with a visit, people in places like Gainesville and Happy Valley take notice. That helps the brand. And the poll position.

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WSU: As we’ve told you, Theo Lawson was in merry old England (or is it merry ol’ England?) this week. While there, he discovered the reach of Hilinski’s Hope is spreading, even across the ocean. That discovery led to this story. … Yes, the Cougars are ranked this week, 25th in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today coaches’ poll. … The volleyball team lost at California. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, the poll positions dominate the day, with the conference basically dropping out of the national title picture – though it dominates the lower end of the top 25. … Washington dropped in both polls, of course, but the Huskies learned some things. … Oregon will travel to Pullman as the Pac-12’s highest-ranked school. … The way California has been playing, Oregon State’s home date with the Bears this week may be its best chance for a conference win. … Colorado has to look ahead. There is no other choice. … Yes, Utah is playing well. But next up, at home, is USC. Speaking of the Trojans, they lost Porter Gustin for the season with a broken ankle suffered late in the Buffs game. … UCLA looked good in the hurry-up offense against Cal. … Arizona State and Stanford will both be coming off byes when they meet Thursday night. … Former Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez watched from home as his quarterback son played the second half against Utah.

Chiefs: Around the WHL, Everett picked up a 4-2 win in Portland thanks in large part to its penalty killing.

Seahawks: The good part about Clark having such a dominating game? The 27-3 win, of course. The bad part is his price is probably going up. … The Hawks are hurting at tight end. Yet the position was crucial in the victory. … Marshawn Lynch never really got going against his old team. … We mentioned the secondary’s crushing hits. One seemed a bit too crushing. We will see if the NFL agrees later. … David Moore is coming into his own. … The crowd was loudly pro-Seahawk in what counts as one of eight road games.

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• It’s time to get back into a routine. The week of vacation is just a memory. But what memories. I had Dunkin Donuts as I got off the plane and just before I got on to head home. Good times. (In unrelated news, somehow I gained a couple pounds on the trip.) … Jim Taylor died Saturday. Another childhood hero gone. Such is life. Until later …