A Grip on Sports: Expect the defenses to dominate as Seahawks host Saints in a must-win game
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Anybody who follows the Seahawks closely knows what coach Pete Carroll considers a perfect game. Stout defense, sure. Forcing a couple turnovers are important too. But the most important ingredient of all? An overpowering running game. Well, perfect may be hard to come by tonight when New Orleans comes to town.
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• No, these aren’t the Saints of the past few years. First of all, Drew Brees is in a broadcast booth somewhere, not slinging passes all over the field. And this New Orleans group wins games with its defense. More specifically, with its run defense.
If you didn’t know, only one team in the NFL yields fewer yards per game on the ground than the Saints’ 79. Which doesn’t bode well for the Seattle running game, which averages 4.6 yards per carry, tied for ninth-best in the league.
But don’t worry. The Seahawks will keep trying. It is what they do. Not just that, it’s what they probably have to do with Russell Wilson on the shelf.
Sure, Geno Smith was competent against the Steelers last week until late mistakes did him and the Hawks in. But as opponents see more and more film with Smith in charge, they will adjust. The Saints are no pushovers defensively and, with Seattle having little leverage to push anyway, scoring a bunch of points won’t be easy.
On the other hand, the Seahawk defense hasn’t done a whole heck of lot in the way of stopping folks. It’s not that the group yields points at a Washington rate – the Football Team was expected to be among the NFL’s best but has yielded a league-worst 30 points per game – but it is among the bottom tier.
The question is, can the Saints take advantage? Maybe not. Only the Chicago Bears are less productive throwing the football than New Orleans, which seems odd considering Sean Payton’s offensive-genius designation. But as Einstein needed a blackboard to focus his thoughts, so does Payton need a quarterback. He seems to have one with Jameis Winston, the Saints starter. Winston, this season, is one of the more efficient throwers in the league – his passer rating 108.1 is better than Kirk Cousins’ and Josh Allen’s, though in half as many attempts.
Winston’s decent rating is buttressed by his new-found ability to take care of the ball. Under Payton’s guidance, he’s thrown just three interceptions in almost 900 attempts, a far cry from his Tampa years when he might throw three a game.
What’s that tell us? The Saints are a conservative offensive team. So are the Seahawks, with Smith in charge. Expect tonight’s must-win contest for Seattle to be low scoring and come down to the wire.
Just like last week.
• Matt Hasselbeck goes into the Hawks’ Ring of Honor tonight. The second-best quarterback in franchise history – no, Jim Zorn was not better; more exciting, yes, but not better – deserves it.
Heck, he deserves it on chutzpah alone. I mean, c’mon. It was 2003. His first playoff game. In Green Bay, no less. And he’s calling the overtime coin toss. “We want the ball and we’re going to score,” he says after winning the toss. That statement alone earned him lasting admiration from Hawk fans.
What happened after wasn’t quite as good.
But we can forgive him throwing a game-deciding interception, can’t we? In his time in Seattle, he led Mike Holmgren’s Hawks to multiple division titles, playoff appearances and their first Super Bowl. He wasn’t Wilson, sure, but he was really good at times. And worthy of tonight’s honor.
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WSU: The last couple games have shown an area of the Cougar defense that needs shoring up. Washington State has trouble dealing with a power running game. That’s part of what Colton Clark covers in this rewind of Saturday’s 21-19 loss to BYU. And, yes, there is some discussion of Max Borghi and his leadership abilities. … The win must have held some cachet for BYU. The Cougars moved back into the top 25 this week. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, not only does John Wilner look back in the Mercury News at the weekend that was, he also shares his top-25 ballot. … Washington made just enough plays to avoid an ignominious loss to Arizona. … After Oregon State dominated it in the second half Saturday, Utah looks to bounce back this week in a key South showdown with UCLA. … Oregon moved up in the polls and should have no trouble staying there, what with Colorado next up on the schedule. … The Ducks’ defense stymied the Bruins. … The Buffs are awful offensively and changes are coming. One was actually made yesterday. … USC is still looking for answers and having trouble finding them. … The Bruins are still looking for more big wins and is having trouble finding them – though they know their mistakes are the biggest reason why. …. In basketball news, Arizona scrimmaged Saint Mary’s on Saturday in Phoenix. … Quincy Pondexter is back to help Washington’s program improve.
EWU: Cooper Kupp is darn near unstoppable. Like he was at Eastern back in the day. His Sunday performance leads of Jason Shoot’s latest look at locals playing in the NFL. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, UC Davis is doing well as an FCS team. As opposed to a FBS one. … Montana’s defensive dominance re-emerged against Idaho.
Seahawks: Prime time has been good for the Hawks under Carroll. So has home field. But both have slipped a bit lately. … Rashaad Penny will be back tonight and, with Alex Collins a bit banged up, might see a decent amount of action.
Mariners: Braves vs. Astros in the World Series. Heck, we can remember when the teams were in the same division.
Kraken: Seattle has had opportunities but also has had troubles caching in on them.
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• One of my favorite characters in “Friends” was always Gunther, the sadly relatable coffee shop owner who put up with the friends’ foibles in hopes of somehow settling down with Rachel. It never happened. But the character, as played by James Michael Tyler, always had hope. And a hatred for Ross, which made him one of us. Sadly, Tyler died yesterday after years dealing with prostate cancer. He was 59. Until later …