The Seahawks have been inconsistent at worst and dominate at best in this 2015 NFL season. That rang true last Sunday, as Seattle fell to the 15-1 Carolina Panthers 31-24.
From the onset, it looked like it was going to be a long day. On their first play from scrimmage, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart rattled off a 59-yard run and just like that the Panthers were in scoring position. Three plays later they were in the endzone with a 7-0 lead over the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks.
Compounding matters, on Seattle’s first offensive drive of the game, quarterback Russell Wilson was looking for running back Marshawn Lynch on a short pass over the middle. Wilson’s pass was off the mark, and Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was there to intercept it and take it back for six.
Trailing 31-0 by halftime, the Seahawks were in a bad spot and they knew it.
“We made a mess of it in the first half,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “We look at this game as a microcosm of the season. We struggled so much early in the season to get going, and it took us a long time. When we finally did, we caught fire and got rolling. Everyone in here just feels like we ran out of time.”
Football is often a tale of two halves, and that showed again last Sunday. Seattle came out on fire, scoring two touchdowns in the first 7:20 of the third quarter. Down just 17, with 22 minutes of time left, a comeback started to seem reasonable.
“In the second half, we had to go for it,” Wilson said. “We had to come out swinging. That was our mentality, and we did a great job of that.”
Seattle would edge closer in the fourth quarter when Wilson connected with receiver Jermaine Kearse for a 3-yard touchdown.
Their next drive would stall, even after a fake punt was converted for a first down, but Seattle wasn’t quite done yet. A 60-yard drive was capped off by a Steven Hauschka field goal, and Seattle found themselves down seven points with 1:12 to go in the game.
Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight and the magic ran out. Hauschka’s onside kick attempt was recovered by Carolina, and a few kneel downs ended the game.
“No matter how good you play in the first half, the second half is just as important,” Kuechly said.
Game Notes:
Russell Wilson went 31-of-48 on the day for 366 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Marshawn Lynch was limited in his much-anticipated return, gaining just 20 yards on six carries. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart finished the day with 106 yards on 19 carries, and extended Carolina’s streak of 100 yard rushing games to 28. Seattle hadn’t allowed a 100 yard rushed in 27 games.
AJ may be reached at [email protected]
