Hawks shake it off
KIRKLAND, Wash. — This was one rough weekend for Seattle’s young defenders. They demonstrated, in an excruciating finish for the Seahawks and their fans, why early season statistics are meaningless.
One week ago, Seattle’s hard-hitting defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL, holding its first three opponents to 13 total points and allowing an average of 242.3 total yards.
Then came a 23-point rally by St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger in the fourth quarter and overtime Sunday. Terreal Bierria was beaten on the final play, and the Rams won a 33-27 thriller.
“It taught me you can’t play 52 minutes in a 60-minute game,” said Bierria, in his first year as an NFL starter. “You have to play the whole 60 minutes as a team to get a W.”
The good news for the stunned Seahawks, as coach Mike Holmgren emphasized to his players, is they can still reach their goals of winning the NFC West and going deep into the playoffs.
There’s no time to dwell about what happened, either, not with another big game this week at New England (4-0).
“I’m still upset. It really stings,” fullback Mack Strong said. “But we’ve got to come back with no lingering effects and be totally focused on playing New England. They’re a very good football team. Their record speaks for itself.”
Bierria was burned on Bulger’s overtime touchdown pass, but it’s not fair to blame him for the loss. The Seahawks gave it away on many fronts.
Just as Bulger began to heat up in the closing minutes, Seattle’s offense stalled, unable on two late possessions to grind out two first downs that would have killed the clock when the Rams were out of timeouts.
On special teams, the Seahawks allowed a 39-yard punt return that set up another TD pass by Bulger.
While Bierria insisted he should have done a better job covering Shaun McDonald on the final play, it’s important to point out defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes had the Seahawks in an all-out blitz.
“We put him in a very tough spot, covering that receiver,” Holmgren said. “We’ll take the heat on that one.”
Bulger recognized it. He chose not to throw to Torry Holt on a slant and waited just long enough in the pocket until McDonald was open downfield.
“You definitely have to give the Rams a lot of respect,” linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski said. “They kept battling back. Whinary downs through the first 52 minutes, Seattle could have avoided such a perilous late-game situation.
Kicker Josh Brown missed a 43-yard field goal try in the first half. Linebacker Anthony Simmons dropped an interception as St. Louis drove for a third-quarter field goal.
Then came huge mistakes in the closing minutes.
Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard was flagged for roughing Bulger on a 20-yard completion to Isaac Bruce, giving the Rams a 35-yard play on their first TD drive in the rally.
Later, Rams end Leonard Little broke through Seattle’s line, sacking Matt Hasselbeck and forcing a fumble on third-and-5 right after the 2-minute warning. Bobby Engram was open over the middle, too.
That play could have been worse for the Seahawks, but center Robbie Tobeck recovered the ball at Seattle’s 29.
“It’s a very sickening feeling,” defensive end Grant Wistrom said. “We had that game fully in our control and there were any number of plays that could have been made to win it.”
The Rams, on the other hand, did everything they needed to win.
Bulger was fabulous, threading a perfectly placed pass to Kevin Curtis on a 41-yard TD strike. Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna made a circus catch on another TD, leaping to grab the ball from two defenders.
Still, the situation favored Seattle: a 27-10 lead, the Rams needing three scores with no timeouts and 8 1/2 minutes to play.
“If we don’t gain an inch of offense, I can knock close to six minutes off the clock,” Holmgren said. “Which means they have to score three times in 2:30 with no timeouts.
“Mathematically, it’s almost impossible unless you score with big plays.”
To their credit, the Seahawks are holding themselves accountable.
“It’s great to be good, but you have to couple being talented with playing smart,” Holmgren said. “We’ll learn from this — a painful, painful lesson — and then keep going because this is a pretty good football team.”