TheLastManInAmerica

Seahawks 17, Packers 27

At one point in the second quarter the Seahawks had the lead. Then came the third, where they have scored only three points all year and allowed fifty-two. They only allowed seven to the Packers but couldn’t manage to grab any for themselves and by the time they finally did, it was too late as Green Bay handed their second home loss and fourth overall this season to drop Seattle to 1-4 on the year.

Injuries have plagued Seattle all year, most notably at the Wide Receiver position but the big hurt this week was on the man who celivers the ball to the wide outs; Matt Hasselbeck injured his knee in last week’s 44-6 loss to Super Bowl champion New York Giants and sat out the entire week of practice. He was a game-time decision but was never cleared to play which meant, with backup QB Seneca Wallace nursing a calf injury, third string pine-rider Charlie Frye would have to man the helm of an already struggling offense.

Frye fit in perfectly as he was less than effective in his Seahawks debut going 12 for 23 (%52) for 83 yards (6.9 per). He did manage to throw touchdowns but that minor success was negated by his two interceptions at crucial periods late in the game. But the running game did no better, Julius Jones managed only 44 yards on 12 carries (3.6 per), and the best play on the ground, and perhaps all day for Seattle, came from Charlie Frye who scrambled for a 27-yard gain in the fourth quarter.

The offense, in total, managed only 177 yards as they were dominated in the time of possesion category 37:26-22:34; though not much different than they’ve performed the rest of the season, there is a sense that if Hasselbeck had been in, they could’ve done something more. Bobby Engram, who is Matt’s favorite target didn’t catch a pass on Sunday and Koren Robinson, who knows very well how Hasselbeck plays, was in the game and caught two passes including one very nice grab on the sideline. He also showed great footwork on an incomplete pass in the end zone; Charlie Frye overthrew the veteran receiver but Robinson did everything in his power to reel it in, dragging his toes and holding on tight as he went out of bounds. Had it been delivered from Hasselbeck, it could’ve been a score. 

The QB is expected back next week and it’s do-or-die time for the Hawks; they are tied for the bottom of the NFC West with the lowly Rams (the only team they’ve beat so far) and next week they return to the East Coast to take on Tampa Bay, who are tied for third in the South, and after a stop in San Francisco, who gave them their first home loss this year, they return home to take on Philadelphia. Things are starting to look dire for Seattle and the clock is running out on Mike Holmgren’s final year.

Seahawks (1-4-0) Packers (3-3-0)      

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