If there was any doubt about whether the Seattle Seahawks (3-3) have found their identity, that notion was quickly dispelled on the teams opening drive on their way to a dominating 27 to 3 win over the Oakland Raiders (1-5) Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
The Seahawks took the opening drive and marched 82 yards on 14 plays and scored the games first touchdown on a five-yard pass play from Russell Wilson to Jaron Brown. While the touchdown was a result of a pass play, the Seahawks ran the ball nine times on the 14 play drive.
The Seahawks run game was front and center Sunday as the team made it four consecutive games in which the Seahawks have rushed for over 100 yards. While Sunday broke the team’s streak of three consecutive games of having a back rush for 100 yards, there is no doubt the Seahawks have found their rushing mojo. The Seahawks finished Sunday’s game with 155 today rushing yards with Chris Carson’s 14 carries for 59 yards leading the way.
With the running game in rythm, Wilson was able to find great success with the play action pass play resulting in a three-touchdown passing day. Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin was another beneficiary of the play action as he finished the day with eight receptions for 91 yards after just one reception for yard in last weeks 31 to 30 loss to the LA Rams. Wilson finished the day completing 17 of 23 passes for 222 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception, giving him a 125.4 passer rating.
With the offense well aware of who and what it is, a run-first passes second offense, the defense led by DE Frank Clark’s two strip sacks, found the Seahawks defensive formula stuffing the oppositions running game and teeing off on the quarterback. The Seahawks held the Raiders to just 79 rushing yards and with the lead were able to sack Raider quarterback Derek Carr six times for minus 36 yards. The combination of an effective run game and hard-nosed football was the key to the Seahawks playing their best game of the season according to head coach Pete Carroll.
“A lot guys played good today, the defense played great today, allowing them to under 200 yards, I saw six sacks we should have had three maybe six turnovers , we wind up with a plus one which is a huge deal to us but the ball out all day and it was on the field so we had some great chances at it,” Carroll said in his postgame conference. ” You run the football, you take the ball off them and you play hardnosed football across the board you are going to have good days. Russell made some magical players finding and moving guys around for touchdown passes and we were good on third down and just one sack on that side of the ball.”
As for Clark, Carroll believed the DE lineman has become one of the leaders on the team.
“Frank had a great game, two and a half sack and two forced fumbles that we recovered. He had more but he got sick and was not able to come out in the second half. He has been playing great football, he has been aggressive on the attack and more importantly, he has just turned his outlook in a real, real, positive way. He is playing as a great teammate, he is so supportive and his message is so strong and he has been practicing hard day in and day out. He has taken a leadership role like the guys that were here before. ”
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