Seahawks - Redskins Takeaways
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| Paging Dr. Shanahan |
> RB Alfred Morris got big gains early, which is just about the best thing that Redskin Fan could hope for
> WR Pierre Garcon missed the memo on how the Seahawk CS are dominant
> QB Robert Griffin III hit RB Evan Royster for a touchdown while everyone on both sides seemed to be thinking about the Clearly Not A Touchdown on the previous play
> Redskins LB London Fletcher became the first man to get a sack in five decades to clinch a three and out
> Griffin got a yard on a play that took 20 seconds of clock when he faked throwing it away several times, because NFL players are justifiably worried about hitting QBs now
> TE Logan Paulsen steamrolled a LB like, well, he cared and the other guy didn't
> Griffin's lack of usual speed and limp is looking all kinds of bad, not that Seattle will take advantage
> As Griffin threw to Paulsen to put the home team up by 14, I started to wonder what America had done to deserve its fourth straight dull as dishwater playoff game
> As Griffin threw for the Redskins' second touchdown, I wondered what ancient pagan god of entertainment America had angered to get such dull playoff games
> TE Zach Miller stopped the flood with a shoestring catch, and then a great effort to get the first down
> Seahawks QB Russell Wilson followed RB Marshawn Lynch for 19 yards in a Wagon Train option
> Wilson's strike to WR Sidney Rice required 10 seconds of post-whistle lobbying and the burden of truth to get called correctly
> WR Doug Baldwin saved a disastrous Wilson INT with some fine end zone defense
> K Steven Hauschka's 32-yarder continued the weekend narrative of Road Team Settles For Figgies
> Even when the Seahawks get to Griffin, it' s a positive play for DC due to penalty
> CB Brandon Browner has been out a month, but today, it looks more like a year
> The Redskins let Dr. James Andrews on the sideline, just so long as he didn't actually do anything
> Seattle's defense actually made some plays on their first drive of the second quarter, leading to hope for an entertaining game after all
> RB Marshawn Lynch got involved after all, which was kind of nice
> Wilson fumbled to Lynch for 18 yards on a play that will be on every highlight film, but could have ended the game in a hurry
> Just in case there are Chip Kelly skeptics in my audience, notice how useful the read-option is in a professional football game
> Wilson to Marcus Robinson for the score was such bad coverage, I checked the Redskins roster to see if they picked up Jamar Cheney
> FedEx Field is so bad, Hauschka twisted his non-kicking ankle and had to go to the locker room
> S Earl Thomas got a pick and survived the inevitable post-whistle fistfight
> If someone told you the team's changed uniforms at the end of the first quarter, I think you'd have to believe them
> Hauschka connected from 29 after limping out, and off, to make it a 14-13 game at the half
> Lynch cuts back and goes the other way tremendously well for a power back
> The longer this game goes on, the more the Seahawks OL is winning their matchups
> You could really hear Redskin Fan starting to lose their fudge in this game, which I have to say that I enjoyed, way too much
> The Lynch fumble at the goal line is the kind of mistake a road team just can't make, especially given how crazy this game has been on momentum
> Griffin missed WR Josh Morgan on a wide-open third down with six minutes left in the third, leading to more speculation over how he's just not right now
> Troy Aikman thinks that a mobile QB losing a yard on a scramble is inexcusable, probably because he was about as mobile as a statue, and frequently concussed
> Wilson missed a wide-open Baldwin in the end zone with 2:34 left in the third, and just outside of comfortable Wounded Kicker Figgie Range
> The subsequent sack ended any worries about that, and reminded the world that Pete Carroll isn't exactly an innovative play caller
> P Sav Rocca's 53-yard punt of all net at the end of the third quarter meant a lot, given the Seahawks' issues with Hauschka
> Washington's fifth sack of the day ended another Seahawks drive with good field position
> The read option is a lot less intimidating with a gimpy QB
> Mike Shanahan is willing to risk the future of the franchise for one wild-card win
> Rocca hit another bomb to keep whittling away at the field position problem
> Seattle picked up a third and 10 blitz perfectly, leading to Wilson to Miller for a huge conversion
> Lynch went 35 yards for the go-ahead score, with Wilson blocking for him at the goal line, on a play that showed why he's one of the best RBs in the NFL
> Wilson to Miller for the 2-point conversion made it 21 unanswered for the road team
> Griffin took a terrible sack from DE Bruce Irvin, because he just can't adjust to his diminished capacities
> On the next play, Griffin fumbled, could not get up, and more or less ended the short-lived Era of Good Feelings for Redskin Fan
> It's a little bit telling that a notorious scumbag owner held a playoff game on a terrible field, played his gimpy franchise QB on it anyway, then watched him go down like a shot horse
> Seattle had to settle for a figgie, which kept this game in the realm of possibility
> When Seattle had to face a healthy QB again, it got (a little) harder for them
> C Will Montgomery's issues with shotgun snaps aren't helping matters much
> If every game were officiated like this one, defensive secondaries would get paid a lot more, and no team would ever score over 30 points
> Down 10 with 4:21 left, Shanahan went for it on 4th and 14, and Cousins was crushed by yet another blitz
> Seattle gives up 15 points a game, so I guess giving up 14 in the first quarter just meant they had to throw a shutout the rest of the way
> Wilson to Miller converted a fourth down and more or less ended any suspense; Miller was huge all day for Seattle
> Washington ends the year with serious questions about the judgment of management, long-term worries about the health of their franchise player, and the only home loss of Wild Card Weekend -- so yeah, that worked out well for them
> Seattle will be the choice of many next week in Atlanta, but to my mind, that's not a clear deal -- they really weren't all that good for long stretches of this game, and the loss of a bye, 5-4 road record, and no long-range field goals are issues
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