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Brady HendersonESPN
SEATTLE — When the Seattle Seahawks envisioned their 2018 offense at its best, it looked a lot like this:
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A resurgent running game led by Chris Carson that sets the tone, controls the clock and wears down opponents.
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Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett carrying a passing game full of new targets.
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An improved offensive line giving Russell Wilson protection he hasn’t had, and Wilson mixing his mobility with decisiveness to keep the whole thing moving in a way that it too often didn’t in recent seasons.
The Seahawks didn’t have everything working perfectly on offense in their home opener Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, but they had more than enough. The best performance of the season from Wilson & Co. combined with defensive effort that was at times reminiscent of Seattle’s recent glory days made for a relatively stress-free 24-13 victory at CenturyLink Field.
And with it, the Seahawks are 1-2 and still far from buried in the NFC West standings.
Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns while operating as sharply as he has all season. His final numbers (16-of-26, 192 yards, no interceptions) were skewed by some early drops by Brandon Marshall. Wilson bore responsibility for some of the sacks he has taken this season — 12 in all entering Sunday — as the inevitable underside of his propensity to keep plays alive, sometimes for longer than they can be kept alive.
But he was sacked only twice against Dallas, both after Seattle jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, and seemed to be playing with an emphasis on getting the ball out quickly.
Carson’s light usage and the lack of any commitment to the running game were two surprises over the first two weeks. It reached its most curious point when he didn’t get a carry in the second half of Monday night’s loss to the Bears in Chicago even after running effectively in the first half.
After saying for the second straight week that they needed to run the ball more, the Seahawks actually did it this time. They fed Carson early and often, with his 32 carries more than doubling his total from the first two games combined. That Carson finished with 102 yards and a 3.2 average shows how intent they were on running the ball no matter the results.
Another massive difference in this game compared to the first two: Seattle went 7-of-16 on third down. One of the conversions came on Wilson’s 52-yard touchdown throw to Lockett, who has three scores in as many games and his filled more than capably as Seattle’s de facto No. 1 receiver while Baldwin has been sidelined with a knee injury.
The Seahawks have their defense to thank just as much for this one.
Earl Thomas capped a bizarre week with a pair of interceptions, his second and third of the season. This was hours after ESPN reported Sunday morning that the team was considering a hefty fine against the All-Pro free safety for conduct detrimental to the team after he sat out two practices last week amid some curious circumstances.
The pass-rush that was about as absent as the running game over the first two weeks showed up to the tune of five sacks and 10 quarterback hits.