***As most of you recognize, Cigar Ideas can also be a podcast. Take a look at this week’s dialog with Danny Kelly:
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This was going to be a cool sport it doesn’t matter what. The final two matchups between the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions have been straight up fireworks exhibits, with Seattle narrowly beating Detroit every of the previous two seasons in video games that includes pinball scoring. This was all the time going to be a real check of the Mike Macdonald Seahawks and I believe most of us have been merely hoping Seattle could be 2-1 heading into this robust primetime showdown.
However then the Seahawks received all three of their video games previous to tonight and regardless of these wins coming in opposition to groups which have struggled (particularly on offense), the vibes surrounding the first-year head coach and his crew had begun to raise. I admit I let myself dream of a world the place the Seahawks have been 4-0 and the toast of the NFL after upsetting the Lions in entrance of the entire nation; however in actuality I used to be actually going to be comfortable if the Seahawks merely felt aggressive on this sport. And so they have been! Sort of!
Staying shut on this one would maintain them forward of my expectation curve each in growth and general file, even with a loss. I additionally permitted myself the caveat of acknowledging that Seattle was enjoying this sport sans their whole beginning line of defense. Simply maintain it shut boys— enable me to droop my disbelief a bit longer.
The factor is, profitable a sport like this, particularly on the street and short-handed, requires not exceeding your very small margin for error. Sadly, that margin was succeeded early when the Lions ripped the ball out of DK Metcalf’s palms as he battled for further yards, establishing a simple landing and a fast 14-0 lead. From there, the groups alternated scores, giving NFL followers the offensive explosion so many have been begging for in what’s been a really muted season thus far. The issue for Seattle was that they might by no means string sufficient scores and stops collectively to shut the two-touchdown lead.
To their credit score, they by no means gave in. They have been an outclassed boxer that refused to go down, swinging exhausting till the ultimate bell in hopes of touchdown one huge punch that might flip the end result. That haymaker by no means landed, however their valiance earned the respect of lots of people, displaying them (and us) that it is a crew with actual struggle in ‘em.
Past that, that is an offense able to guile and creativity. Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb put their full religion in Geno Smith tonight, displaying essentially the most imaginative scheme and execution I can bear in mind from a Seahawks crew. The layered routes, pre-snap movement, misdirection, and mixture of horizontal and vertical ideas was a delight to observe and it was mirrored in the truth that Seattle amassed extra first downs (38) than any crew has in a single sport in 10 years. The truth is, it’s essentially the most first downs in a loss, ever. Hell, they even ran a kind of hook-and-ladder that featured on overhand lateral on the run to transform a third & 18.
The protection was one other story, nonetheless. Outgunned and outmanned, the ‘Hawks surrendered three dashing touchdowns within the first half and three passing touchdowns within the second half. They discovered three sacks however not a single incompletion and solely managed to get off the sphere with out permitting factors 3 times. It’s exhausting to understand how a lot of that displays Seattle’s lacking studs up entrance and the way a lot displays deeper points. What we do know is that even a profession day from Geno Smith wasn’t practically sufficient.
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SMOKE RINGS
*Each week, the scales fall from the eyes of increasingly more folks in the case of Geno Smith. One of many cool issues about enjoying on Monday evening is figuring out the remainder of the nation will get to see a number of the belongings you respect in regards to the crew you root for and tonight, the nation noticed simply how sharp of a quarterback Smith has grow to be.
Beneath siege as he has been all season, Smith calmly however rapidly navigated collapsing pockets and pirouetted away from sacks, portray the black with fastball after fastball. Along with his protection getting trounced, Geno knew he’d need to press the difficulty and he did that with aplomb.
The outcome was a voluminous evening, with Smith throwing 56 passes whereas finishing 38 of them for a career-high 395 yards— and dashing for an additional 38. All instructed, Smith accounted for 433 yards on an evening the place it simply didn’t appear attainable to get sufficient of them. And who is aware of what that line (or this sport) appears like if the officers didn’t flag Tyler Lockett for enjoying patty-cake on the late completion to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The numbers have been good nevertheless it was the diploma of issue that made it all of the extra spectacular. There was a bit meat left on the bone on the market tonight, for positive, however given the circumstances, it’s exhausting to not be amazed by what we noticed from the Seahawks QB on this one.
Smith now leads the NFL in passing yards whereas rating second in completion share. With every sport we get nearer to everybody realizing what many people have identified for some time now— Geno Smith is admittedly fucking good.
*For in addition to Zach Charbonnet performed in his absence, Ken Walker provides a dimension to this offense that merely can’t be recreated with out him. And that singular mixture of explosion, energy, and shiftiness was on full show tonight with a bevy of outstanding efforts. His first landing was a fairly bounce-out when nothing was obtainable on the dive, and he simply received the race to the pylon. His second was an old-school energy run on the purpose line, and he bought the hat trick by vaporizing half the Lions protection on a zagging horizontal run from 28 yards out. However none of them examine to the voodoo he pulled off to get this primary down early within the sport:
Regardless of simply 5 carries within the first half, Walker nonetheless completed with 116 complete yards and three touchdowns in a destructive sport script in opposition to a protection that has been glorious at stopping the run this season. He ranks fifth amongst RBs in yards per sport and 4th in yards per carry. And regardless that he’s solely performed two video games, he’s 4th in dashing touchdowns too. A particular participant.
*With Walker again and enjoying on god-mode, Charbonnet returned to his function because the clear backup. Nonetheless, there’s house for him on this offense and he did properly with restricted alternatives. He rushed twice for 15 yards and caught all 5 of his targets for an additional 39. Charbonnet is the ype of stable operating again that coaches love and the Seahawks are fortunate to have him; however there’s little question who this backfield belongs to.
*Tonight, in stats that may’t probably be true however one way or the other are, DK Metcalf turned the primary participant in Seahawks historical past to file three consecutive 100-yard receiving video games. It was a sport that oscillated between highs and lows for Seattle’s monstrous WR. He began with a ridiculous twisting, toe-tapper for 21 yards however fumbled the ball two catches later. Then he vaporized Carlton Davis on a slot fade earlier than cartwheeling over a defender into the endzone for what was initially dominated a landing earlier than being overturned, Moreover, he efficiently introduced in a troublesome catch on a two-point attempt that the officers straight up missed. Then he bought assaulted within the endzone within the 4th quarter, a mugging that inexplicably went uncalled in a vital second:
Undaunted, he answered with 4 extra catches to complete with seven for 104 yards to steer all receivers on the evening. Metcalf now ranks third in receiving yards regardless of having 7 and 16 fewer targets than the highest two guys, respectively.
He’s actually not good— he had a holding penalty and his fumble had a big impact on the sport— however he’s ascending into an orbit that only a few guys ever attain and it’s superior to see an offense totally leaning into that. DK is presently on tempo for a 102-1556-9 receiving line on the season and albeit, that appears attainable on this system. The annoying factor about his fumble was that actually each different receiver within the NFL would have been down by the point the ball was knocked out however there was DK, trudging ahead like a rhino as Detroit defenders hurled themselves at him like a pack of hyenas. Metcalf is commonly a sufferer of his personal brutishness, however over the previous few video games we’re additionally beginning to see him grasp a number of the comfortable abilities on the place, as evidenced by his spectacular array of contested and sideline catches of late.
*Tyler Lockett has not pale into Bolivia simply but nevertheless it’s turning into clear that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has the juice. With Smith beneath siege all evening, JSN turned the security valve, catching eight of 11 targets for 51 yards and what may’ve (ought to’ve?) been extra if not for the ticky-tack OPI name on Lockett. Smith-Njigba now leads the crew in catches with 25 and is blossoming into the kind of all-around receiver he was heralded as popping out of faculty.
*On an evening when Smith hit ten completely different receivers, the remainder of the manufacturing bought unfold round fairly properly. Lockett caught 5 of 9 targets for 61 yards, remaining a transparent a part of this offense. The remaining was smattered among the many others, with Seattle utilizing inventive packages to get guys like Laviska Shenault and Noah Fant in house, whereas additionally dialing up AJ Barner’s first profession landing. Get together favors for everybody!
*Coming into this sport, I figured the Lions would completely hunt Stone Forsythe on the fitting aspect of the road, and that’s precisely what they did. Seattle’s proper sort out’s understudy’s understudy drew Aidan Hutchinson on the vast majority of the snaps tonight. The outcome?
The league-leader in sacks was completely blanked. No sacks, no tackles, no nothin’. Only a bunch of cool strikes and air hugs. Forsythe didn’t win each rep however that was by no means a sensible purpose anyway— for anybody. However in what seemed on paper to be one of many greatest mismatches attainable, Forsythe greater than held his personal. Encouraging growth and one that may possible construct confidence shifting ahead.
The remainder of the road was fairly good too, enjoying their finest sport of the season as an entire. They allowed three sacks, and Geno escaped a pair extra, however that’s certain to occur while you drop again 60+ occasions in a sport. And after a sluggish begin within the run sport, they actually began opening some lanes within the second half. All in all, the Seahawks averaged 7.0 yards/carry en path to 516 complete yards on the night, they usually did it with Christian Haynes mixing in with Anthony Bradford at guard. Bravo, gents.
*The Seahawks misplaced Leonard Williams and Boye Mafe to harm final week after which we discovered that Boye Mafe would possible be out for this one as properly. Moreover, there was hope that Uchenna Nwosu could be again tonight and in so doing, justify the choice to not put him on IR earlier than the season. Alas, that didn’t come to move both, leaving Seattle to face one of many hardest and most-balanced dashing assaults within the NFL with what was successfully their backup D-line. They did catch a bit break, with Detroit’s excellent heart Frank Ragnow additionally out, however this added up to an enormous stress-test of Seattle’s depth up entrance. So how did they do?
Properly for starters, Jared Goff set an NFL file for move makes an attempt in a sport with no single incompletion. The Lions averaged 13 yards per dropback whereas racking up 118 yards and three touchdowns on the bottom. They scored six touchdowns on 9 drives, baptizing Mike Macdonald’s new protection with 42 factors. It. Was. Ugly.
There have been some shiny spots— when Seattle did sort out, they did so with vigor. This crew can fuckin’ hit. However in addition they missed extra tackles immediately than that they had all season, a testomony to the flexibility of Detroit’s talent gamers relative to those the Seahawks had performed prior. For everything of the primary half, the Lions hammered Seattle’s beleaguered entrance seven with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, racking up three dashing TDs within the opening two quarters. Then they fully reversed course, cashing in on their dashing success by using play-action to create room between the Seahawks’ linebackers and their secondary. The outcome was three passing touchdowns over the sport’s remaining half-hour, successfully conserving Seattle at arm’s size after halftime.
The Seahawks lapped the Lions when it comes to uncooked quantity however Detroit’s effectivity was staggering. They averaged over 9 yards per play and whereas that’s a very-good-bordering-on-insane quantity, I used to be half anticipating it to be greater, given how straightforward they made it look.
It’s exhausting to sentence Seattle’s protection figuring out they have been lacking 5 starters and performed the top of the sport with no sixth when Julian Love bought banged up. The Lions have an excellent offense and are extraordinarily balanced— they have been my choose to win the NFC earlier than the season— nevertheless it was nonetheless exhausting to observe that sport and really feel so helpless when the protection was on the sphere.
There are communication points that have to get ironed out, particularly within the secondary, however my guess is that the reality about Seattle’s defensive expertise lies someplace between how good they seemed within the first three video games and the way unhealthy they seemed tonight. We’ll study rather a lot over the following month.
*These of you who’ve been right here for years understand how detest I’m guilty outcomes on officiating and to be clear, that’s not what I’m doing right here. The Lions outplayed the Seahawks general and over a big sufficient pattern, calls are inclined to even out. THAT BEING SAID… no sincere accounting of this sport could be full with out declaring a sequence of doubtful calls / no-calls negatively affecting Seattle’s probabilities to win.
Within the 4th quarter alone, Tyler Lockett was rung up for offensive move interference, negating a clutch 4th down conversion to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The announcers mentioned Lockett “assumed” a blocking stance which, no the fuck he didn’t. A couple of minutes later, DK Metcalf made a outstanding catch on a two-point conversion try, expertly reaching throughout the sideline to snag the move whereas dragging his whole shin throughout the painted seize within the endzone. He did all this regardless of being interfered with however the official was so excited to make that decision that he missed the one proper in entrance of his face. Lastly, there was profane battery of Metcalf within the endzone that I referenced above.
Once more, the Lions have been the higher crew and doubtless win this sport even when these calls have been appropriate— nevertheless it’s a disgrace that we have been robbed of a probably thrilling ending to an in any other case very enjoyable sport.
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As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t want the Seahawks to win this sport to maintain feeling good about them. I simply wanted them to be aggressive they usually have been undoubtedly that. They confirmed moxie in addition to talent and I don’t assume it’s unreasonable to anticipate them to play a lot better on protection as soon as they get their beginning line again. Within the meantime, Seattle stays in first place within the NFC West at 3-1 and might be favorites heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Giants.
This was the primary of three video games in 11 days for the ‘Hawks, and one thing tells me we’ll know much more about this crew by the top of that stretch. Till then, I’m going to get pleasure from Seattle’s relative success thus far and may’t wait to see how they reply to the primary lack of the Mike Macdonald period. I’ll be again to interrupt that sport down too however till then, onward and upward my associates.
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