The Seahawks got the win over the Patriots, but the night still left a few people looking up at the ceiling and wondering how things got sideways so fast.
Seattle survived a rough opening stretch, including the early loss of quarterback Sam Darnold on the first series. That alone buys some patience for the people tasked with keeping the offense on track. But once the dust settled, there were still a few performances that did not help the cause.
Running back Emanuel Wilson was one of them. Installed as the designated hammer, he never really got going.
Jadarian Price looked sharper in his debut with 52 yards on 10 carries, while George Holani added 29 yards on eight attempts. Wilson, the recent addition from Green Bay, did not show the burst he had with the Packers.
With Zach Charbonnet due back, Wilson’s place in the rotation suddenly looks a lot shakier.
Special teams linebacker Chazz Surratt also had a costly night. In a game packed with penalties, his stood out the most.
The offensive shift that wiped out Cooper Kupp’s touchdown was rough, but there were clear mitigating factors there, including a new offensive coordinator making his first call sheet and a backup quarterback under center. Surratt’s mistake was harder to excuse.
He has been a special teams standout for five seasons, with 848 special teams snaps in his career, including 181 last year for Seattle. Still, he ran into the kicker, handing New England a first down and setting up a 50-yard field goal that pushed the Patriots ahead 10-0.
Then there’s offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who had a difficult first outing in a role he has never held before. He was trying to steer the offense after losing Darnold on the first series, with a quarterback who posted a 14-3 record over the past two seasons and did not turn the ball over during last year’s postseason run. That’s a tough hand for anyone, especially someone calling plays for the first time.
Fleury didn’t exactly sink the offense, but the operation was messy. Seattle piled up penalties, and too often the play got in too late for the team to snap the ball cleanly. The touchdown to Kupp disappeared because two players were in motion as the clock wound down to zero, which only added to the frustration.
There’s still reason to think Fleury can bounce back quickly. A longer week of practice should help him and the offense settle in, and Week 2 against Arizona could look a lot cleaner.
Of the three, he’s the one most likely to turn things around fast. If he doesn’t, it could be a long season in Seattle.
In Other News...
Seahawks Fans Have An Ugly Lumen Field Debate After Wild Opener Brawl
The Seahawks home opener had plenty of football drama before the first quarter was even over, but the mess in the stands quickly became its own talking point. A seating dispute between a New England Patriots fan and Seattle supporters escalated into a large brawl at Lumen Field, forcing police to step in and sort out a scene that had spilled far beyond a simple fan argument.
Seattle fans eventually had something better to focus on once the game settled into a classic opener swing, with the Seahawks rallying behind backup quarterback Drew Lock to pull out the win. Even so, the ugly confrontation in the stadium lingers as an uncomfortable backdrop to a night that was supposed to be about football, and the only immediate clarity from the incident is that the Patriots fan was arrested while details on any charges remain unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Running Back Need Seattle Could Solve
The Cowboys backfield picture changed quickly after the injury to backup Malik Davis, and the search for a little more depth has already started to point west. One possible answer could come from Seattle, where Emanuel Wilson has slipped to third on the Seahawks depth chart and suddenly looks like a player another team might be able to pry loose if the price is right.
Seattle has enough confidence in its other running backs to at least listen if Dallas comes calling, and the lure of extra draft picks could make a deal more appealing. For the Cowboys, the question is whether Wilson is the kind of low-cost addition who can steady a position group in short order, or whether they have to keep working the market while the injury ripple settles in. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Secured The One Thing Seahawks Fans Feared Most
Kyle Shanahan has been tied to the 49ers for a while, but the news that his extension was quietly agreed to this offseason adds another layer to an already familiar division rivalry. For Seahawks fans, it is the kind of confirmation that matters because Shanahan has spent nearly a decade steering San Francisco through repeated playoff runs and multiple Super Bowl trips, giving the 49ers the kind of continuity every contender wants.
The timing is notable, too, because the deal was reached some time ago before the team ever said anything publicly, which only reinforced how settled things already felt in Santa Clara. Entering his 10th season in charge, Shanahan remains the constant in a rivalry Seattle knows well, and his long-term presence ensures the 49ers will keep leaning on the same coaching identity that has given the Seahawks so many difficult Sundays. [Read more 🡒]