Seahawksfill-in free safety Steven Terrell played well on Sunday against the49ers, can he keep it going againstDetroitin the Wild Card round?
According to Pro Football Focus,Seahawks free safetySteven Terrellplayed well against the 49ers last weekend. And if you watched the game, you know why.
While Terrell didn’t make any big plays–no interceptions, forced fumbles, orejections–all of the most successful pass plays by 49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernickwere underneath onbusted coverages by the linebackers.
San Francisco didn’t get much of anything deep down the middle of the field all game. Kaepernick, to his credit, managed to complete passes between the numbers, sure, but not because of Terrell.
Terrell is noEarl Thomas, obviously. No one is Earl Thomas. No one shuts down the middle of the field like Thomas, who seems to know where the ball is going before the quarterback does on some plays, and is still rightly regarded as one of thehardest-hitting safeties in the league.
More from Seattle Seahawks
- Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
- Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
- Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks: Four Takeaways from Week 14 21-7 victory
- Seattle Seahawks: Three Takeaways from the Week 13 43-16 victory
I could go on for about 3,000 more words about my love for ET3. His injury’s effect on theSeahawks‘ defense is well-documented, but there’s hope for the Legion of Boom.
Terrell has been Thomas’ understudy since 2014. Obviously, because of Earl’s 106-game starting streak that was broken along with his leg this year, Terrell didn’t see much meaningful action until this season.
His start was inauspicious.PanthersquarterbackCam Newtonwent right at him and dropped a bomb toTed Ginnfor a long touchdownthe next playafter Thomas exited with his injury. Terrell whiffed on a coverage against theCardinalsto allow receiverJJ Nelsonto score on a back-breaking 80-yard play on Christmas Eve.
The 49ers are nothing special, as their 2-14 record shows. However, Terrell showed some promise protecting the end zone against San Francisco.
On Saturday, Terrell will face a much tougher opponent. QuarterbackMatt Staffordhasn’t thrown for as many yards this season as his chuck-it-to-Megatron glory days, but his 10 interceptions this year are a career-low. (He threw one INT in 2010 in three games.)
Seahawks defensive coordinatorKris Richardwas put in a difficult spot after Thomas broke his leg–he now has to construct a new strategy to adjust to non-All-Pro play at free safety for the first time.
Perhaps Terrell has finally settled into his impossible role. He’s not Earl Thomas, but maybe he’s good enough to help the Seahawks win anyway. This is still a defense capable of overwhelming opponents.
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations