Seahawks Matchup Spotlight: Washington’s Defense
By Ben Renner
The Seahawks take on Washington at home on Sunday with a slight edge over the Rams for the NFC West division lead. How will Russell Wilson and company fare against Washington’s defense?
The Seahawks offense, despite no running attack, had its best game of the season in its epic shootout with Houston last week. Russell Wilson put the team on his back, using his arm and his legs to will Seattle to victory. His receivers made plays downfield, sure, but it was Wilson’s game and he was up to the task.
For an encore, Wilson and company will face a good defense in decline with Washington coming in suffering from injury problems and losses in three of their past four games.
Through the first four weeks, Washington looked like a complete defense, but injuries to Matt Ioannidis, Bashaud Breeland, Montae Nicholson, Mason Foster, and Jonathan Allen have taken their toll.
Star cornerback Josh Norman and edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan are both healthy for Washington, providing matchup problems for the Seahawks still-adjusting offensive line and wide receivers. D.J. Swearinger, the best safety Washington has had since the late Sean Taylor, will also play. Expect Darrell Bevell to move go-to guys like Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett around to avoid coverage by Norman, who will primarily stick to his side of the field, much like how the Seahawks keep Richard Sherman on one side.
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Washington has also struggled against scrambling quarterbacks this season, dropping games to Kansas City’s Alex Smith and Dallas’ Dak Prescott. Bevell has gotten away from option plays for Wilson, but expect Russell to tuck and run for at least a few first downs on Sunday.
Another interesting matchup will be new starting left tackle Duane Brown against Kerrigan, Junior Galette, and the rest of Washington’s defensive line. It will be interesting to see if Washington coach Kyle Shanahan and his offensive staff attempt to send edge rushers or even blitzers at Brown or possibly around the other side, where they might have better matchups against Germain Ifedi at right tackle. Once again, despite facing a banged-up defense, the Seahawks o-line will have its hands full, even with Brown now in the fold.
Next: Seahawks Week 8 Round-Up
This profiles as a game the Seahawks should win at home, but look for Washington’s defense to keep Seattle close.