Seahawks defense ruined Ken Walker’s day in OT loss to Raiders

It was as awesome and brutal as it should be.

The Seahawks defense was busted, right down the middle, like they were all day, and lost another completely winnable game.

Josh Jacobs ran in a straight line like he was too late to get from Penner Square to the Space Needle untouched through Seattle’s porous defenders for an 86-yard touchdown. That sprint with 4:20 left in overtime sent the Seahawks to their second straight loss and further adrift in the NFC West, a 40-34 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Lumen Field.

If a nearly 90-yard in-and-out touchdown to beat you on your home field isn’t enough to spark a change, this Seahawks’ suddenly sunken season won’t.

Seattle allowed 283 rushing yards and 576 total yards, the third-most in Seahawks history, compared to the previously 3-7 Raiders. The run-stopping woes persist for this team and its new 3-4 defense from September, through October and now into Thanksgiving.

“It’s just not acceptable for us,” Seahawks linebacker Poona Ford said in a quiet locker room.

Ford was blocked at the point of attack when Jacobs ran past him on the final play.

Meanwhile, San Francisco shut out New Orleans to improve to 7-4. The Seahawks (6-5) are a game plus tiebreaker on the 49ers for first place in the NFC West.

Wild-card Washington also won to improve to 7-5. So Seattle went from first place in the division to outside the seven-team NFC playoffs in seven days, including the bye.

“It’s really disappointing,” coach Pete Carroll said.

“This is a game we should have won.”

The Seahawks lost the coin toss and went into overtime. The way Seattle’s defense played seemed decisive.

But on third-and-1 at Seattle’s 37-yard line, defensive tackle Shelby Harris burst through the line and overthrew Jacobs for a loss of yardage. On fourth down, Daniel Carson was short and wide for a 56-yard field goal.

That gave the Seahawks a drive to start from their own 46. Still, they went three and out at the most inopportune time.

After the Raiders tied the game at 34, quarterback Genea Smith (27-for-37, 328 yards, two touchdowns, two fumbles) recovered the ball at the Seahawks’ 25-yard line with 1:54 left and three in half. cars that remained in the main time. . He completed three passes on the first four plays of the drive. Dyke-Kee Metcalf took a low throw before hitting the turf along the Seahawks sideline and with 57 seconds left, Seattle had a first down near midfield.

But a lengthy replay review by the NFL’s office of referees in New York finally ruled that Metcalf did not have full control of the ball throughout his throw to the sideline, so the pass was incomplete. The Seahawks punted and the game went into Seattle’s first overtime of the season.

The defense falters

Jacobs rushed 33 times for a Raiders record 229 yards. It was the most defensive tackles in a game against Seattle.

He ran right at the Seahawks. Again and again, like Tampa Bay in the previous game of Seattle, the loss in Germany before the bye.

However, the defense held its own on fourth down at midfield with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels inexplicably called for a slower, lateral play to the left instead of another straight run for a first down. Seahawks safety Ryan Neal beat his blocker to force Jacobs further left. Linebacker Cody Barton jumped Jacobs for a tackle in the back of the field and caused a 27-down turnover.

After a first down, Smith eluded another and ran 18 yards to the Raiders 36. On third-and-1 from the Raiders 18, Smith rolled out to his right. Homer was open in the right flat, caught a flip pass and raced past three Raiders into the end zone. An 18-yard touchdown run put Seattle ahead 34-27 with just under 6 minutes remaining.

It was a timely third career hit, the first this season for Homer, a fourth-year veteran.

But the Raiders responded. Quarterback Derek Carr to Davante Adams for 28 yards, with Adams making a one-handed grab and Seahawks cornerback Michael Jackson grabbing the other, and Las Vegas reached midfield.

On third-and-goal from the 6 with 2 minutes left, Carr found tight end Foster Moreau running free through the back of the end zone from linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Carr’s TD toss tied the game at 34 with 1:54 left.

For the fifth time in six offensive possessions, Seattle’s defense allowed the Raiders to score.

Ken Walker returns to scoring

Rookie Ken Walker responded to his first start without a touchdown in Germany two weeks ago by scoring twice on Sunday.

Walker’s second score was a groundout by Marshawn Lynch.

After Tyler Lockett had a 28-yard catch and run and a 21-yard pass for Marquise Goodwin’s first catch of the game, Walker took a handoff from Smith at the Raiders 14. The second-round pick went through the arm tackle. He cut left to right inside and then ran over defender Tyler Hall. He carried him, Tre’von Meurig and Raider Duran Harmon from the 4 across the goal line, assisted by Abe Lucas and guard Damien Lewis.

Walker’s second touchdown of the game and ninth in seven games gave Seattle a 27-24 lead.

Walker is five points away from tying Kurt Warner in 1983 for the most rushing touchdowns by a Seahawks rookie.

But then, with the score tied at 27 and Smith finally in a groove, throwing and driving the offense early in the fourth quarter, Walker and Smith botched a pass exchange. It turned out that Walker was grabbing a pass that the quarterback didn’t really want to give. The ball fell between them at the Raiders’ 28-yard line. Las Vegas’ Chandler Jones recovered the fumble and the game was tied at 27.

It was Seattle’s second turnover.

In the second quarter, Smith threw well to the left of Lockett, who stopped his route. The Raiders scored on the next play on a 30-yard field goal by Josh Jacobs.

Suddenly, the Seahawks were down 21-13 in a game they should have led by two points earlier.

Smith responded by completing his next five passes on the next drive for 70 of Seattle’s 75 yards for a touchdown. Smith’s final throw and catch was perfect: Tyler Lockett ran past an inexplicably stopped Raiders cornerback Rock Ya-Sin down the right sideline. The 35-yard mark was Smith’s 18th touchdown pass against five interceptions this season. Seattle trailed 21-20.

But Seattle’s defense folded too easily on Las Vegas’ next drive. It was so long — 13 plays, more than 5 minutes, became a two-minute drill. The Seahawks’ pass rush, which featured Poona Ford (his career-high third this season) and three early quarterback sacks, disappeared. The Raiders nearly hit Daniel Carlson’s 36-yard field goal to take a 24-20 halftime lead.

Sea hawks swoop over. Again.

What did Las Vegas do Tampa Bay did in Germany two weeks ago what New Orleans in October, Atlanta and San Francisco in September did to Seattle.

The Raiders ran right at and through the Seahawks.

The Raiders were 23rd in the NFL in rushing average at 106.8 yards per game. They rushed for 144 yards through the first three quarters Sunday against a defense that ranked 28th in the league.

Jacobs had 103 yards on 21 carries through the first three periods.

The Seahawks defense allowed the Raiders to score 20 points on four drives without stopping Las Vegas. A series of defensive fumbles began with a Raiders punt late in the first quarter until Las Vegas tight end Foster More forced Carr to commit a third-and-6 pass. It should have been a first down in Seattle territory in the final minute of the third quarter.

So the game was tied at 27 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Chances were lost early

Coach Pete Carroll likes to tell his Seahawks that they can’t win games in the first and second quarters.

But they can seize control of them. That’s what Seattle failed to do on Sunday when the Raiders gave them multiple chances to do so.

The Seahawks led 13-7 in the second quarter. But they knew that more was needed. And so the Raiders had a game they could have been blown away from early.

Diggs intercepted Carr twice before 9 minutes into the game. But Smith and Seattle’s offense couldn’t take full advantage of Seattle’s four starts of 35 yards and two in Raiders territory to start the game.

Diggs rushed to knock Carr’s throw away from Davante Adams on the first play. Seattle’s Brian Mone flew at Carr up the middle to force a fumble. That was one more play than Monnet had in the Seahawks’ previous game. If the big-nosed contests are abandoned in Munich, they preceded Tampa Bay running all over the Seahawks. That tactical error helped Seattle lose 21-16 in Germany before the bye and pushed the Seahawks out of first place in the NFC West.

Sunday, Diggs’ 24-yard return of his first interception was a rushing touchdown in Seattle. Two plays later, rookie Ken Walker took a sharp right and improvised a 12-yard touchdown. The Seahawks took the lead 28 seconds into the game.

The 71-year-old Carroll jumped in his Nike Air Monarchs to his right and left and ran almost to the paint numbers behind the sideline to congratulate his offense on the fast start.

But lighting glitches allowed the Raiders to equalize even though midfielder Uchenna Nwosu took Carr briefly out of the game with a kick to the ribs after an incomplete pass. Carr missed one play and then completed a touchdown. Running back Ameer Abdullah beat Diggs on a wheel route and up the right sideline for an 18-yard touchdown. Abdullah celebrated the score with a karate kick in the air that caught Diggs’ shoulder for a creative unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Diggs intercepted Carr for the second time when linebacker Cody Barton threw a pass over the center to Diggs. Carroll twice ran to Diggs, who was on the sideline and shoulder-tapped his safety on the bench to celebrate that second turnover.

But Smith and the offense fumbled, starting that drive at the Raiders 35. They only got a field goal by Jason Myers. These three points were a reprieve. Smith was intercepted, forcing a pass to DK Metcalf in two Raiders defensive backs in the right back of the end zone on third-and-5 from the 6. A replay review ruled that Raiders safety Duran Harmon threw the ball when he fell on his back behind the end. back zone line for an incomplete pass instead of an interception for Smith.

Refined pass defense on the edges of the rookie offense against Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, who would was doubtful to play due to illness, allowed Smith to throw 33 yards to Metcalf down the left sideline on Seattle’s next possession. That led to Myers hitting another short field goal for a 13-7 lead that looked like it should have been 17-7 or 21-7 for the Seahawks.

After two picks in the first quarter, Diggs was one interception away from becoming the only NFL player to throw at least 3 interceptions in each of the last six seasons.

This story was originally published November 27, 2022 at 4:47 p.m.