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| ESPN.com |
And good luck to the Saints with that dome-team-outdoors stuff, because it's raining at kickoff. Also, good luck to us TV viewers - Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch are Fox's second-best crew? Really? Well, they both seemed like 49er fans when they did the Rams' game there, so maybe they'll call this one down the middle. At least we get Erin Andrews rockin' the ball cap.
FIRST QUARTER
Seattle won the coin toss and deferred. The Saints immediately 3-and-out, which is not a good trend. Mark Ingram dropped a screen pass on 3rd down after Kam Chancellor, the best run-defending safety in the league, stuffed a Darren Sproles run on 2nd down. Punter Thomas Morstead then whiffs on the snap and only gets off a 16-yard punt. That's as good as a turnover. Terrible start for New Orleans.
Seattle at the NO40, and the game appears to be a 3-and-out for Percy Harvin. Brodrick Bunkley stuffed Marshawn Lynch on 1st down and the Saints were all over a smoke route to Harvin on 2nd down. On 3rd-11, on a long lob from Russell Wilson to Harvin down the sideline, Harvin gets absolutely lit up by Rafael Bush, but it's a shoulder to the head for penalty and a first down. Bush wasn't seeing what he hit, while Harvin doesn't appear to be seeing much besides stars and possibly chirping birds. Wilson floating that pass helped get Harvin killed, btw, nobody in the Fox booth talking about that. Lynch runs through some tackles for 5 but then loses 4 after he and Wilson nearly screw up and exchange. Roman Harper shuts down a drag route to Doug Baldwin to force a FG, which is a win for the Saints considering the way the game started. Seahawks 3, Saints 0
Harvin on his way back to the Seattle locker room as the Saints start again at their 20. Ingram bulls through for 18 on a couple of carries. Somebody called Khiry Robinson takes a swing pass and stiffarms Irvin to the ground like a little, um, girl and gains another 13. Love the Saints getting physical on the Seahawks here. Bush's penalty may actually have been a positive turning point for them. At this point, the Saints would like to introduce us to new left tackle Terron Armstead, who pushes Irvin around like a little, um, girl to get Ingram a huge hole for another 13. You're welcome, Saints, says Robert Quinn, who sent their previous LT to the bench. They need to quit running at Chancellor, though, who stuffs Robinson, followed by Bobby Wagner completely destroying a screen to Sproles for a huge loss, forcing a FG attempt Shayne Graham barely misses to the left.
Hee, LACES OUT, Luke McCown! And auto-fail to Burkhardt for having no Ace Ventura reference ready when Lynch mentioned it on the replay of the miss.
Harvin, much to my surprise, back in the game, Seattle at their 35. The pass Harvin got hurt on was a ball he completely should have caught, btw. Bush with his second shoulder to a receiver's head today, this time Golden Tate's, but Tate hangs on for 13 and a 1st down. Also, no flag. Lynch catches the most awesome 3-yard flip ever at the NO44. I say that because before he went out on his route, he DECLEATED 324-lb d-tackle Akiem Hicks with as superb a block as you'll ever see. This? Is a physical game. Lynch cuts back for a first down at the NO36, but Seattle stalls out at the 31 after a poor 3rd-down throw by Wilson well behind Tate. Hauschka Time again for the Seahawks. 6-0
SECOND QUARTER
BAD start for Ingram and the Saints, as Michael Bennett nails Ingram to force a fumble that he also recovers. An end-around to Harvin for 12 quickly has Seattle inside the 15, and it's mini-beast mode for Lynch from there, running through Harper and Corey White for a TD. The Saints are in peril of getting blown out in Seattle again. 13-0 Nice job by Zach Miller to seal off the end on that run. Also, shame on Cam Jordan for letting himself get blocked by a tight end.
Robinson blasts for 13 off LT out to the NO 36 as fullback Jed Collins is just clobbering people today. 3-and-out from there, though. In the rain, Brees throws a pass ten feet over Lance Moore's head, then throws a high swing pass that backup TE Josh Hill miffs for an incomplete, and Walter Thurmond breaks up the 3rd-down pass. It's been a quarter, btw, and we have yet to hear Jimmy Graham's name as much as called. Oh, there it is, Burkhardt telling us he doesn't have a catch yet.
Penalty on the punt buries Seattle at their 7. Lynch bashes them out to the 23 on 4 carries, then Robert Turbin breaks off a 35-yard run, but that comes back because Bruno Giacomini held. That kills the drive, with Wilson settling for another dumpoff to Baldwin on 3rd-and-9.
The Saints burn a timeout before the punt for unknown reasons. The wind has been a bigger factor than I've been able to describe; Jon Ryan's punt barely makes midfield. The Saints HAVE to come away with a score here.
Robinson spins off Clinton McDaniel on the ground for a quick 17. McDaniel brought him down on top of himself, so Robinson alertly kept going, knowing he wasn't down. Love this kid's effort. He punches out 5 more, but gets stuffed by Chris Clemons and Earl Thomas on 2nd down, and gets nowhere on 3rd down, taken down from behind by Wagner. Sean Payton passes up the FG try to go for it 4th-and-3. Seems an ok decision, Shayne Graham's already missed from that distance. Brees avoids a sack and tries to feather one to Marques Colston over the middle but has it swatted down by Wagner. Ball game? Also, I believe that's the first time Colston's name has been called today.
Big block by J.R. Sweezy springs Lynch for 19. They almost bog down at midfield, but on 3rd-and-8, a rare blitz today by Rob Ryan backfires as Harvin pulls down a lob for another 17. A hold on Russell Okung sets them back to the NO40 and into passing mode, but Wilson steps out of trouble and floats one to Jermaine Kearse down the near sideline for 25. Vintage Russell Wilson. He scrambles down to the 8 at the 2:00 warning. Seattle gets 1st-and-goal two plays later after Keenan Lewis holds Tate at the goal line, but Malcolm Jenkins blows up a pitch to Lynch that loses 5. Harvin gets blasted out of the game again at the end of an improv play by Wilson that comes up incomplete in the end zone. Wilson can't scramble on 3rd down because Jordan shuts down the edge. That leaves Hauschka to hit another pitching wedge. 16-0
About 1:20 till halftime for the Saints to get anything going, and Brees is a jaw-dropping 3-8-19 at this point. Sproles is no help, bringing the kickoff only out to the 15. Brees only gets up to 34 yards at halftime before Sean Payton just gives up and has him hand off to Sproles.
Over the past 6 quarters of "competition": Seattle 50, New Orleans 7.
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| Seahawks.com |
Terry Bradshaw believes Brees is off in the first half because he can't lick his fingers before every snap like he usually does because he has gloves on. Terry Bradshaw may or may not be insane, but Payton needs to get Brees going. For the second straight week, Jimmy Graham's been almost completely invisible in the first half, while Kenny Stills actually has been invisible, and Marques Colston's presence has barely been notable. Payton has shown no creativity whatsoever getting his receivers open the last two weeks, which is beyond baffling. The Saints got it going in the 2nd half last week by running, though, so their most important job as a team is to do a better job getting Seattle's offense off the field. I'd go ahead and man the wideouts and keep 8 in the box to stop (or try to stop) Lynch. Get the offense the ball, then Robinson and Ingram can take over on the ground while Payton, Saints fans hope, snaps out of it and starts using some motion and some bunch formations to get his receivers open. Seattle's coasting to victory without having to change a thing otherwise.
THIRD QUARTER
Quick 3-and-out by Seattle even though the Saints only had 8 in the box on 1st down. Poor throw by Wilson behind Lynch on 3rd down forced the punt. Saints got what they needed there.
Colston wide open on a drag for 17 to put the Saints quickly at midfield.Wagner vacated the middle of the field to pick Sproles up out of the backfield, so I think Irvin was supposed to adjust but didn't. Erin Andrews reports Brees' main problem is with the wind and that Harvin is done for the game with a concussion. Brees hits Robert Meachem for 16, but that's it. Sherman trips up Ingram for little gain, Chancellor blows up an inevitable screen pass and Bennett gets by Jahri Evans easily to sack Brees on 3rd down. Great adjusting by Payton, Graham still hasn't gotten open for anything and they're still throwing screens even though Seattle has been all over them all day.
Seattle from their 6, where, on 3rd-and-9, the Saints unconscionably let Lynch tear off 12. Strong blocks by Okung and LG Michael Bowie, and Lynch dragged Harper 6 yards. The Saints do get the stop on 3rd-and-6, though, with White tripping up Lynch out on the edge after a pitchout. It's clock management Andy Reid could stand to learn from, though not throwing either 3rd down was surprising.
The Saints nearly fall into a 3rd-and-long hole and barely look like they're even trying on offense but get a couple of gifts. Terry MacAulay's crew blows a play that should have been a Robinson fumble and Seattle recovery by calling Robinson down when he wasn't, then give Wagner an unsportsmanlike conduct after the play. Why wasn't MacAulay in Seattle when the Rams needed him? Robinson muscles across midfield for 6 more, but Clinton McDonald bats down a pass meant for Graham and Wagner dives and trips Sproles on a 3rd-and-4 draw, another questionable call by Payton, whose entire offensive game plan is apparently completely shot to hell by wind. Brees rolls right on 4th-and-3, hangs in and finds Moore breaking open across the middle, but throws it a little farther out of Moore's reach than Moore's half-assed effort can adjust for and it's Seattle's ball. The throw wasn't great, but neither was Moore's effort.
If Seattle, starting near midfield, can manage anything here, the Saints are done and dusted. Wilson looks deep on first down but has to scramble and take a statistical sack, and another bad pass gets Baldwin jacked by Harper on 3rd down. Wilson has been mightily unimpressive today.
The Saints show some life when Colston and Ingram combine to get one first down, then Brees hits Hill behind coverage on a corner route for 22 at the SEA39. Brees gets a ton of time again the next play and hits Colston inside the 15 for 25 more. They'll start the fourth quarter at the 11.
FOURTH QUARTER
Crossing route to Moore gets the Saints to first-and-goal at the 2. After stops by Malcolm Smith and Chancellor, Robinson runs over Zach Strief's pancake block to score the short TD, and Ingram goes left off the other tackle to get the Saints another two. Seahawks 16, Saints 8
Seattle fans would now like their offense to awaken from its slumber. Not to mention those of us idiots who bet on the over all weekend. Baldwin gets back body dropped by Trevin Wade at the 16 but Ramon Humber bails Seattle out with a stupid dead ball penalty. Jordan forces a throwaway from Wilson, when Seattle should maybe be thinking more about milking the clock. Juggling catch by Miller gets 12, though. The problem with my milk-the-clock idea now is that the Saints expect it, put 8 in the box and stuff Lynch on 1st down. Wilson looks deep for Tate on 2nd down but Keenan Lewis has him blanketed, and forced to scramble on 3rd down, Wilson misses a receiver breaking open deep and scrambles for 9, with Harper making the stop at midfield. A little surprising Pete Carroll didn't go for it, but Jeremy Lane downs the punt at the 6.
Robinson cuts back inside Brandon Mebane's overpursuit for 8. Brees to Colston for 7 more. I have no idea what TRAVARIS CADET is doing in the game at this point, but he drops a screen pass, followed by Brees burning N.O.'s first timeout. Usually that means the next play is going to suck, but Brees goes all Russell Wilson on us, ducking under a certain sack and shot-putting a pass to Colston for 16. In fact, John Lynch accidentally calls Brees "Russell Wilson" during the replay. Tip of the hat to Colston for coming up clutch here in the 2nd half. Ingram powers off right tackle for 6. The Saints have run for 113 in Seattle today, or 100 yards more than the Rams could manage up there two weeks ago. Ouch, as Brees scrambles and finds Stills deep down the far sideline but Zach Strief got called for holding. Brees then gets away with a terrible pass behind Graham that Chancellor dropped to blow a certain INT. Earl Thomas breaks up a pass from behind Graham to force the Saint punting unit back out on 4th-14 with 7:18 left. Gregg Easterbrook will surely use his superhuman powers of hindsight to criticize the Saints for not going for it if Seattle manages to string a few plays together here.
They don't though, likely leading to some deleted auto-text in TMQ-land. Lynch goes over the 100-yard mark with two runs for 8, but another poor quick slant pass by Wilson is incomplete, with Lewis again blanketing Tate.
5:31 to play. N.O. tries to run Robinson on 1st down, but Strief holds to push them back to their 18 and put them in the passing mode they probably should have been in anyway. Chris Clemons hands it back to the Saints by holding Ingram on an attempted screen. Next play, BIG PLAY ALERT, as Brees goes deep for Meachem, but it's well-underthrown for Earl Thomas or Byron Maxwell to pick off. Except they bungle the ball away from one another, and tip it to Meachem for a 52-yard gain! Thomas blew the catch and tipped it away from Maxwell. The Saints then take the dreaded delay-of-game penalty after a long play. That just seems like something the NFL should fix. A lot of teams sure seem to get penalized a lot for making big plays. Brees then has to burn the Saints' 2nd timeout to prevent another delay-of-game at 4:02. Now here come the poor post-timeout plays; Brees throws passes at not-remotely-open Ingram and Colston, then throws a screen that wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway too high for Sproles. Some clutch play-calling there. Payton makes the interesting choice to go for a FG with 3:56 left and only one timeout. A 48-yard FG, which Shayne Graham has already missed today, into the wind.
And it misses, as LUKE MCCOWN ONCE AGAIN FAILS TO PUT THE BALL DOWN WITH THE LACES OUT. On the same hashmark he was on for his first miss, with THE LACES NOT OUT like on the first miss, Graham pushes it a little farther left than his first miss.
Ball game. Payton really needed to go for it there, even on 4th-and-15. I would have argued harder earlier but I didn't realize how long the FG was. I am sentencing Payton and the Saints special teams coach and Luke McCown to watch Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 1,000 times this offseason anyway.
The Saints' special teams coach, btw, is former Rams special teams coach under Steve Spagnuolo Greg McMahon. He wasn't awful here, but I'm not surprised to see some little things getting overlooked, either.
THE SEAHAWKS PASS on 1st down and kill the clock with an incomplete before Lynch bruises the Saint D for 7. Baldwin then gets the Seahawks another set of downs with a spinning overhead catch on a corner route for I think 24. Outstanding effort and concentration. Except there's a good argument he didn't have control of the ball yet when he went out of bounds. Smart, but almost mandatory challenge by Payton, who I think should get the play overturned to force a punt.
Another replay argument lost by RamView, as it's ruled Baldwin had his left foot and right knee in bounds with possession, and Seattle keeps the ball. He lost possession in-between, which I mistakenly thought re-started "the process". I think. Football can be more confusing than an Albanian production of Twin Peaks sometimes. Nice catch, Doug Baldwin.
Then, nice run, Marshawn Lynch, bouncing outside left, cruising the sideline and stiffarming Lewis away at the 10 for a 31-yard clincher. Seattle will host the NFC Championship.
Dammit, Saints! I'm TRYING to write the postgame show and you won't let me. They drove to what I thought would be a futile TD by Colston with about :24 left, but then they recovered the onside kick AND COMPLETED AN ACTUAL PASS TO JIMMY GRAHAM for 8, but Colston butchers the endgame by failing to step out of bounds with :08 left, instead attempting a crossfield lateral that went at least 5 yards forward. That may have been the worst attempt at a Stanford band play ever.
Final score: Seahawks 23, Saints 15
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| Seahawks.com |
RamView had been struggling to find a POTG until that last TD run by Lynch, which clinches the prized honor for him. 28 carries, 140 yards, 2 TDs. Good thing the Seahawks had Lynch, too, with Wilson a Mark Sanchez-ian 9-for-18 for 103 yards. Golden Goat awards to the Amazing Disappearing Jimmy Graham (1-8) and Payton for what I thought was really bad game-planning and poor in-game adjusting. Payton was outschemed by Seahawks DC Dan Quinn (who would have won POTG were he a player) all day, especially when it came to erasing Graham, who I saw covered by at least 6 different players, single-team or double-team. Something to remember should Vernon Davis be heading that way next week.
1-1-1 game for RamView thanks to that useless late Saints TD that gave me a push ATS. And I've missed the over/under ALL FIVE GAMES this postseason. The last four games have all gone under after the first one went over. Just so you know, I'm staying on the over.
I think I've mentioned the Saints' need to add team speed more than once, and I'll stay on that theme for their postseason. Brees can throw for 5,000 yards, but when it's on 1,000 screen passes and they don't show any determination to stretch the field, it lets defenses sit on Graham and Colston. Lewis is great in their secondary, but they're not terribly fast back there, either. Especially when you're a team playing on artificial turf, you should feel the need... the need for speed.
On to Colts-Patriots, very belatedly, I admit.
-$-
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