Did Antonio Gates, Chargers Expose Seahawks Defense vs. Tight Ends?

Antonio Gates finished last season with only four touchdown receptions. He finished Sunday with three, two of which came in one quarter.

Gates being his vintage self isn't exactly shocking. He may be slowing at the age of 34, but his hands remain soft, and his instinctive body positioning—a skill learned on the hardwood—isn't going anywhere. He tossed in a Velcro one-handed catch too, just for fun.

No, it's who he went off against that was jarring. Gates, who averaged 54.4 receiving yards per game last year, posted those touchdowns and 96 yards on the Seattle Seahawks.

The same Seattle Seahawks who gave up only 51.6 yards per game to tight ends in 2013, according to Football Outsiders. Yet still, this happened...

"

Third career three-TD game for Antonio Gates, first since 2005. Like I've been saying, he's still the #Chargers MDM. Most Dangerous Man.

— UTKevinAcee (@UTKevinAcee) September 14, 2014"

We're also talking about the same Seattle Seahawks who faced a top-10 tight end last year eight times, including the playoffs (Vernon Davis three times, Jimmy Graham twice, Julius Thomas, Tony Gonzalez and Greg Olsen, all based on total receiving yards).

Please note how low the numbers from those games are, and the nothingness premier tight ends walked away with after being stifled by Seattle.

Player	Week	Result	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
Greg Olsen	Week 1	Win (12-7)	5	56	0
Vernon Davis	Week 2	Win (29-3)	3	20	0
Tony Gonzalez	Week 10	Win (33-10)	3	29	0
Jimmy Graham	Week 13	Win (34-7)	3	42	1
Vernon Davis	Week 14	Loss (19-17)	2	21	1
Jimmy Graham	Week 19	Win (23-15)	1	8	0
Vernon Davis	Week 20	Win (23-17)	2	16	0
Julius Thomas	Week 21	Win (43-8)	4	27	0

Saying the Seahawks have dominated the league's best TEs since the start of last season is an understatement. They've almost been completely shut down.

Highlighted by holding Graham and Davis to a combined 24 total yards during the playoffs, that list shows eight games when hulking tight ends were limited to an average of 27.4 yards, with only 23 total receptions and two touchdowns. Reminder: The regular-season touchdowns from Graham, Davis and Thomas alone in 2013 add up to 41, with all three in double digits (Graham led with 16). 

So what was the problem for Seattle Sunday?

Mostly, a lack of pressure, or at least effective pressure. Philip Rivers often had plenty of time to scan the field, and even a slower Gates had just as much time to amble deep.

Seattle thrives on getting pressure from their front four without blitzing. That didn't happen Sunday, as Rivers completed 22 of his 25 attempts for 211 yards when facing four or fewer pass-rushers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Since the start of last season, Seattle is also first in the league in touchdowns allowed when sending only four pass-rushers.

While there's no disputing that on most afternoons/evenings the Seahawks secondary is historically great, that unit relies on pressure up front so Richard Sherman et al can remain physical and aggressive. Too often it simply didn't arrive against the Chargers.

This is a team that crept close to three sacks per game last year, averaging 2.75 with a total of 44, and last week the Seahawks took down Aaron Rodgers three times while also recording a safety. Rivers was sacked once and was hit only three times, with the Seattle front four losing the trench battle to an offensive line that allowed only 60 quarterback hits in 2013 (fifth fewest in the league).

Of course, the searing heat didn't exactly help matters.

"

Those are #Seahawks coaches holding tables up to make sun shades. Still think heat's not a factor? #Chargers #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/sqilNN6Zpp

— Derek Togerson (@DerekNBCSD) September 14, 2014"

Football humans are large and often house-like. But they're still humans, and engaging in athletic activity when the temperature is 120 degree—as it was at field level Sunday—is downright draining for anyone. Especially the Seahawks, who are more accustomed to the mild September climate in the Pacific Northwest

Three of the Seahawks' four starting defensive backs were forced to retreat to the locker room in the second half to battle cramps. It became much more than a passing coincidence when Earl Thomas was among them. Thomas is from southeast Texas, and he told the Tacoma News Tribune it was the first time in his entire football career he's had to get intravenous fluids for cramps.

There also seemed to be a reluctance from coordinator Dan Quinn to deploy his nickel defense against Rivers. As Gregg Bell from the Tacoma News also observed, Quinn effectively slowed Rodgers last week with that approach, trotting it out 92 percent of the time when Green Bay was in three- or four-wide receiver sets.

He stuck with the base defense more often against San Diego, which resulted in mismatches between Gates and a linebacker, with Malcolm Smith and K.J. Wright trailing on two of his three touchdowns. That contributed to an exceptionally long day for the Seattle defense in an exceptionally hot office, with the Chargers converting 26 first downs, and they were successful on 58 percent of their third-down attempts while maintaining possession for a whopping 42:15.

It was a rare time when the Seahawks lost a chess match, and they were defeated by a veteran quarterback who continually used his largest chess piece. It doesn't get any easier with Julius Thomas, a likely healthy Jordan Reed and Jason Witten lurking over Seattle's next three games.

Recent history says Sunday was likely a blip, and we should give the Seahawks defense a tight end mulligan. And I think we'll look back and see it was deserved, though with that upcoming gauntlet, the problems which led to Gates' sudden surge—mostly a lack of consistent, effective pressure—need to be fixed fast.

Sean Tomlinson covers the NFC West for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.