Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins: Complete Week 5 Preview for Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off an overtime victory over their Super Bowl 48 opponents and a Week 4 bye heading to Landover, MD for a Monday night showdown with the Washington Redskins. Two seasons ago, these two teams faced in the playoffs with promising rookie quarterbacks at the helm.
A phenomenal season by Robert Griffin III guided Washington to the NFC East title, and Russell Wilson helped Seattle gain a wild-card berth. Obviously, the fortunes of each team's quarterback has gone in opposite directions since then.
The last-place Redskins are coming off an embarrassing 31-point loss on Thursday. Griffin's replacement at quarterback, Kirk Cousins, struggled mightily in the game, turning the ball over five times and converting just one third down. According to Odds Shark, the Seattle Seahawks are favored by anywhere from seven to 8.5 points. The line opened at seven points.
| Seattle Seahawks | Category | Washington Redskins |
|---|---|---|
| 356.7 (14th) | Total Offense | 415.3 (4th) |
| 27.7 (5th) | Scoring Offense | 23.8 (t-16th) |
| 208.7 (25th) | Passing Offense | 292.3 (4th) |
| 7.6 (13th) | Yards Per Attempt | 8.0 (5th) |
| 148.0 (3rd) | Rushing Offense | 123.0 (12th) |
| 5.1 (3rd) | Yards Per Attempt | 4.5 (14th) |
| 321.3 (6th) | Total Defense | 324.3 (8th) |
| 22.0 (11th) | Scoring Defense | 27.3 (26th) |
| 249.0 (19th) | Passing Defense | 237.3 (14th) |
| 6.5 (7th) | Yards Per Attempt | 7.9 (23rd) |
| 72.3 (5th) | Rushing Defense | 87.0 (8th) |
| 2.8 (1st) | Yards Per Attempt | 3.3 (5th) |
*Rankings via NFL.com.
Seattle Seahawks Week 3 Recap
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The Seahawks enjoyed a bye during Week 4 after starting the year with a 2-1 record. Rest is always welcome during an NFL season, but the bye was probably a bit too early in the season to really benefit the team. Still the early rest week gave the team an opportunity to work on shoring up a defense that has underwhelmed a bit this year.
The Seahawks defense was absolutely dominant in its 26-20 Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos—until the end of the game. The defense allowed 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-tying, 41-second drive in the final minute that was capped off by a two-point conversion.
Overall, it was a strong outing for the offense. The Seahawks dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for just over 38 minutes. It was a big turnaround from their less-than-stellar Week 2 performance against the San Diego Chargers.
Russell Wilson threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards against Denver. He also caught a pass from Jermaine Kearse for a gain of 17 yards. Doug Baldwin led Seattle receivers with 56 yards receiving on four receptions and Percy Harvin had seven grabs of his own for 42 yards.
Marshawn Lynch had 88 yards on the ground, 40 yards receiving, and he scored twice, including the game-winning touchdown. On defense, tackle Kevin Williams had the lone sack for the Seattle, while Byron Maxwell and Bobby Wagner each led the team in tackles with 11 apiece.
News and Notes
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Russell Wilson to be Senior Editor
Russell Wilson wrote a surprisingly frank article for Derek Jeter's new post-retirement venture, The Player's Tribune and was also revealed to be a senior editor for the site. Wilson's article focused on the rising concentration on domestic violence in the sports world, but also revealed himself to be a bully when growing up.
Kansas City Breaks Outdoor Stadium Sound Record
The Chiefs broke the previous record set in Seattle (137.6), reaching 142.2 decibels in their Monday Night Football win over the New England Patriots.
"We did it. #LoudAndProud #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/qrNHbXc5MA
— Kansas City Chiefs (@KCChiefs) September 30, 2014 "
Quote of the Week—Pete Carroll on Russell Wilson's article:
"I talked to Russell about it [Wednesday]. I’m really proud of him. He’s involved himself in a very critical issue. Maybe he can elevate awareness, like we’re all trying to do, for the right reasons. I think his statements were very well thought out and very clear. I’m hoping it has a great impact. We will support him in every way.
"
Seattle Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Cooper Helfet | TE | Doubtful |
| Christine Michael | RB | Probable |
| Kam Chancellor | G | Probable |
| Kevin Pierre-Louis | LB | Probable |
| Tharold Simon | CB | Out |
| Bruce Irvin | RB | Doubtful |
| Jeremy Lane | CB | Short-term IR |
| Zach Miller | TE | Out |
| Eric Pinkins | DB | PUP |
| DeShawn Shead | DB | Questionable |
| Alvin Bailey | OL | Out |
* Injury information gathered from Rotoworld.com.
The injury to Zach Miller has made room for Cooper Helfet to No. 2 on the depth chart at tight end, until Miller's probable Week 7 result. Helfet had been on the practice squad for two years before making Seattle's 53-man roster this season.
This week's game will mark his first opportunity to actually play, however, after being inactive every game so far this year. Bruce Irvin has a chance to return to the lineup after missing the team's Week 3 game against Denver. His arrival should help Seattle deal with Washington tight ends Jordan Reed and Niles Paul, should those two also return from injury.
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X-Factors and Matchups
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LB Malcolm Smith and LB K.J. Wright vs. TE Jordan Reed and TE Niles Paul
The Seattle Seahawks defense has surrendered five touchdowns to tight ends over their last two games and face a team with two very capable receiving threats in the Washington Redskins this week. With Jordan Reed missing the last three weeks, Niles Paul has stepped in and performed admirably.
Paul, even having missed of the Redskins Week 4 loss to Philadelphia, is third among NFL tight ends in 313 receiving yards. Paul, Reed and third-stringer Logan Paulsen have combined for 352 yards this season.
Seattle linebackers Malcolm Smith and K.J. Wright have each been subpar in their coverage duties so far this season. Though, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the two have been responsible for allowing just two touchdown receptions, they've also surrendered 17 catches for 175 yards this season.
Wright has been especially poor in coverage, allowing 12 of those 17 catches for 130 yards. Look for the Redskins to challenge Wright's coverage throughout the game, as he's proven to be a weak point in Seattle's usually stingy defense.
CB Byron Maxwell vs. WR Pierre Garcon
According to PFF's (subscription required) usage rate tracking we can expect to see plenty of Pierre Garcon lining up across from Byron Maxwell. Garcon had been a favored target of the injured Robert Griffin III and that status has continued since Kirk Cousins took over. Garcon has been targeted 38 times in 2014 and has hauled in 24 receptions.
Though Seattle linebackers Wright (minus-5.3) and Smith (minus-5.2) have graded out as the worst coverage players on the team so far, Byron Maxwell has been poor as well (minus-1.7). The fourth-year corner has had the ball thrown in his direction 25 times this season with 20 of them going for completions for 245 yards, according to PFF.
The Seahawks can't send much safety help his way with the deep speed of DeSean Jackson on the other side of the field and the receiving threat posed by Washington's tight ends. Maxwell's ability to handle Garcon will be tested consistently when the Redskins need a first down.
S Brandon Meriweather vs. Seattle Receivers
Brandon Meriweather missed the first two games of the season due to a suspension for an illegal hit. He started off 2013 slow after coming back from a torn ACL but showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.
Since returning in Week 3 Meriweather has had the ball throw in his direction 11 times. He has allowed eight for receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Percy Harvin hasn't been used on many deep routes this season, but Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse will have an opportunity to test a rusty Meriweather.
Deep passes should offer great potential for the Seahawks in a game in which their third-ranked rushing offense faces the Redskins run defense, ranked eighth-best in the NFL.
Prediction
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With as much trouble as the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos gave the Seahawks defense in successive weeks, look for Washington—which boasts the NFL's fourth-best offense in terms of total yardage—to pose problems Seattle.
Combine the league's fifth-leading rusher (Alfred Morris) with receiving threats DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed and Niles Paul and the Redskins should challenge the Seahawks defense at all levels. The key to this game should be Washington's relatively poor pass defense, which ranks 23rd in most yards allowed per pass.
Stopping the run will be important for both defenses. There will always be heavy doses of Marshawn Lynch in Seattle's game plan, but this should be a game in which Russell Wilson will have sufficient opportunity to throw the ball. Expect the Seahawks passing game to focus on beating the Redskins deep.
Washington's offense exploits the speed of Jackson to take the top off defenses, but the strength of Seattle's unit is to limit an opponent's passing game to short throws. We still don't know how good Kirk Cousins is, but he faces a stiff test in the Seahawks defense.
Prediction: SEA 23, WAS 17
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