By Khalid Bennett
The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Seahawks drop to 2-4 after last Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers 27-23. It was the fourth game this season in which the Seahawks have given up a fourth quarter lead and only the third time they have lost at home with Russell Wilson at quarterback.
The team’s record at this point in the season is not as concerning as the fact that the strength of the team, the defense, has not been able to close the deal in the final quarter of their four losses. In fairness, the defense has not been getting much help from the offense which has only managed to score only 3 points in the fourth quarter in the last three games. Seattle has played in the last two Super Bowls and this is uncharacteristic for a team that is known for shutting down the most prolific of offenses the last two seasons.
Pete Carroll addressed the touchdown scored by Carolina in the final minute of the game, that gave the Panthers the lead and ultimately the win, and said that the guys on the field received “two different signals” leaving some to question whether or not the recent fourth quarter woes are due to lack of, or just poor communication between the coaching staff and the players.
Believe it or not, this has been a recent trend going back to the Super Bowl when the Seahawks gave up a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter to the Patriots.
“We need to come together” is what Seahawks Safety Earl Thomas said after the game reminding fans that it is a long season and that their playoff hopes are still very much alive. Seattle, with a little help from Pittsburg, are still only two games out of first place in the NFC West as they prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a Thursday night showdown this week. San Francisco, also at 2-4 coming off a win on Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens, gears up for their division rivals on a short week. Although the 49ers do not look to be as formidable as in recent years due to the loss of key players such as running back Frank Gore, and linebacker Patrick Willis, not to mention the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh to the University of Michigan, they still pose a threat to a Seahawk team that has not yet found their identity on either side of the ball.
In the last 25 years, 14 teams have managed to make the playoffs after starting the season 2-4. Unfortunately, none of those teams made it to the Super Bowl, which is where Seattle wants to be to make up for last year’s loss to the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
