Photo credit: Sports illustrated.
A long awaited football season has begun as the Seattle Seahawks opened the 2020 season in Atlanta with a 38-25 beatdown of the Falcons.
Russell Wilson threw 4 touchdowns in about as perfect of a game as one could play. He would throw 31-35 for 322 yards. He would also have an impressive 28 yard scamper off an option play in the 1st half. Wilson now joins Steve Young as the only QBs to have 30k career passing yards and 4k career rushing yards.
The Seahawks rushing game did not set the world on fire as they managed just 84 yards—29 of those from Russell. But the Seahawks game plan was pass heavy as they went away from their typical run heavy offense to a more aerial attack. But RB Chris Carson’s 21 ground yards was supplemented by 45 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both had 8 targets and almost eclipsed 100 yards with 95 and 92 yards a piece. The tight ends were also strong supporters in this offense as Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, and Jacob Hollister would combine for 7 catches 41 yards and a TD.
“We wanted to spread the ball around,” Wilson said. “We wanted to get the ball to a lot of different guys. We wanted to be aggressive in our approach.”
The pass defense would get lit up by the Falcons offense; however, the yardage mattered less than the fact that through 3 ½ quarters they held the Falcons to just 1 TD and 18 points. On the ground, the Falcons had early success with newly acquired Todd Gurley, but quickly abandoned the run after going down 28-12 in the 3rd quarter.
More important than the yardage or the points, it was the play of newly acquired safety Jamal Adams who in a pot shot back at his former NY Jets team, would say he wasn’t bored.
“I wasn’t bored,” a smiling Adams said in a reference to Williams’ remarks after Seattle’s 38-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons. “I was blitzing. I was having fun.”
Adams was everywhere, in the backfield unabated to Falcons QB Matt Ryan on one play and knocking down pass after pass. In addition to everything that he did on the field, he was motivational and inspirational on the sidelines. His energy and brashness is helping turn back the clock on this defense to the days of the Legion of Boom.
Jamal Adams with his first sack in a @seahawks uniform. @prez
📺: #SEAvsATL on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/DTlgEUZamw pic.twitter.com/DMcy1RQvdW— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2020
“He is such an energetic personality,” Carroll said. “He’s got so much fire in him and he’s an incredible competitor. Does it rub off? Yes. I’m so thrilled he’s on our team and we got him. Not just for the play but what else he brings and how he affects other people, and he’ll continue to do that.”
