Shuffled Seahawks offensive line comes up aces in win over Chiefs
The Seahawks had more issues on their offensive line Sunday night.
“The offensive line tonight,” quarterback Russell Wilson said, “they had to step up.”
And they did.
The Seahawks’ still excelled up front in what’s become their signature running game , leading Sunday night’s 38-31 upset of the Kansas City Chiefs that clinched Seattle’s return to the NFC playoffs.
Seahawks starting right tackle Germain Ifedi ended his streak of 45 consecutive games played since 2016. He was inactive because of a groin injury he got in practice on Thursday.
The Seahawks entered Sunday night’s game deciding between backup tackle George Fant and rookie Elijah Nkansah for right tackle. The team promoted Nkansah, the starting left tackle last season for the University of Toledo, from the practice squad on Saturday.
Fant started. But on third and 1 from the Chiefs’ 4-yard line on the Seahawks’ opening possession, Nkansah was in making his NFL debut. Fant twisted his ankle missing a block outside right on a J.D. McKissic run. Nkansah entered and blocked ahead of Chris Carson’s probing, patient touchdown run of 4 yards from center to the right side.
Fant returned at right tackle after missing just that one, touchdown play.
D.J. Fluker was active despite missing the last two games with a strained hamstring and then being questionable to play Sunday. Ethan Pocic, not Fluker, started at right guard.
But with 6 minutes left in the second quarter, left guard J.R. Sweezy got his ankle twisted at the end of a running play inside the Chiefs 10-yard line. The Pro Bowl alternate went to the locker room. That forced Fluker into his first game action in three weeks. He went in at right guard, and Pocic moved to left guard to replace Sweezy.
Through all the shuffling, the Seahawks ran for 145 yards in the first half, and 211 yards for the game. Carson had 65 of those yards. Russell Wilson had 19, on a scramble trying to pass during Seattle’s drive to Carson’s touchdown on the opening drive.
Carson eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He said that’s the first time he’s done that since high school. He had 996 yards at Butler Community College in Kansas before two, injury-affected seasons at Oklahoma State before the Seahawks drafted him in the seventh round last year.
“It’s a blessing,” he said of 1,000 yards.
“At the same time, all the credit goes to the o-line. Without them, none of this is possible.”
Carson became Seattle’s first 1,000-yard running back since Marshawn Lynch, in 2014.
That was Seattle’s last Super Bowl season.
Fittingly, wide receiver Doug Baldwin entered his postgame press conference of his 126-yard receiving night with his third touchdown catch in two games with: “As a great 21st Century philosopher once said, ‘I’m just here so I don’t get fined.’”
Carson is the sixth running back in Seahawks history to have a 1,000-yard season. The first five: Curt Warner (four times), Chris Warren (four times), Ricky Watters (3 times), Shaun Alexander (five times), Lynch (four times).
This is Carson’s first full NFL season--and he’s missed two games with hip injuries.
Penny out again
Rookie running back Rashaad Penny was inactive for the second consecutive game because of a knee injury. Carson and then Mike Davis were the top two runners again for Seattle.
Free safety Tedric Thompson was inactive as advertised because of a chest swelling. But Bradley McDougald was active to play strong safety against the Kansas City Chiefs less than 48 hours after he returned from California. McDougald had been there all week to get regenokine blood-spinning injection treatment for tendinitis in his knee.
The Seahawks had listed him as questionable to play.
Poona Ford was active following the undrafted rookie’s strong game at defensive tackle the previous weekend at San Francisco, leaving Nazair Jones inactive Sunday.
The Seahawks’ other inactive players were backup safety Kalan Reed, running back Bo Scarbrough and defensive end Branden Jackson.
No good
Sebastian Janikowski missed a 36-yard field goal off the top of the right upright to waste a Seahawks drive to the Chiefs 18-yard line in the first quarter. So Seattle’s lead stayed 7-3.
That left Janikowski 8 for 10 on field goals from 30-39 yards. League kickers from that distance were making 95.2 percent of their tries this season.
The 40-year-old Janikowski also missed an extra point, from a distance of 33 yards, the previous weekend in the overtime loss at San Francisco.
The miss early in Sunday’s game left him 19 for 24 on field goals this season.
Man, with friend
The Seahawks honored K.J. Wright at the end of pregame warmups for being their 2018 nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award. General manager John Schneider and others were on the field acknowledging Wright.
The Pro Bowl veteran linebacker has pledged to build wells for clean water in a town in Kenya and helped build houses for disadvantaged in south Seattle.
Bobby Wagner, Wright’s great friend and linebacking partner, stayed on the field to watch Wright get the recognition.
Wright expected to be on what he called a “pitch count” in his return from missing the previous five games because of his knee recovering from August surgery. But he played all but one defensive series. Rookie Shaquem Griffin entered for him on one drive in the second quarter, and the Chiefs marched 10 plays to their first touchdown.
Roars for Avril
No surprise the home fans at CenturyLink Field roared when retired Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril appeared atop the stands above the south end zone to raise the team’s “12th Man” flag just before kickoff.
Avril was one of the most genuine, pleasant players in the NFL this decade until a neck injury forced him to retire this offseason.
This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 8:52 PM.
