Entering Sunday’s Seahawks game there were a lot of questions surrounding the team. After the game, we had our answers. Sort of. For a contest that had more ups and downs than a Six Flags coaster, more heartache than a hospital ward and more tweets per minute than a bird cage, we were left with a lot to talk about.  

The team has been underwhelming all year. Some might think they were lucky to be 4-4 entering the Cardinals game. Coming off a bye, there were expectations that the team would look fresh, the city would be energized, the players as healthy as they’ll feel all season. 

Part of the problem for the Seahawks this season has been their passing offense. No receiver has distinguished himself. Jimmy Graham led the team with 38 receptions and 450 yards this season going into Sunday, despite being basically invisible. The team’s air game has looked stale, overall. Much of that comes down to terrible play calling by Darrell Bevell, who seems shell shocked since last year’s Super Bowl. 

The other problem is the team’s passing defense. Using the almighty eye test, it seems as if every quarterback the ‘Hawks have played have had their way with the cornerbacks and safeties, able to get first down after first down at 10-yard clips. So, would Sunday’s game change any of this? Let’s find out. 

What was our prediction entering the game? 23-30, ‘Hawks. Call us homers, but we were feeling hopeful. The ‘Hawks needed the win; the Cards didn’t. It was a home game for Seattle. They were coming off a bye. We were wrong, in the end. The team lost in epic fashion 39-32, giving up their one millionth 4th quarter lead this season. 

Could the 12s bring it? Yes. The team came out before the first half and the second half juiced. There was tangible electricity in the building. The defense, when the team was making their run in the third and fourth quarter, seemed infused with life. The defense was a solar panel and the 12s were sunshine. It was too bad, however, that the offense couldn’t pick up any of the slack. They looked like mud from the week-long rain. 

Would this be the week that Carson Palmer, who always gets injured, leave the game hurt? No. Thankfully for him. Let’s not talk about this anymore.  

Earl Thomas intercepted Palmer on the game’s first drive near the end zone, would this be a harbinger of things to come? Yes. If nothing else, the game was exciting. And the Thomas interception WAS a harbinger of that excitement. However, it did not foretell a win, despite the fact it was the first inspired defensive play all season up until that point. 

Would Darrell Bevell continue to look completely incompetent? Yes. Yes. One hundred times yes. A thousand times yes. Jimmy Graham was about the safest bet in football before this season and he’s become a shell of himself. He has no confidence, he has no hands. Make no mistake, Bevell is totally to blame. The whole offensive unit looks lost. Their game plan seems to be Russell Wilson scrambling and then cross-your-fingers. No receiver has improved. Baldwin had a big game yesterday and probably had about 100 yards receiving, but it was no sign of singularly skillful play calling. Chris Matthews, who was a breakout player in the Super Bowl last year, made no impact. Tyler Lockett is too hopeful to be terrible, but if Bevell has his way, he will be no good on the outside in a matter of months. It’s sad. But the positive news is Marshawn Lynch’s mom was right when she called for Bevell to be fired. MARSHAWN LYNCH’S MOM IS A SOOTHSAYER!

What would happen with Jimmy Graham Sunday? His hands turned to cinder blocks. His mind turned to apple sauce. The ‘Hawks couldn’t get a third round pick for him when he was considered a freak of nature two years ago. He dropped pass after pass in Sunday’s game. That’s all you need to know. And, above all else, my fantasy team is suffering. 

With the passing game clicking and a Seahawk defensive line humming, why did the Cardinals keep running the ball? No clue. Until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when the ‘Hawk defense was exhausted, the Cardinals couldn’t get anything done on the ground. It was one of two bright spots for Seattle. 

What happened to Richard Sherman and the passing defense? He’s done. They’re done and as a result the team is done. No matter how good the D-line is, if the boys in the back can’t defend, it doesn’t matter. Cornerback Kerry Williams is a sieve and can’t tackle well. Sherman is a mascot of his former self. It’s a sad state of affairs and led me to Tweeting: Seahawks passing defense looks more like Seahawks passing gas. The Legion Of Boom is now the Legion Of Being Zoomed By. Carson Palmer had 235 passing yards and 2 touchdowns…in the first half. 

After seeing Ricardo Lockett hurt two weeks ago, would we see another football player leave in a stretcher? Yes! And not only that, an ambulance drove onto the field. Cardinal offensive lineman, Mike Iupati, experienced a head collision and was taken off the field. It was later reported that he could feel his extremities.

What was happening on Twitter? A lot! It was one of the bright spots of the entire game. Following people like Prometheus Brown, J Pinder, Seattlish, Spike Friedman, Andy Hurst and Shaun Scott was hilarious. The game turns into two games: the one on the field and the one in the feed. We recommend you check them out. 

What’s a catch? We still don’t know. No one does. Cris Collinsworth went so far as to say, and this is an actual quote, “Nobody knows what the rules are.” 

Could the game, which began with a 19-0 Cardinal lead be a remake of the Packers NFC championship game last year? Almost. The defensive line did everything they could, including a touch down, an almost touch down and striking the fear of god into the Cardinals. Almost. Almost. Almost. It’s the word of the Seattle Seahawks season. 

Finally, what happens now? The Seahawks are all but eliminated from the playoffs. In a game where the defense–and by defense I mean Cliff Avril and the D-line–did everything, the offense had next to nothing. The team is 4-5 and the only way they make the post season is to win out and finish either 11-5 or maybe lose once more and finish 10-6 with a wild card birth. Likely, though, the ‘Hawks will finish 9-7, just out of the playoffs and much of the blame will fall on Bevell and Kam Chancellor, who’s holdout (and resultant loss to the St. Louis Rams) really hurts. 

But who cares, right? Football is a dangerous game that we can’t really affect. Fans sit at home for the most part and root and want to win but feel more and more heartbreak. Besides, the team won the Super Bowl two years ago and went to one last year. We shouldn’t be so greedy. 

But football brings a city together, as strange as that is. We want to feel victory together. This season, with all its high hopes, has not provided that.