Watching the Seahawks is like taking Viagra and nothing happens. You have all the potential, all the anticipation, all the buildup, and you end up with soggy wood. That’s what October 30th in Seattle was like when the Cincinnati Bengals came to town with a weak 4-2 record and a highly ranked defense.
I was anticipating this game as a big one because Seattle blew it in Cleveland, blew it badly with green chunks, while the 49ers have kept winning. For Seattle to have a shot at retaining the NFC West crown, this was a game the Seahawks had to have.
I knew it was going to be bad when Charlie Whitehurst trotted out to the huddle on the first play. Despite my hopes for something (anything) good, three quick plays and a punt showed that Whitehurst’s performance in Cleveland was no aberration.
Fast forward halfway through the second quarter, with the Bengals up 10-3, Pete Carroll finally agreed with the boos coming from the rafters and put Tarvaris Jackson in to replace Whitehurst. So it became official; Whitehurst is a worse quarterback than an injured Tarvaris Jackson.
Not that Jackson looked good; on the first play, he ran into Marshawn Lynch in the backfield on a hand off, causing a fumble that the Bengals recovered. It was like starting to feel the Viagra taking effect and hearing your girlfriend say, “Oh no! I think my Dad is home.”
Heading into halftime, the Bengals hit on a 43 yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to AJ Green to take the teams to the locker room with the score 17-3, although it should have ended differently.
With 14 seconds left in the half, on a 4th down with 2 yards to go on the 3 yard line, Marshawn Lynch takes the hand-off up the middle and gets the first down. Because Seattle has no time outs left, time in the half runs out with the ball on the 1 yard line.
To show you how awful the officiating was, this is my Play of the Game.
Picture the scene: 10 seconds left and Cincinnati Bengals defenders basically sitting on Lynch, not allowing him to get up so the referee can place the ball. That is a penalty for delay of game. It’s in the rule book specifically for this situation but did the referee call it? No, he allowed the time to run out.
Article comments
1 - Trevor Shand
I think the Seahawks should use Golden Tate more. He's quite an athlete, find some place to use him.
2 - Steve
They have potential if Jackson can stay healthy but that has been an ongoing problem. I like how the Bengals helf Lynch down so they couldn't run another play at the end of the half, classy.