The Seahawks lost a tough one. But Field Gulls expects games like these moving forward. Not so much the losing part, but the gritty, defensive-minded matchup. Field Gulls sees the NFC West turning into a division where everybody beats up on everybody instead of one or two teams beating up on the others.
The 49ers sport arguably the best defense in the NFL. The Rams have an up-and-coming defensive unit, proven by them stifling an explosive Lions' offense on Sunday. And the Seahawks saw first-hand how good the Cardinals' defensive unit can be.
So moving forward, Field Gulls sees a need for improvement in a few offensive areas in order for the Seahawks to continue to play against these formidable defensive units.
First and foremost, the offensive line needs to improve its protection of quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson is already rookie but he's a short one at that. Standing 5-foot-11, Wilson needs lanes to see downfield, a la Drew Brees. Wilson needs that same type of protection and the Seahawks were unable to do that in allowing three sacks, seven quarterback hits and three tackles for a loss.
Russell Wilson will need to improve in his own right down the road but it starts with his protection. Wilson looked like a rookie in his first NFL regular season start. Field Gulls can forgive him for that. But he still needs to improve.
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