Absolute malfunctioning at the goal line dooms Seahawks in blowout loss to Bills amid boos
The Lumen Field public-address system played the goofy theme music from the old British sketch-comedy “The Benny Hill Show.” It was during a time out in the first half.
It could have played throughout the Seahawks’ entire game Sunday.
Jarran Reed was yelling at then angrily grabbing the face mask of teammate Derick Hall for his bone-head penalty. Soon, they were throwing hands at each other on the sideline.
When Connor Williams wasn’t snapping the ball five feet over the head of Geno Smith, the center was stepping on his quarterback’s foot to ruin that first and goal, too.
Riq Woolen broke up a pass in the end zone, then taunted Buffalo’s Keon Coleman with a throat-slash gesture with his hand. Two plays later, Coleman was tapping Woolen on top of the helmet after the Bills’ rookie wide receiver beat Woolen for a touchdown -- because Woolen never turned around to see Josh Allen’s pass scrape off the top of his helmet.
The Seahawks had two first and goals in the first half. In six snaps after that, they had netted minus-28 yards and three total points to show for those golden chances.
That was the closest, by far, they came to competing in their 31-10 loss to the AFC East-leading Bills at rain-soaked, boos-filled Lumen Field.
It wasn’t even that close.
The game showed how far the Seahawks are seven games into the regime of rookie head coach Mike Macdonald from the Bills (6-2) and the NFL’s elite.
“Extremely frustrating,” Smith said.
“We had too many self-inflicted wounds. That’s kind of been our story this season.”
Asked how indicative this performance Sunday was, or was not, to where his Seahawks are eight games into his new program, Macdonald paused.
“That’s a good question,” the 37-year-old head coach, the NFL’s youngest, said.
“We talk about stacking wins around here. And when you are going on and off, back and forth, you know it’s frustrating.
“You want to be able to build on the good things that we’re doing, so we can get our program to where we want it to go. And then when you take steps back like today it’s very sobering. It’s frustrating.
“But this is the NFL. And if you don’t bring it and have your best against good teams, you aren’t going to win those games. Our guys know that. Us, as coaches, we’ve got to prepare our guys as best we can. We have to call great games. This whole thing has to keep coming together.
“But, time is ticking, as we say. We are almost halfway through the season now.”
Seattle, without injured wide receiver DK Metcalf, often went backwards on offense with penalties. That included a taunting foul on Smith, the quarterback, for throwing the ball into a defender’s face, plus a delay of game on a fourth and 19 and illegal contact that negated a strip sack. Seattle also had three personal fouls among its 11 penalties.
Then there were the Seahawks’ follies such as the first and goals to nowhere. A muffed punt lost by rookie returner Dee Williams. And a general, widespread lack of discipline.
Smith completed 21 of 29 passes for 212 yards and an interception--on a screen pass.
Seattle (4-4) lost for the fourth time in five games to fall into a first-place tie with Arizona, which won at Miami, atop the NFC West. That was pending San Francisco (3-4) hosting Dallas Sunday night.
The Seahawks next host the Los Angeles Rams (3-4) next Sunday. The NFC West rivals are a half game behind Seattle and Arizona for first place in the division.
“If you take a step back, we’re right in the thick of it in the division,” Macdonald said.
“And this game coming up is going to be a big one.”
The Seahawks’ defense didn’t help much against Buffalo. It allowed the Bills two 90-yard drives to touchdowns in the first half. That was the first time Buffalo had done that since at least 1993 and the Jim Kelly “K-Gun” Super Bowl days.
“Their quarterback, right? He’s a problem,” general manager John Schneider said before the game in his weekly, on-air talk with the Seahawks radio network.
He was. But Seattle helped him.
Allen completed 24 of 34 passes for 283 yards, two touchdowns and a rare interception. The Seahawks rarely got near him on pass rushes. And when they did, Hall needlessly pushed down Allen for a roughing penalty that extended Buffalo’s final drive of the first half.
Instead of a field goal, the Hall penalty that had Reed screaming at him on third down led to Allen’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid with 18 seconds left in the half.
Instead of 10-3, the Bills led 14-3.
Woolen had a penalty of pass interference early in the fourth quarter that gave Buffalo a first down at the Seattle 24. It was the Seahawks’ second defensive penalty on that drive. It led to James Cook’s second rushing touchdown of the game.
A week after a resounding, reassuring win by 20 points at NFC South-leading Atlanta, the Seahawks were down 31-3 to the Bills.
This up-and-down half season hasn’t changed Macdonald’s belief in his players and team.
“I think everybody on that field knows that our best can compete with them,” Macdonald said of the Bills.
“And Buffalo’s great team. They’ve been doing this a long time...
“hat’s a vote of confidence in our guys, in our people.”
The offense without DK Metcalf
Seattle played without Metcalf. The knee the team’s top wide receiver sprained seven days earlier in the team’s win at Atlanta sidelined him for only the second game of his six-year NFL career.
Without Metcalf, Smith and the Seahawks offense gained just 12 yards to Buffalo’s 145 in the first quarter. Seattle was outgained 224-95 in the first half. Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb say they want to run, but Kenneth Walker had just six rushes for 5 yards in the opening half.
It was 308-96 when Smith nearly threw an interception on the Seahawks’ first offensive play of the second half. Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas jumped Tyler Lockett’s stop route outside and had the ball go off his hands.
That Seahawks drive to nowhere ended when Smith threw a screen pass intended for Walker into a horde of Bills. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson intercepted it--and got mobbed by his Buffalo teammates. It was the first interception for the 30-year-old eighth-year veteran in NFL, college or high school football.
Riq Woolen returns
Woolen played after missing the previous game with a sprained ankle.
The Seahawks started him and 2023 Pro Bowl selection Devon Witherspoon as the outside cornerbacks, and coach Mike Macdonald stayed in base defense more than usual to start the game, instead of having Witherspoon go inside as nickel.
When they did go nickel with Witherspoon inside, Josh Jobe was the left cornerback outside. The practice-squad call-up got the first interception of his three-year, 30-game NFL career in the first half. Jobe stepped inside a quick slant route by Amari Cooper on third down and intercepted Allen’s throw.
Allen had gone 300 consecutive throws without an interception, dating to last season.
The Seahawks’ offense turned that drive start at the Buffalo 7-yard line into the second of two failed first and goals -- the one where Williams stepped on Smith at the direct snap under center on fourth and goal from the 1.
Josh Allen targets Josh Jobe
Allen and the Bills made the Seahawks pay for starting practice-squad call-up Josh Jobe for the second consecutive game.
Allen targeted Jobe on a 35-yard completion over him to Khalil Shakir on the first drive of the second half. That put Buffalo at the Seattle 30. On third and goal from the 8, fill-in safety Coby Bryant broke up Allen’s pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid at the goal line. That forced the Bills to settle for a field goal and a 17-3 lead.
Bryant started his second consecutive game for Rayshawn Jenkins, who is on injured reserve.
Allen targeted Jobe seemingly each time Macdonald went to nickel defense. On a third and 5 at the Seahawks 36 in the third quarter, Allen waited for Coleman to run past and behind Jobe on a long crossing route. His pass easily beat Jobe for 21 yards.
That set up Cook’s 2-yard touchdown run. Buffalo led 24-3, and the score was finally indicative of how lopsided the game was.
Yet Bryant said after the 21-point loss his Seahawks are close to being an elite team the Bills already are, and have been for years.
“Not far, at all. It’s us right now,” Bryant said.
“We are beating ourselves.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Absolute malfunctioning at the goal line dooms Seahawks in blowout loss to Bills amid boos."
