Behind Enemy Lines: Week 2

Sep 9, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brandon Gibson (11) catches a pass for a touchdown while being defended by Detroit Lions cornerback Jonte Green (36) in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Reality has set in for many fans in the inland northwest and the reality is that Russell Wilson is a rookie.  As a rookie he had a hard time with the blitz during the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.  Of course that could be because another rookie along the offensive line, J.R. Sweezy, struggled mightily with the blitzes up the middle.  Any quarterback will struggle when quick pressure comes from the middle of the offensive line.  Wilson went 18/34 for 153 yards with one TD and one INT, he also ran for 20 yards on 8 carries.  It should be noted the interception was on a desperation heave at the end of the first half.  Wilson did show he wouldn’t be rattled as easily as a typical rookie by leading the final drive that gave the Seahawks four shots at the end zone and a chance to win.  The overhyped optimism surround Wilson and the Seahawks following the preseason has rightfully died down Seahawks fans should come to terms with the fact that they may struggle to match their 7-9 record from the previous two seasons.

Looking ahead to the Seahawks week two matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at Century Link field and it seems likely the Seahawks will start the season 0-2.  Rob Ryan undoubtedly watched the way the Cardinals blitzed with reckless abandon in week 1 with a huge smile on his face.  Ryan will definitely be blitzing early and often until Wilson makes them pay with a few big plays.  On the other side of the ball look for Romo to have another big day against the Seahawks.  Yes the Seahawks only allowed 187 yards passing against them in week 1 but that was against the Cardinals offense.  Whether you like him or not Romo is a better quarterback than either Kolb or Skelton, and he is also surrounded by a much more talented group of players.  If the Seahawks could only manage 1 sack against a depleted Cardinals offensive line I wouldn’t expect them to get much pressure on Romo.  Expect the Cowboys to walk out of Century Link with a double digit victory.

The NFC West has a tough schedule this weekend with the Cardinals drawing the toughest duty traveling to New England to face Tom Brady and the Patriots.  The 49ers will face off against the Detroit Lions at home, and based upon each teams week 1 performances you have to like the 49ers chances to go 2-0 to start the season.  The Rams will host the Washington Redskins, and as ridiculous as it sounds the main storyline will be RG3 versus the team that traded away the rights to draft him.  The Rams made the right choice for the franchise whether Sam Bradford has a better career than RG3 or not, so that conversation shouldn’t even happen but we all know how the national media latches onto such trivial storylines.  I will preview that matchup later this week but it certainly holds more intrigue following each teams week 1 performances than just the RG3 storyline.

Go Rams!!