Good afternoon, 12s.
Here's a look at what's "out there" for today - Wednesday, Dec. 9 - about your Seattle Seahawks:
Seahawks Offense Showing Improvement
It's no secret that the Seahawks offense has been performing better the past few weeks than it did at the beginning of the year, but ESPN.com's Mike Sando takes a look at where that improvement ranks relative to the rest of the League (Insider).
Sando compiled the five offenses and defenses that have shown the most statistical improvement from the first six games to the last six games, and the Seattle offense comes in at No. 2 behind the Kansas City Chiefs. Sando used expected points added (EPA) per game as his metric of choice and calculated how many spots each unit moved up or down from its first six games to its last six games. The Seahawks offense ranked 23rd in games one through six, but has jumped 21 spots to rank 2nd in games seven through 12. That plus-21 change boosted Seattle from a bottom 10 offensive unit to a top 10 offensive unit and was the second-largest gain of any offense in the NFL.
Here's what Sando had to say about the Seahawks' offensive resurgence:
There was a good chance this would happen, but logic said Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham would be part of the Seahawks' usual late-season offensive resurgence. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been the driving force, in part because his offensive line is giving him a chance now that the team finally moved Patrick Lewis into the lineup at center. Wilson's abilities as a pocket passer, appreciated by some but not all, have been on display lately. He has completed 59 of 69 passes (85.5 percent) from the pocket over the past three games, with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions on those throws.
Taking it a step further, fellow ESPN.com NFL Insider Matt Bowen breaks down the many dimensions of Russell Wilson, whose recent play has the Seahawks "rolling into the playoff push." Here's what Bowen concludes about the Seahawks quarterback:
Yes, Wilson is showing major improvements when throwing the ball from inside of the pocket and he is dicing up defenses when they send pressure. Add that to the multiple dimensions he brings to the position and the Seahawks are set up to make a serious push here over the last month of the season. But we have to remember that Wilson is still developing and going through the steep learning curve that comes with playing quarterback in this league. He is far from a finished product. The recent run is great. Now let's see him continue that development even more.
Brock Huard's Chalk Talk
https://youtu.be/SfESSq0rfDM
Former University of Washington and Seahawks quarterback turned football analyst Brock Huard shares his latest 'Chalk Talk' segment at 710Sports.com breaking down Russell Wilson's 53-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin from this past weekend's win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Tweet Of The Day
Today's "Tweet of the Day" comes from Sando, who shares what Wilson's numbers look like over the past three games on throws to wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett.
More From Around The Web
Here at Seahawks.com, digital media reporter John Boyle doles out honors for the third quarter of the 2015 regular season and answers 12s' Twitter questions in his weekly Seahawks Q&A.
Here's a look at how the Seahawks' NFC West rivals fared in Week 13.
Peter King at TheMMQB.com puts the Seahawks at No. 5 in his latest 'Fine Fifteen,' adding the comment, "Visions of the 2013 postseason dancing in my head when I saw the rout of the Vikings at Minnesota. No matter how many times the league tries to stick a fork in the Seahawks, they keep coming back strong."
Tom Pelissero at USA Today tries to identify the secret to Seattle's strong finishes to seasons under coach Pete Carroll.
Sheil Kapadia at ESPN.com answers five questions about the Seahawks' playoff scenarios.
Gregg Bell at the Tacoma News Tribune says Pete Carroll's faith in assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tom Cable is paying off.
Dave Boling at the Tacoma News Tribune highlights the play of Seahawks rookies Frank Clark, Tyler Lockett, and Thomas Rawls.
Danny O'Neil at 710Sports.com shares highlights from his latest 'Hawk Talk' chat with fans.
Neil Paine at FiveThirtyEight.com wonders if the Seahawks have what it takes to get back to the Super Bowl.
And a pair of Seahawks appear in this NFL.com article touting players who need more Pro Bowl votes. You can cast a ballot for your favorite Seattle players at Seahawks.com/ProBowl.
D*id I miss anything you think is worthy of inclusion? Let me know on Twitter *
Team photographer Rod Mar went with the Seahawks on their business trip to Minnesota and had this perspective of the team's exciting 38-7 win over the Vikings in Week 13.
Seahawks linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis dons his Drake-inspired "Hotline Bling" holiday sweater for the December road trip to Minnesota.
Running back Thomas Rawls makes his first carry of the road trip, hauling snacks for the running back group as the road trip begins.
Seahawks fans are always on hand when the charter buses leave the interstate and head through Sea Tac to the airport for departure.
The Seahawks board their Delta charter flight on Friday afternoon, bound for Minneapolis, Minnesota for the matchup with the Vikings.
On Saturday, the team headed to a local college for a brief walk-thru. Safety Marcus Burley listen to music on his Bose headphones on the bus ride.
The team practiced on a local field covered by an indoor bubble. Defensive backs Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas held a discussion while the offense took the field for their portion of the walk thru.
Each road trip, the team takes a brief visit to the stadium of the next day's game. Running back Thomas Rawls took a phone call while sitting at his locker as the team got familiar with the surroundings at the University of Minnesota.
Receiver Doug Baldwin leads the way as the team walks off the turf at TCF Bank Stadium, permanent home of the University of Minnesota football team and temporary home of the Vikings while their new stadium is being built.
On game day, Kay Ruekberg of East Lansing, Michigan, got to check off the second item of her bucket list as she met Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson as he boarded the bus headed to the stadium.
At the stadium, quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll studied the surroundings during early pregame warmups.
Back in the locker room, receiver Doug Baldwin watched tape as he mentally prepared for the game ahead.
Linebacker Frank Clark applies eye black before the team took the field.
Offensive linemen Garry Gilliam and Justin Britt lead the way as the Seahawks make their way down a tunnel taking them from their locker room to the field.
Seattle's defense set the tone from their opening series on the field, stuffing league-leading rusher Adrian Peterson on his first two carries.
Seattle's defense came out on fire, and Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin congratulate Frank Clark after his sack of Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the first quarter.
Seahawks tight end Luke Willson stepped up in the absence of the injured Jimmy Graham, catching this tough pass and absorbing a big hit for a 14-yard gain and a first down.
The Seahawks went right back to Luke Willson on the very next play and he outran the Vikings defense for a 22-yard gain and another first down.
The Seahawks offensive line, including J.R. Sweezy, Patrick Lewis and Justin Britt, gave quarterback Russell Wilson time to throw from the pocket.
Tyler Lockett led all receivers with seven catches, this one for nine yards on Seattle's first scoring drive.
Running back Thomas Rawls celebrates after he scored the Seahawks' first touchdown of the game
Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin celebrates after tackling Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson for a one-yard loss in the first quarter.
After that, it was K.J. Wright and Kam Chancellor's turn to upend Vikings star Adrian Peterson, this time after a three-yard gain on a pass from Teddy Bridgewater.
Seattle rookie linebacker Frank Clark notched a sack of Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater for a five-yard loss at the end of the first quarter.
Seahawks fans once again showed up and showed out on the road, flooding the stadium in blue and green, with 12 flags and signs supporting their team.
Running back Thomas Rawls found room up the middle as some Washington State University fans showed their Cougar colors in the stands.
Head coach Pete Carroll walked back to the benches to confer with defensive linemen Michael Bennett and Brandon Mebane.
Seattle's defense waits for the Vikings to come to the line of scrimmage.
Seattle's defense was stifling the Vikings who tried a reverse, only to have cornerback Deshawn Shead make a diving tackle for a six-yard loss on the play.
Seahawks fans and Vikings fans managed to enjoy the game together in the stands.
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett hauled in a 29-yard pass from Russell Wilson then was hit hard by Minnesota's Antone Exum, Jr. who was penalized for unnecessary roughness while safety Robert Blanton grabbed Lockett's facemark.
Defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson (Maryland)
Running Back C.J. Prosise (Notre Dame)
Offensive Lineman Mark Glowinski (West Virginia)
Wide Receiver Rodney Smith (Florida State)
Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett (Kansas State)
Defensive End Cassius Marsh (UCLA)
Running back Troymaine Pope (Jacksonville State)
Tight End Jimmy Graham (Miami)
Defensive Lineman Ahtyba Rubin (Iowa State)
Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls hits a hole created by center Patrick Lewis in the second half. Rawls tallied 101 yards on 19 carries in the victory.
Defensive End Cliff Avril (Purdue)
Linebacker Mike Morgan (USC)
Running Back Tre Madden (USC)
Wide Receiver Tanner McEvoy (Wisconsin)
Strong Safety Kam Chancellor (Virginia Tech)
Linebacker Ronald Powell (Florida)
The game is not even three hours old yet, but linebacker Bruce Irvin is already reviewing tape of the game on the return flight to Seattle.
