Seahawks’ Baldwin disappointed despite career bests

Published 1:30 am Saturday, December 24, 2016

SEATTLE — Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin helped spark a struggling offense Saturday with a career-best performance in Seattle’s 34-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.

But after the defeat, the sixth-year veteran wideout was in no mood to bask in personal accomplishments.

“We lost,” Baldwin said. “Win-loss column is all that matters to us.”

Baldwin set single-game career highs in both receptions and receiving yards, finishing with 13 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown. He hauled in nine receptions for 117 yards in the second half, including 87 yards in the fourth quarter.

Baldwin’s previous career-best receiving total was 164 yards, set earlier this season in Seattle’s Week 3 win over San Francisco. His previous career high in receptions also came this year, when he caught nine passes in the season-opening victory over Miami.

“Doug Baldwin was lights-out and made so many great catches, so many great plays,” said Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who heated up in the second half to finish 29-of-45 passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns.

Seattle struggled offensively for much of the game, managing just three points and 94 total yards in the first half and just 10 points and 182 total yards through three quarters. But Baldwin helped ignite a fourth-quarter comeback that saw the Seahawks score three touchdowns in the game’s final nine minutes.

The 5-foot-10 receiver began the scoring spree by hauling in a short pass and sprinting for a 42-yard catch-and-run score that cut Arizona’s lead to 21-18 with 8:49 remaining. Baldwin finished the game with three receptions of 30 yards or more.

“He just did everything,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “I thought the receivers really came through. Their catch-and-run stuff was great. Of course, Russell had to deliver the ball. But you could see the protection changed and everything opened up, and Doug was able to take advantage of it. I thought the catching and running was really exceptional today.”

Baldwin’s standout performance also gives him a career-high 1,084 receiving yards this season, which surpasses his previous best of 1,069 yards set last season.

Baldwin broke that mark on a 31-yard reception late in the fourth quarter that put Seattle at the Arizona 15-yard line with 1:54 remaining. Three plays later, fellow receiver Paul Richardson hauled in the game-tying touchdown pass. But kicker Steven Hauschka missed the ensuing extra point and the Cardinals drove downfield for the game-winning field goal as time expired.

“To struggle like we did in the first half, and then to do everything that we did in the second half to come back and give ourselves a chance to win the game, and then not be able to pull it out — it’s an emotional roller coaster,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin and the Seahawks’ receiving corps will be tasked with filling the void of second-year wideout Tyler Lockett, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the second quarter while catching a pass at the Arizona 1-yard line.

With Lockett out for much of the game, Wilson targeted Baldwin, his go-to receiver, 19 times on Saturday. Receivers Paul Richardson and Jermaine Kearse also stepped up in Lockett’s absence, with each hauling in his first touchdown reception of the season.

“I love the way our guys were able to turn it around at halftime and score a bunch of points and put a bunch of yards on the board,” Carroll said. “All the guys that made catches for touchdowns … that was really special. It gave us a chance.”

But at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough.

Asked when he’ll reflect on topping the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second consecutive season, Baldwin answered, “once we finish up the season. Hopefully, (that’s) in February. It’s wins and losses for us.”