Seahawks frustrated with officiating in 25-20 loss to Saints

Published 1:30 pm Sunday, October 30, 2016

NEW ORLEANS — The howling about the officiating will last well past Halloween. Maybe until the next one, in fact.

Especially when it’s Richard Sherman howling loudest.

“We played within the rules and we got called. They played not within the rules and they didn’t get called,” the three-time All-Pro cornerback said of referee Ed Houchuli’s crew Sunday in the Seahawks’ 25-20 loss at the New Orleans Saints.

“What they have one penalty in the game? (Actually two, to Seattle’s 11). Some people would say that’s skewed.

“It looked pretty obvious the way the game was officiated. I don’t think they were trying to hide. Some of the calls — or lack thereof — (were) pretty egregious. … Even when we are at home we rarely get calls. But at least they don’t tear us apart (as they did on Sunday).”

Alrighty then.

But the Seahawks (4-2-1) have a far more pressing issue conspiring against them. It endangers their postseason hopes far more than the referees. Especially with games against Buffalo, at New England and versus Philadelphia up next.

Despite maintaining a 1½-game lead atop the NFC West because Arizona (3-4) also lost Sunday, at Carolina, the Seahawks’ offense is undermining their tremendous, top-ranked defense.

Coach Pete Carroll walked off the field shaking his head. He wasn’t the only Seahawk whose noggin was swiveling Sunday.

“It was a very difficult day for us,” Carroll said. “We made it hard on ourselves.”

Again.

The Seahawks have one offensive touchdown in their last nine quarters. That includes four periods against the league’s worst scoring defense Sunday. Seattle’s defense was on the field for 21 of the game’s first 29 minutes after it built much of Seattle’s 14-3 lead when Earl Thomas returned the fumble brilliant-again Cliff Avril forced in the first quarter for a touchdown.

With 1 minute remaining in the first half the defense had played 67 of the Seahawks’ last 104 minutes of game time back to the start of the previous week’s 6-6 overtime tie at Arizona. The offense that for years punished teams with a relentless running game rushed for three yards in the half.

These weren’t the Monsters of the Midway they were facing, either. More like the Battered of the Bayou.

The Saints had been allowing 32.5 points per game, but Seattle’s offense produced just 13 points against them. New Orleans was 23rd in the NFL against the run. Seattle finished with 74 yards on just 17 carries among its 54 plays.

Christine Michael ran five times for 31 of his 40 yards to begin the second half, leading a crisp drive to a field goal and a 17-13 lead. But Michael carried it just twice for 6 yards the rest of the game.

Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell keep saying the Seahawks “need to call more runs.” But Seattle has run it just 19 and 17 times the last two games. That’s the fewest rushes over a two-game stretch since Oct. 23-30, 2011.

After those losses at Cleveland (6-3) and to Cincinnati (34-12) five years ago, Carroll and line coach Tom Cable committed more to running the ball. And Marshawn Lynch eventually became the cornerstone to consecutive Super Bowls, including Seattle’s first NFL title.

Lynch is home retired in Oakland. His heir, Thomas Rawls, is healing a cracked fibula and out until at least Nov. 13 at New England. Michael has shown wear in his near solo role rushing. So Seattle on Sunday tried rookie running back C.J. Prosise in the ground game extensively for the first time.

Yes, Prosise’s four carries for 23 yards counts as extensive in this offense right now.

The Seahawks’ offense was again going nowhere behind a new left tackle who was a college basketball player and whose previous football start was in a Pee Wee league. That was George Fant.

It took a pass by Wilson to Paul Richardson, then a double pass from undrafted rookie wide receiver Tanner McEvoy to get the Seahawks moving. The former quarterback at Wisconsin fired a cross-field strike to Prosise to set up the offense’s lone TD. Michael’s 2-yard run made it 14-3.

“We know we have to be able to run the football,” Carroll said again Sunday. “We have to get out of our own way so we can have more of a rhythm in the first half.”

Leave it to leveled wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who came within a tackle of winning the game on a catch and run for 27 yards over the middle to the Saints 18 with 25 seconds to go, to understand the officiating isn’t Seattle’s biggest problem.

“Penalties play a factor, but I don’t think they play THAT big of a factor,” Baldwin said. “The 49ers lead the league in fewest penalties and penalty yards (and are 1-6). So…”

The problem remains the acts that lead to the big penalties on early downs, mostly by offensive linemen. Those keep altering any plan to run the ball.

Such as Fant blocking into the ankles of a defender in the first quarter from behind. That ruined a second and 9. There aren’t many good running plays for second and 24. Guard Mark Glowinski’s false start on first and 10 made it first and 15; Wilson threw his interception on the next play.

A block in the back by center Justin Britt in the third quarter with Seattle leading 17-16. That turned what would have been a second and 2 into first and 12. The Seahawks punted.

Michael inexplicably flinched out of his tailback stance on second and goal at the 5 in the fourth quarter. The false start moved the Seahawks back to the 10. Seattle settled for Steven Hauschka’s 22-yard field goal for a 22-20 deficit instead of a touchdown and the lead with 6 minutes to go.

Yet Wilson, as he has for most of his first five seasons, led a remarkable rally late. Wilson was 22 for 34 passing for 253 yards, no touchdowns and one interception — just his second pick in 215 throws this season. That set up the Saints’ first touchdown and turned Seattle’s 14-3 lead into 14-13.

But with no timeouts and 1:50 to go down 25-20, his three completions — two to Baldwin, for 31 total yards — moved Seattle from its 32 to the Saints 18. After a spike to stop the clock with 16 seconds remaining, Wilson threw to Prosise for 8. Another rushed spike stopped the clock at 2 seconds, time for the final play.

With the Superdome as bonkers as New Year’s Eve on neighboring Bourbon Street, Wilson threw way high and deep right for Jermaine Kearse. The ball took Kearse into the backline boundary of the end zone. He still made a crazy, leaping snare but could not get both feet down inbounds.

Thus, Seattle didn’t save itself on this Sunday.

“We were close…we had a chance at the end,” Wilson said. “That’s all you can ask.”

Actually, the Seahawks can ask for more — from the offense.

Much more consistency. And simply cleaner play.