The Seahawks far exceeded outside expectations after an
offseason roster-retooling and a few serious injuries. They lost in the
wild-card round of the playoffs to the Cowboys but showed, with Russell Wilson
at quarterback, they are still contenders. Read
more.
The Seattle Seahawks ended
the season with a 24-22 loss to
the Dallas Cowboysto
finish the season at 10-7. Here's a recap of the season and what's next:
Season grade: Above
average. The Seahawks far exceeded outside expectations after an offseason
roster retooling and a few serious injuries claimed some of the most impactful
players in franchise history. They were hardly devoid of talent as some of the
more pessimistic projections seemed to assume, but getting 10 wins and a
playoff appearance qualifies as a significant accomplishment after losing or
moving on from the likes of Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor,
Cliff Avril, Jimmy Graham, Earl Thomas and
others. If the only positive development to come out of this season was the
emergence of the next group of core players, 2018 would have felt like a
success even in the absence of a playoff berth. The Seahawks got both.
Season in review: The
Seahawks' turnaround from an 0-2 start coincided with the emergence of their
running game, which finished atop the league after bottom-third rankings the
past two years. Reigniting that part of their offense was a primary offseason
goal, evident in personnel moves and in some of the hires coach Pete Carroll
made after overhauling his staff. More running meant much less was asked
of Russell Wilson,
who attempted his fewest passes since 2013 but still tossed a career-high 35
touchdowns while tying his career low with seven interceptions and edging his
previous best with a 110.9 rating. All their key departures meant the Seahawks
needed a next wave of stars to emerge, and they did. Chris Carson became their
first tailback since Marshawn Lynch in
2014 to top 1,000 yards, Tyler Lockett scored
10 touchdowns, Frank Clark and Jarran Reed combined for
24.5 sacks, and Michael Dickson made the Pro Bowl.
Seattle also got Pro Bowl-caliber seasons from veterans Bobby Wagner and Duane Brown,
all of which shows why general manager John Schneider referred to the Seahawks'
offseason shakeup as a reset and never a rebuild.
He said it: "There's
an emotion to it that's deep, and it's because there wasn't very many people
that thought we could do this. Most everybody thought we didn't have a
chance." -- Carroll, after the Seahawks clinched a playoff berth with
their win over the Chiefs in Week 16.
KEY
OFFSEASON QUESTIONS
Will Clark get the franchise tag or a
long-term deal? It's going to be one or the other
because there's no way the Seahawks are letting their best pass-rusher leave in
free agency. Clark did not want to do what Minnesota's Danielle Hunter did
last summer, which was to take a deal in the $14-15 million range then have the
type of season that would have gotten him a much bigger payday had he
waited. Clark
bet on himself and finished the regular season with 14
sacks, which was the sixth most in the league and a half-sack behind Hunter.
Given the year he just had and the fact that Clark has already shown he's
willing to wait for the right deal, it's hard to imagine him taking one that
averages much less than the franchise number for defensive ends, which should
be upward of $18 million. Will the Seahawks be willing to make that kind of
long-term commitment?
What will happen with Wilson's contract? He
had perhaps his best season, and the extension
Carroll recently signed shows that business is running as
usual following the passing of owner Paul Allen. But remember, Wilson's last
deal didn't get done until the eve of training camp in 2015, which was the
deadline his side had set. He was prepared to play out the final year of his
rookie contract, then play the franchise-tag game. Might he be even more
willing to go year-to-year with his contract after seeing how that worked
for Kirk Cousins? As
ESPN's Mike Sando noted, Wilson had made only $2.2 million in
career earnings when he was negotiating his current extension, so there may not
be the same financial incentive to do a deal now that he's banked more than $72
million in NFL money since then. His 2019 salary is $17 million. This could get
interesting.
What other changes are coming on defense? Seattle
re-signing safety Earl Thomas seems exceedingly unlikely given what's happened
over the past seven months: Thomas holding out all offseason, refusing to take
part in a few practices upon his return and then flipping
the team off after breaking his leg for the second
time in three years. Like Thomas, linebacker K.J. Wright will
be an unrestricted free agent. He'll be 30 this summer and missed all but five
regular-season games because of a knee injury that required surgery and then an
out-of-town treatment. That will work against another multiyear deal from
Seattle, though Wright signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks to reset his
market value seems conceivable. Earlier comments from Carroll suggested the
Seahawks want to bring back Mychal Kendricks,
who helped fill in for Wright before landing on IR. That assumes Kendricks will
be available; he's facing
potential prison time for insider trading and is scheduled to
be sentenced later this month. Seattle's other UFAs include guards D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy,
nickelback Justin Coleman,
defensive end Dion Jordan,
defensive tackle Shamar Stephen and
kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
The Niners hopes for playoff contention this year
centered on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo didn’t really get the opportunity, suffering a torn ACL in Week 3
against the Kansas City Chiefs. Losing Garoppolo was the one hit the Niners
couldn’t afford, not with the rest of their roster rebuild still under
construction.
The San Francisco 49ers finished
the first half of the season with a 2-7 record. Here's a look at how they've
fared and what's ahead:
First-half rewind: The
hope for a quick turnaround and shot at playoff contention evaporated the
moment quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tore
his ACL in Week 3. It didn't help that they lost starting running back Jerick McKinnonto
the same injury before the season even began. What's left behind is a roster
full of holes and lacking in big-time playmakers capable of finishing out close
games with wins. The results have been maddening for players, coaches and fans
alike as the Niners have lost twice to the lowly Arizona Cardinals and
are 1-4 in games decided by one possession. Grade: Bring on
2019.
49ers' revised game-by game prediction
Here's how San Francisco 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner sees
the rest of season playing out.
|
DATE
|
OPP.
|
W-L
|
|
Nov. 12
|
vs. Giants
|
W
|
|
Nov. 25
|
at Buccaneers
|
L
|
|
Dec. 2
|
at Seahawks
|
L
|
|
Dec. 9
|
vs. Broncos
|
W
|
|
Dec. 16
|
vs. Seahawks
|
L
|
|
Dec. 23
|
vs. Bears
|
L
|
|
Dec. 30 at Rams L
|
||
What is the 49ers' biggest hole to fill? Game-changing
players. Forget positional needs, this runs deeper. The 49ers' inability to win
close games comes down to a lack of players who can turn a game in their favor.
They've seen established stars like Larry Fitzgerald, Aaron Rodgersand
emerging stars like Derwin James do
it to them in losses this season. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan recently referred
to the need for "closers." Ideally, the Niners can find those closers
at particular positions of need like edge rusher, cornerback and wide receiver.
MVP: Tight end George Kittle. In
a season with few bright spots, Kittle (41 receptions, 692 yards, three TDs) is
emerging as one of the league's best tight ends. The rest of this season will
be an important test for Kittle to prove he can stay healthy (an issue that
plagued him as a rookie) and to continue to produce even without Garoppolo. If
Kittle puts up big numbers with backup quarterbacks C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens, it
should create plenty of excitement over what he can do when Garoppolo returns.
Biggest surprise: The
effectiveness of the running game. The Niners have many issues but, frankly, none
of them could be classified as a surprise. A rushing attack that underwent an
offseason makeover has been, especially considering McKinnon didn't play a down
before his season ended. When healthy, running back Matt Breida has
been dynamic, Raheem Mostert showed
some big-play ability but broke his arm against the Raiders, and Alfred Morrishas
been steady. All of that has added up to a running game that ranks second in
yards and seventh in yards per carry.
Hurdle to overcome: Takeaway
margin. The 49ers have been one of the league's worst teams when it comes to
turning the ball over. Compounding matters is the fact that they've been
equally bad taking it away from opponents. The Niners have enough of a talent
deficit against many teams to overcome without the type of self-inflicted
mistakes that have been a hallmark of the early part of the season. It has been
better the past two weeks but if it doesn't improve on a consistent basis, the
losses will continue to pile up.
LOS
ANGELES RAMS
The Los Angeles Rams ended
the season with a 13-3 loss to
the New
England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
Here's a recap of 2018 and what's next:
Season grade: Near
perfection. It was Super Bowl or bust from the outset after the Rams made
several aggressive trades and acquisitions to bolster their roster. Their goal
came to fruition after a divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys followed
by an overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints in
the NFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl LIII. Although they fell
short of securing the organization's second Super Bowl title, the season must
be considered a resounding success. The Rams finished the regular season 13-3,
won a second consecutive division title for the first time since 1979 after
they swept their NFC West opponents, and made their first Super Bowl appearance
since the 2001 season. The organization, including general manager Les Snead
and coach Sean McVay, must be commended for the team's meteoric rise after
spending more than a decade mired in mediocrity.
Season in review: Snead
made offseason headlines when he traded for All-Pro cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and
receiver Brandin Cooks,
then signed All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in
free agency. The expectation turned from a playoff run to a Super Bowl with a
roster that also included Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald --
who signed extensions to become the highest-paid running back and defensive
player in NFL history, respectively. The Rams won eight straight behind superb
play from Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff,
who both ascended into the Most Valuable Player conversation, and appeared
poised to make a run at a perfect season. However, Drew Brees and
the Saints dealt the Rams their first loss in Week 9. They rebounded against
the Seattle Seahawks,
then put on a show in a historic 54-51 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on
Monday Night Football. But following a bye week, Goff hit a three-game slump as
the Rams lost back-to-back regular-season games for the first time under McVay.
The mid-December addition of veteran running back C.J. Anderson provided
an unexpected spark, as the sixth-year pro provided outstanding performances in
the final two games of the season with Gurley sidelined because of inflammation
in his left knee. When Gurley returned in the divisional round against the
Cowboys, he and Anderson provided a one-two punch for an offense that relied
heavily on the run. And as the Saints shut down the run, Goff led the Rams to a
come-from-behind victory, as they dug out of a 13-point hole to defeat the
Saints in overtime at the Superdome. Donald finished the regular season as the
NFL's sack leader, with 20.5 sacks, and Gurley scored a league-best 21
touchdowns. Donald also won his second straight Defensive Player of the Year
award.
He said it: "We have a
confident team, but you like that, you like that confident swagger. But you
also want to make sure that there's a humility that exists where you understand
you got to earn it every single day with how competitive this league is with
great players and coaches." -- coach Sean McVay, before the season on how
to handle expectations and player personalities
Offseason questions
What are key contracts to monitor on
defense? On paper, the Rams put together an all-star
defense. However, the results through the regular season were underwhelming.
The defense ranked 20th at 24 points per game, and ranked 19th in average yards
allowed at 358.6. Decisions must be made on contracts for Suh, outside
linebacker Dante Fowler Jr.
and safety Lamarcus Joyner.
Suh signed a one-year, $14 million deal and was considered a season-long
rental. He produced in the playoffs, but his production through the regular
season was not outstanding -- 4.5 sacks -- which could make a decision to
replace him for a younger player at a less expensive rate an easy one. Fowler
was acquired in a midseason trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He
produced added pressure from the edge, including two sacks, a forced fumble and
a fumble recovery, but is on an expiring rookie contract after the Jaguars
declined to pick up a fifth-year option. Joyner played the season on the
franchise tag after the two sides were unable to come to terms on a long-term
extension. He had a sack, an interception and three deflected passes but could
fall outside the team's budget.
Who will become Goff's new quarterbacks
coach? With the expectation that Zac Taylor will be
named the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals,
Goff will be on to his fourth quarterbacks coach in four seasons. Chris Weinke
coached Goff in 2016 before he was fired; Greg Olson handled the post in 2017
before he left for the Oakland Raiders;
and then it was Taylor, whom McVay promoted to quarterbacks coach after he
served a season as an assistant receivers coach. Through three seasons, all the
turnover has seemed to have minimal impact on Goff's development. This season,
he passed for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions, and posted
a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
McVay champions developing coaches and promoting from within, so it would not
be surprising if Goff (who is now eligible to begin contract negotiations) is
soon working with a familiar assistant already on the staff.
How will the offensive line shake out? The
Rams featured one of the most consistent offensive lines in the NFL, starting
the same five players all 16 games. However, left guard Rodger Saffold's
contract is set to expire, and the age-related concerns over left tackle Andrew Whitworth,
37, and center John Sullivan,
33, remain. The Rams would like to work out a deal with Saffold, 30, but it's
likely the veteran will be able to command a price in free agency that is outside
the Rams' range, and they could settle on promoting Joseph Noteboomor Brian Allen to
a starting spot. However, that still would require the organization to line up
at least a couple of reliable backups, in case Whitworth and Sullivan are
unable to go all 16 games.
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