[nfbwatlk] From Hawk Mail

Fri Oct 28 14:09:00 UTC 2011

October 27, 2011

Seahawks Face the League's Second-Ranked Defense Hosting the Bengals

[cid:image001.png at 01CC9540.71735090] The Seahawks return home this week to face their third AFC North opponent of the season as they host the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time since  2007 this Sunday at 1:15 p.m. (PT).

The game will be the first of two televised on CBS (channel 7 in Seattle)and broadcast on 710 ESPN Radio and 97.3 FM in Seattle. On CBS, Bill Macatee will serve as the play-by-play man, joined in the booth by Steve Tasker. On 710 ESPN Radio and 97.3 FM is former Seahawks receiver Steve Raible in his 30th year of broadcasting, joined by Hall of Famer Warren Moon, with Jen Mueller handling sideline duties.

This week's game versus the Bengals will mark the 18th time the two clubs have squared off in the regular season, with the Seahawks holding a one-game edge in the series, 9-8.

The Seahawks have won seven of the last 10 dating back to 1989, including the most recent meeting, a 24-21 victory at CenturyLink Field on September 23, 2007.

Seattle lost their only postseason meeting against the Bengals, 21-13, in the 1988 AFC Divisional Playoff Game played in Cincinnati.

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Who are these guys?

That question has been posed repeatedly as the Seahawks have ventured into the Eastern time zone for their past two games - first by New York-area reporters after the new-look[cid:image003.png at 01CC9540.71735090] Seahawks had upset the Giants in Week 5 and again last week as they were preparing to play the Browns in Cleveland.

After the Seahawks' polar-opposite performances in those games, they've got me pondering the same question.

Are they the defensively opportunistic, no-huddling offensive team that rallied to defeat the Giants? Or, the defensively dominating, yet offensive-starter-deprived team that scored three points in letting a winnable game slip through their hands in Cleveland?

What the Seahawks are is a 2-4 team that hosts the 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, then travels to Dallas to face the 3-3 Cowboys before playing the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.

The Seahawks are a play here and a play there from being 5-1. They were on the verge of grabbing a victory in their season opener at San Francisco before the 49ers' Ted Ginn returned to kicks for touchdowns in less than a minute late in the fourth quarter. They ran out of time in a comeback effort during their two-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They could have - no, should have - beaten the Browns.

But, the Seahawks also are a different play here and a different play there from being 0-6, as they beat the Arizona Cardinals 13-10 and Brandon Browner returned an interception 94-yard for a touchdown in the final 90 seconds after the Giants had reached the Seahawks' 2-yard line.

So, who are these guys?

All you need to know about the growing pains being experienced by the offense is evident in two statistically oddities:

Running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson did not play against the Browns on Sunday because of back and pec problems, but they remain No. 1 and tied for No. 2 on the team in rushing - Lynch with 239 yards; Jackson with 78, the same as Leon Washington.

Rookie wide receiver Doug Baldwin did play against the Browns, but did not catch a pass. Yet he still leads the team in receptions (20) and receiving yards (330).

"We just couldn't find the rhythm it takes to get it going," coach Pete Carroll said of the Seahawks' offensive performance after Sunday's game. "We thought we could do more than this, particularly on offense, but it was just one of those games.

"We were getting in our own way."

And they continue to not get enough big plays.

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