3 Seahawks to blame for Week 14 loss to the Panthers
Travis Homer, Seattle Seahawks (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks were favored at home against the Panthers in Week 14 but ended up taking a 30-24 loss. These three deserve the bulk of the blame.
Favored by 3.5 points and playing in front of the 12th Man, it seemed like the Seattle Seahawks were going to roll past the Carolina Panthers in NFL Week 14 heading into Sunday’s late afternoon game. That could not be a further cry from the way that things played out on the field, however.
Turnovers early on allowed Carolina to jump out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter and, though the Seahawks tried to right the ship, they were unable to stop the Panthers enough consistently to get back in the game, ultimately scoring a late touchdown that proved meaningless in the 30-24 loss.
With the defeat, Seattle moves to just 7-6 on the season and dropped out of the NFC Playoffs for the time being. The wheels appear to be falling off for the upstart team under Pete Carroll after an inspired start. But if we look at Sunday alone, who were the players most to blame? These three definitely stand out.
Seahawks: 3 players most to blame for demoralizing loss to Panthers
Travis Homer
RB, Seattle Seahawks
Travis Homer gave the Seahawks nothing in the rushing attack
Seattle came into Sunday’s game without Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas as both were ruled inactive due to injuries. That put the onus of the rushing attack largely on Travis Homer, who had performed well previously when asked to step in. That was not the case on Sunday, however, as Homer struggled mightily.
Falling behind early didn’t do Homer any favors with the game-script but he was still largely ineffective on the day. He finished with only 26 yards on nine carries — but even that was inflated as eight of his carries went for only 10 yards on the day. He also only caught two of his three targets for eight yards.
When the Seahawks have been at their best this season, the rushing attack has been a buoy for the offense. Homer wasn’t able to give them that and put the offense in bad situations with his ineffectiveness.
