Season of Boom

[KimJongBaze]

Super Bowl gonna be going through Seattle

[KimJongBaze]

// Pre-Snap Reads, Week 18: Seahawks to rest several starters, but vows to remain competitive in final week of regular season
// BY TERRENCE ROBINSON

RENTON, Wash. - The Seahawks released their depth chart for their final game of the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals, and there were several players notably removed from their starting positions. This includes quarterback Geno Smith, running back Kenneth Walker III, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, linebackers Bobby Wagner and Uchenna Nwosu, and safety Jamal Adams.

Pete Carroll is taking some precaution after seeing his team lose yet another offensive starter to injury on Sunday against the Steelers. Center Evan Brown has been ruled out for 3 weeks. In the final game of the regular season, the Seahawks will be starting two rookies on the offensive line - Anthony Bradford, who is replacing Damien Lewis, and Olu Oluwatimi, a 5th round pick from Michigan. The changes, however, won't stop the Seahawks from attempting to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs, according to the Seahawks head coach.

The Seahawks are still playing Zach Charbonnet, Tyler Lockett, Jordyn Brooks, and Tariq Woolen, among others, as they try for their 13th win of the season against a team that defeated them earlier this year at Lumen Field. Charbonnet needs 73 yards to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his rookie season.

The keys to the number one offense will be handed over to Drew Lock, who's played well in limited time this season. He led the Seahawks to a game-winning touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens after Smith was knocked out of the game in the 4th quarter. Lock also threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to D'Wayne Eskridge against the Titans a few weeks ago. He's completed 7 of 10 passes for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns in his contract year.

A loss wouldn't automatically knock the Seahawks out of first place in the NFC - the Eagles or Cowboys would still need to win in order to claim home field advantage.

[KimJongBaze]

// Week 18 Preview: Arizona Cardinals
// BY JEANIE ROTH

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Seattle Seahawks have a chance to secure the NFC's 1st seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs with a victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Cardinals Key Performers

• QB Kyler Murray: 2,378 yards, 12 touchdowns, 3 interceptions // 260 rushing yards, 2 TD
• HB James Conner: 800 yards, 8 touchdowns
• WR Marquise Brown: 937 yards, 7 touchdowns
• WR Rondale Moore: 791 yards, 2 touchdowns
• LB Kyzir White: 116 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 interceptions
• S Budda Baker: 108 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, INT

The Cardinals have come far since starting 0-5 and looking like a team that would finish with 2-3 wins this season. Since returning from injury, quarterback Kyler Murray has helped the the Cardinals win 5 games while throwing for 12 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. While it hasn't translated to more wins, Murray's return from a torn ACL has looked promising, although his future with Arizona is uncertain despite recently signing a contract extension with the team.

Can the Seahawks, who are resting several starters, defeat the team that beat them earlier this season and gain a bye week for the playoffs?

[Captain Canada]

Even with Drew Lock on the show, hopefully, this is still a manageable game for y'all to capture home-field advantage.

[Agent]

Cardinals upset incoming

[KimJongBaze]

WEEK 18: TENNESSEE TITANS vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
State Farm Stadium // Glendale, AZ
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | OT || FINAL
SEA (12-5) | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | - || 20
ARI (6-11) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | - || 23
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Zach Pascal beats Julian Love for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

// Cardinals defeat Seahawks on Prater's game-winning field goal
GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Cardinals denied the Seahawks a first-round bye in the playoffs after a late interception and field goal lifted Arizona to their 6th win of the season.

Seattle's loss relegates them to the 3rd seed in the NFC after wins by the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys earlier in the day. Quarterback Drew Lock was intercepted twice and was only able to throw for 143 yards in the loss. He was picked off by Kris Boyd with less than 1 minute remaining in the game, which led to Matt Prater's field goal as time expired. The Seahawks gained 278 yards on offense, their lowest total of the season with multiple starters - including Geno Smith - resting in the final of the regular season. Wide receiver Jake Bobo caught his first career touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

To add insult to injury, offensive tackle Charles Cross left a game for the second time this season and did not return. The Seahawks sat several starters to avoid the risk of injury, unfortunately Cross was one of few starters scheduled to play. The left tackle dealt with a dislocated elbow earlier this season and his status for next week's wild card game is unknown.

Arizona also trotted out some of their backups for additional playing time in the final game of the season with the playoffs out of reach. Halfback Keontay Ingram ran for a season-high 121 yards and scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter. Zach Pascal led all players with 10 catches and 100 yards. Rookie linebacker Owen Pappoe finished with 7 tackles. Kyler Murray rounded out his season with 338 total yards and a touchdown.

Zach Charbonnet finished 1 yard shy of his first 1,000-yard season, ending the regular season with 999 yards. D'Wayne Eskridge recorded his first career kickoff return for a touchdown late in the 1st quarter.

One encouraging sign for the Seahawks despite the loss: the continued emergence of linebackers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall as pass rushers. Mafe has ramped it up in the final 3 games of the season, recording 5 sacks and forcing two fumbles. Hall, the 2nd round selection in this year's draft, has 3.5 sacks in his last 3 games.

The Seahawks are slated to host to Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field next Saturday during the wild card weekend.

Scoring Summary

• 1st Quarter
  [SEA] Jason Myers, 48-yard field goal [3:13]
  [ARI] Keontay Ingram, 9-yard run (M. Prater kick) [0:12]
  [SEA] D'Wayne Eskridge, 103-yard kickoff return [0:02]

• 2nd Quarter
  [ARI] Matt Prater, 27-yard field goal [6:51]
  [SEA] Jake Bobo, 3-yard pass from Drew Lock (J. Myers kick) [2:38]
  [ARI] Matt Prater, 33-yard field goal [0:00]

• 3rd Quarter
• [SEA] Jason Myers, 31-yard field goal [3:34]
• [ARI] Zach Pascal, 29-yard pass from Kyler Murray (M. Prater kick) [1:27]

• 4th Quarter
  [ARI] Matt Prater, 29-yard field goal [0:00]

Notable Player Stats

• Seattle Seahawks (12-5)
  Drew Lock, QB: 18 of 26 (69%), 143 yards, TD, 2 INT (63.4 passer rating)
  Zach Charbonnet, HB: 13 carries, 72 yards
  Deejay Dallas, HB: 9 carries, 68 yards
  Noah Fant, TE: 6 receptions, 52 yards
  Devin Bush, LB: 14 tackles
  Derick Hall, LB: 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
  Boye Mafe, LB: 5 tackles, 5 TFL, 2.5 sacks

• Arizona Cardinals (6-11)
  Kyler Murray, QB: 28 of 34 (82%), 269 yards, TD (109.4 passer rating) // 6 carries, 69 yards
  Keontay Ingram, HB: 23 carries, 121 yards, TD
  Zach Pascal, WR: 10 receptions, 100 yards, TD
  Owen Pappoe, LB: 7 tackles, TFL
  Kris Boyd, CB: 4 tackles, INT
  Zaven Collins, LB: 2 tackles, TFL, 1.5 sacks
  Antonio Hamilton, S: 1 tackle, INT
  

[KimJongBaze]

Even with Drew Lock on the show, hopefully, this is still a manageable game for y'all to capture home-field advantage.

Cardinals upset incoming

I blame Agent

[KimJongBaze]

// AROUND THE NFL - WEEK 18 \\

// Playoff Bound: Jags and Titans both make playoffs
Jacksonville defeated Tennessee on Sunday to win the AFC South for a second straight season under head coach Doug Pederson, but the Titans probably won't be complaining as much since they also managed to clinch a playoff spot with a bit of help. Tennessee travels to Cincinnati to face the Bengals, while the Jaguars will host the Baltimore Ravens next week.

Here were other things to note for Week 18:

• Dolphins don't finish flat, but miss out on the playoffs
  Miami did their very best in the end to make it to the postseason after their 6-game losing streak was snapped against the Buffalo Bills, but a Steelers victory sealed their fate. Chalk it up as a disappointing season for the Dolphins, who started the season 8-2 and were neck and neck with the Bills in the AFC East before dropping 6 in a row.

• Falcons blow it against the Saints, while Panthers rout Bucs to make playoffs
  Atlanta could not get it done on the road against their biggest rival, getting held to just 7 points to miss the playoffs for a 6th straight season while the Carolina Panthers blew out the Buccaneers to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Bryce Young threw 4 touchdowns in the win.

• Did Dak Prescott do enough to convince the MVP voters?
  Prescott saved some of his best football for the last game of the season against the woeful Commanders, throwing for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns, making him the only quarterback to throw for at least 40 touchdowns this season. With Josh Allen losing on Sunday, we don't see a reason why Prescott wouldn't be considered the favorite now...he ranks 2nd overall in passing yards, 1st in touchdowns, and led the Cowboys to a 13-4 record, tied for the best in the NFL.

• Purdy tosses 5 touchdowns to help 49ers clinch playoff spot
  Brock Purdy helped San Francisco win 5 of their last 6 games, throwing 14 touchdowns and 1 interception in the process to slide into wild card weekend. His best game couldn't have come at a better time, as he threw 5 touchdowns in the 45-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

--------------------------------------------
NFL Scores: Week 18, 2023

• [6] Tampa Bay Buccaneers // Carolina Panthers [41]
• [13] Cleveland Browns // Cincinnati Bengals [28]
• [31] Houston Texans // Indianapolis Colts [24]
• [17] Minnesota Vikings // Detroit Lions [14]
• [17] Chicago Bears // Green Bay Packers [23]
• [13] Buffalo Bills // Miami Dolphins [23]
• [7] Atlanta Falcons // New Orleans Saints [14]
• [14] New York Jets // New England Patriots [42]
• [24] Philadelphia Eagles // New York Giants [10]
• [20] Jacksonville Jaguars // Tennessee Titans [7]
• [25] Denver Broncos // Las Vegas Raiders [35]
• [27] Pittsburgh Steelers // Baltimore Ravens [21]
  [*][35] Dallas Cowboys // Washington Commanders [31]
• [31] Kansas City Chiefs // Los Angeles Chargers [24]
• [21] Los Angeles Rams // San Francisco 49ers [45]
• [20] Seattle Seahawks // Arizona Cardinals [23]

Players of the Week

• Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers: 21 of 29, 298 yards, 5 touchdowns
• Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers: 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception
• Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots: 28 of 34, 333 yards, 5 touchdowns
• Derwin James Jr., S, Los Angeles Chargers: 12 tackles, 1 sack

Notable Transactions

• No transactions

Injury Report

• Ryan Jensen, C, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Season (knee)
• Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets: Season (achilles)
• Chuck Clark, S, New York Jets: Season (knee)
• Nelson Agholor, WR, Baltimore Ravens: 1 week (ankle)
• Jaycee Horn, CB, Carolina Panthers: 4 weeks (quad)
• Ed Oliver, DT, Buffalo Bills: 5 weeks (knee)
• Charles Cross, T, Seattle Seahawks: 3 weeks (shoulder)
• Greg Rousseau, DE, Buffalo Bills: 2 weeks (finger)

[KimJongBaze]

[Captain Canada]

Pats finish just outside of the playoffs

Got trapped in the trap game. Unfortunate but playoffs is here!