Four weeks ago Seattle and Arizona put up 44 points in the first half en route to 71 points on eight touchdowns. Last night produced a "quieter" 49 points on six touchdowns as the slightly short-handed Seahawks avenged their Week 7 loss.
Carlos Hyde was the biggest hero--something I didn't anticipate when writing yesterday's column Wednesday night, at a time when Alex Collins was expected to be involved. A few hours before the opening kickoff, Collins was declared inactive, elevating Hyde to the clear-cut starter against a sub-par run defense. Hyde was rewarded after a powerful 15-yard run toward the goal-line in the third quarter, getting the ball on the next play and punching it into the end zone. He went from a single-digit fantasy producer to a near RB1 on those two plays. If Chris Carson returns next week. last night might prove to be the final RB1 performance of Hyde's career.
Elsewhere for the Seahawks, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf did what they so often do, but interestingly, it was the first time they've both hit double-digit fantasy points since Week 3. That's right: it's been eight weeks since both of these WR1s were startable at the same time. One of my favorite insane stats of the season.
And Greg Olsen went down on a non-contact injury, so it's reasonable to wonder if his career. Seattle handed him $5.5 million guaranteed this offseason, and if his season ended last night, he will have earned close to $25,000 per yard (23/224/1). In fairness, DeAndre Hopkins is on pace to earn about the same amount per yard, but also in fairness, Hopkins isn't expendable like Olsen is. Jacob Hollister and/or Will Dissly would inherit TE2/3 honors if Olsen's done.
For Arizona, Kyler Murray didn't look as sharp on his throws and Seattle's defense contained him on the ground--though a potential first-quarter shoulder injury might have been the culprit. Leaning heavily on Larry Fitzgerald reinforced his challenges to getting the ball into Hopkins' and Christian Kirk's hands. When you see three Card touchdowns. you expect Hopkins and Kirk to have at least one, maybe two. Instead, shockingly, both ended up barely startable.
But my Dan Arnold suggestion paid dividends, and as predicted, Kenyan Drake and Chris Edmonds were both relevant--and actually were more relevant than expected thanks to one touchdown each. As far as rushing numbers, was Drake's strong Week 10 return an anomaly? He's not out of the woods yet and needs a strong showing next week in New England. He's run poorly in four of his last six contests and has lost a fumble, and Arizona's lost three straight. Right or wrong, he remains on the hot seat with the capable Chase Edmonds hanging around.