The Seahawks got back on track last week with a 30-20 win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings and will be back at Century Link Field this weekend to host the New York Jets (3-5) of the AFC East.
“We had a game that really kind of went to the core of our philosophy around here, which is finishing,” head coach Pete Carroll said in his Wednesday press conference. “We put together a really good finish.”
While backup quarterback and pop culture sensation Tim Tebow was the talk of the offseason for coach Rex Ryan’s team, it has been a lack of continuity in the passing game and the lack of a big-play receiver that have held down the Jets offensively thus far.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez, who played for Carroll while the two were at USC, has thrown for 1,736 yards but has been unable to relieve pressure on Shonn Greene and the running game enough to lift the offense into the middle third of the NFL. New York ranks 27th in total offense at just over 317 yards per game, which is actually five yards and two rankings better than Seattle’s offense.
Jeremy Kerley has been the favorite target of Sanchez in 2012 and has 478 yards receiving for the year.
But with the continued presence of running back Marshawn Lynch, who ranks third in the league with 794 yards and nearly five per carry, the Seahawks appear to be on track on that side of the ball.
What has become a concern in recent weeks is the once-stout defense, a unit that has suddenly become vulnerable to both adept passing games and the smash-mouth running style Adrian Peterson and the Vikings displayed last week to the tune of 182 yards.
Carroll added that the process for James Carpenter and KJ Wright to return from concussions is ongoing and it is uncertain if they will be able to play on Sunday.
The Jets began the season with a 48 point effort against the Buffalo Bills and scored 35 against the Colts, but have also had efforts of 10 (at Pittsburgh), nine (Miami) and were shut out against the San Francsico 49ers.
The game will also feature a pair of local products, as Seattle defensive back Marcus Trufant and his younger brother Isaiah, who plays the same position for the Jets, will be on the same field. Desmond, the youngest of the three Tacoma natives, will play on the same field the day before as his Washington Huskies take on Utah in a Pac-12 contest.
Seattle will be off next week for the team’s bye week before returning to action with a pair of road games against the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears.
