The Seahawks were very sloppy yesterday and it cost them this game as the Bengals dropped 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter on them.  Charlie Whitehurst started at QB yesterday and he stunk it up again.  He completed 4 of 7 passes for 52 yards with 0 TD passes or interceptions yesterday.  Tarvaris Jackson replaced Whitehurst in the second quarter and he injected some life into the offense.  He completed 21 of 40 passes for 323 yards with 0 TD passes and a interception that was returned 75 yards for a TD by Reggie Nelson of the Bengals.  Leon Washington led the way for the Seahawks on the ground in this game with 34 yards rushing on 2 carries (17.0 ypc).  Marshawn Lynch pitched in with 24 yards on 16 carries (1.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  WRs Ben Obomanu (4 rec, 107 yards), Sidney Rice (7 rec, 102 yards) and Doug Baldwin (5 rec, 73 yards) led the way for the Seahawks through the air yesterday.  The Seahawks finished up with 61 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 47 passes (53.2%) for 350 yards as they had possession of the football for 28:33.

The defense was actually pretty solid for the Seahawks yesterday.  Safeties Earl Thomas (10 tackles) and Kam Chancellor (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the D yesterday for the Seahawks.  CB Richard Sherman also turned in a nice game with 5 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  The Bengals finished up with 92 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 29 passes (62.1%) for 160 yards in this game.  The Seahawks are now 2-5 on the season.

The Seattle Seahawks’ offense was utterly pathetic last weekend against the Browns in Cleveland, where they lost 6-3!  The Seahawks are returning home, where they have played decent this year.  The Bengals are 2-1 on the road this year and they come into Seattle riding a 3-game winning streak.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are likely going to have starting QB Tarvaris Jackson and RB Marshawn Lynch back this Sunday against the Bengals, and that is a really good thing after the offense’s lackluster performance last weekend.  The Seahawks have turned into a pass first team this year, because they don’t run the ball well and often fall behind early in games.  They need to find a way to protect the QB better, as Seahawks’ QBs have been sacked 23 times already this year!  If Jackson has time to throw the ball, he might be able to make some plays down the field to Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin.  Marshawn Lynch is likely going to have a rough time tomorrow against a Bengals’ D that is only giving up 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals likely aren’t going to test the Seahawks’ rushing defense too much tomorrow.  That’s because Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard will be trying to replace the suspended Cedric Benson.  The Seahawks are going to have to get after rookie QB Andy Dalton and force him into making some mistakes.  Dalton does have some impressive weapons in the pass game in A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson.  If he has time to throw the ball, he is going to make some nice throws down the field.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, SEAHAWKS 16

Undrafted rookie Doug Baldwin has been the best WR on the Seahawks so far this year.  He has caught 20 passes for 330 yards (16.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Sidney Rice started late as he was recovery from hip surgery, but he’s trying to make up for lost time.  Rice has caught 17 passes for 264 yards (15.5 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this season.  Ben Obomanu has been so-so for the Seahawks as he has caught 17 passes for 135 yards (7.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Mike Williams (9 rec, 89 yards, TD) and Golden Tate (8 rec, 77 yards, TD) have been huge disappointments so far this year.  The WRs numbers are down this year due to pretty poor QB play, but they also deserve some of the blame for that.

Some heads had to roll on offense after last week’s “performance” against the Browns.  With that in mind, the Seahawks have waived 26-year old OT Tyler Polumbus.  Polumbus played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Seahawks last year.  He played in 20 games (7 starts) in his two years with the Seahawks.  They aren’t going to miss him at all going forward.

The Seahawks have lost 24-year old cornerback Walter Thurmond for the rest of the season due to a cracked right fibula.  Thurmond played in 6 games for the Seahawks in 2011 and he had 12 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.  He has now played in 20 games in his first two years with the Seahawks and he has 49 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 9 passes defensed.  The Seahawks are getting awfully thin at cornerback after this injury.

The Seahawks’ offense really wasted a great effort by the defense yesterday in Cleveland.  David Whitehurst got the start at QB and he was utterly pathetic!  He completed only 12 of 30 passes for 97 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also fumbled twice, losing one of them.  Leon Washington led the way on the ground for the Seahawks in this game with 39 yards rushing on 7 carries (5.6 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 10 yards (2.5 avg) in this game.  Justin Forsett pitched in with 23 yards rushing on 8 carries (2.9 ypc) in this game.  WR Sidney Rice led the way in the passing game with 2 grabs for 38 yards (19.0 avg) for the Seahawks yesterday.  The Seahawks finished up with 65 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.8 ypc) and they completed 12 of 30 passes (40%) for 72 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 17:04 in this game.

The defense was outstanding, especially when you consider that they were on the field for a stunning 42:56!  LB David Hawthorne led the way for the Seahawks in this game with 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception.  Safety Kam Chancellor (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Leroy Hill (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) also had solid games for the Seahawks yesterday.  DE Chris Clemons seemed to be living in the Browns’ backfield as he finished up with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits.  The Browns finished up with 141 yards rushing on 44 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes (57.1%) for 157 yards.  The Seahawks have dropped to 2-4 on the year.

The Seattle Seahawks have won two out of their last three games and they had a bye last week, giving them two weeks to get ready to play the Browns.  The Browns have lost two games in a row and they have not beaten a team this year (the Dolphins & Colts) with a win yet in 2011.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  It’s up in the air as to who will be starting at QB in this game.  Tarvaris Jackson is trying to recover from a upper chest muscle strain and he’s coming around.  But, it’s more likely that Charlie Whitehurst will get the start under center.  The Browns are giving up 129.8 yards rushing per game but only 3.9 yards per carry so far this year.  It’s imperative that the Seahawks get Marshawn Lynch going in this game to give them balance on offense.  The O-Line will have to step up and protect Whitehurst/Jackson or the Seahawks are going to have a hard time winning this Sunday.  Seahawks’ QBs have already been sacked 20 times so far this year.  If the QBs have time to throw the ball this Sunday, Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin could have good games.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to be a pass first team this weekend with Montario Hardesty likely starting at RB.  The Seahawks only have 8 sacks so far this year, but they are going to have to find a way to get to Colt McCoy and force him into making some mistakes.  The Seahawks are giving up 268.2 yards passing per game so far this year, as they are having big time issues in the secondary.  McCoy will likely spread the ball around to Earl Little, Mohamed Massaquoi, Josh Cribbs and Ben Watson so the secondary is going to get tested a lot in this game.  Montario Hardesty is a decent back but he’s not a game breaker by any means.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 21, SEAHAWKS 20

The Seattle Seahawks have signed 29-year old linebacker Heath Farwell.  Farwell played in all 16 games for the Vikings last year and he had 16 tackles.  Farwell has now played in 71 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 100 tackles and three fumble recoveries.  This was a good move for the Seahawks as Farwell is a special teams ace.

The Seahawks are only averaging 83.0 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry so far this year, and that’s just not going to cut it.  The Seahawks need Marshawn Lynch to pick up the pace and help give the offense more balance going forward.  Lynch has played in 5 games for the Seahawks so far this year and he has carried the ball 58 times for 239 yards (4.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 11 passes for 83 yards (7.5 avg) so far in 2011.  The Seahawks need to start giving Lynch 20 carries per week, no excuses.  Justin Forsett has played in 5 games so far this year and he has carried the ball 14 times for 33 yards (2.4 ypc) and he has also caught 10 passes for 59 yards (5.9 avg).  Leon Washington has played in five games this year and he has carried the ball 9 times for 39 yards (4.3 ypc) and he has also caught 4 passes for 26 yards (6.5 avg) this year.  Justin Forsett and Leon Washington also need to start getting more work in the running game going forward.

The Seahawks have placed 30-year old cornerback Marcus Trufant on Injured Reserve with a back injury, ending his season.  Trufant played in 4 games for the Seahawks this year and he had 23 tackles, 1 interception, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 124 games in his first 9 years with the Seahawks and he has 612 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 21 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 109 passes defensed and 14 tackles for a loss.  24-year old Walter Thurmond will take over for Marcus Trufant at CB.  Thurmond has played in all five games for the Seahawks so far this year and he has 10 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 2 passes defensed.  He has now played in 19 games in his first two years with the Seahawks and he has 47 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 9 passes defensed.  The Seahawks are already giving up 268.2 yards passing per game, so Trufant’s injury certainly isn’t going to help the pass defense going forward.