There Is 1 Seahawks Player Facing the Most Backlash After Loss vs. 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks fans in your life (perhaps it is you) are not exactly in a great mood after the franchise blew a lead late in the fourth quarter as the San Francisco 49ers posted a Week 1 win against their rival. There is plenty of blame to go around, but a few players are garnering backlash for their performances against the Niners.
Sam Darnold did not exactly blow the doors off of the 49ers defense in his Seahawks debut. Darnold failed to throw a touchdown pass, posting 150 passing yards and a costly fumble on the team’s final offensive play to end the Seahawks’ chances to win.
Yet, it is a Seahawks defender drawing the ire of many Seahawks fans. The Seahawks defense kept Seattle in the game, but cornerback Riq Woolen’s play in the fourth quarter proved costly.
Woolen lost track of Niners tight end Jake Tonges in the end zone as he snagged a jump ball to secure what ended up being the game-winning touchdown. Here’s why fans are frustrated about Woolen and the Seahawks’ loss.
Fans Are Blaming Seahawks CB Riq Woolen’s for 49ers’ Game-Winning Touchdown
Woolen’s performance late in the game drew criticism from fans and media members alike. The defender’s play in the fourth quarter was one of just a few blemishes for a Seahawks defense that otherwise looked impressive in Week 1.
“Anyone crediting the first and last passes in here to Purdy instead of calling out truly horrific defence by Riq Woolen is a Niners fan or a member of the front office in San Francisco,” one person bluntly stated. “Ghastly way for Seattle to lose a game.”
“Seahawks fans were in love with the idea of Riq Woolen. Probably because they had a fantasy he would be Richard Sherman with track star speed,” said another. “Richard Sherman would’ve had 2 INTs today and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting the 49er bench today.”
“Riq Woolen with the single worst possession I’ve ever seen a CB have,” 247Sports analyst Nathan Carroll remarked. “Gets two absolute ducks that should’ve been easy INTs… leads to a 40 yard pass and a TD. Brutal.”
There Is Plenty of Blame to Go Around for the Seahawks’ Loss vs. 49ers in Week 1
It is worth noting that while Woolen is receiving his fair share of criticism, there is plenty that went wrong for the Seahawks. Woolen also had several notable pass breakups during the season opener.
Outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the overall play of the Seahawks defense, Seattle’s play left a lot to be desired against San Francisco. Despite Woolen’s struggles down the stretch, the corner appears to still have the support of his teammates.
“Ernest Jones says Seahawks expect Riq Woolen to make the plays that he didn’t down the stretch and that he’d tell his teammate to ‘keep head up’ and they know he’ll be ready for that next opportunity to come through,” Emerald Spectrum’s Corbin Smith remarked on September 7.
The Seahawks will get a chance to bounce back against the Steelers in Week 2. Seattle opens as a 2.5-point underdog versus Pittsburgh in the NFL odds, per FanDuel.
Braves claim $4M reliever off waivers from Dodgers — brother of Atlanta's most-hated rival
The Atlanta Braves are just trying to make it to the end of the regular season after the worst one they have had in several years. The Braves are expected to make numerous changes to the roster next season, and some moves are already underway with waiver additions. Additionally, manager Brian Snitker is expected to retire at the end of the season.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he's already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
The Braves are still adding to the team this season, focusing mostly on pitching, as Atlanta has struggled to keep players healthy. On Sunday, they claimed Alexis Diaz off waivers.
“The Braves have claimed Alexis Diaz off waivers from the Dodgers, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic. Atlanta has space available on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary to bring Diaz into the organization,” MLBtraderumors.com’s Nick Deeds wrote.
Diaz was just released by the defending World Series Champion Dodgers earlier in the week.
“The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Alex Freeland and designated right-hander Alexis Díaz for assignment,” MLBtraderumors.com’s Darragh McDonald wrote.
