Seattle, WA
Cigar Thoughts, Game 5: The Seahawks might be bad
***As most of you know, Cigar Thoughts is also a podcast. Check out this week’s episode:
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The Seattle Seahawks came into this game fresh off their first loss of the Mika Macdonald era with one more layup before a brutal stretch in the schedule. A terrible New York Giants team traveled across the country like so many sacrificial lambs on Seattle’s march to 4-1 and a buzzworthy start to the 2024 season. I think a lot of us were just chalking this up as a win, and why not? The Giants stink and the Seahawks have looked mostly great. Add to it that the Giants were without basically the only two players to score for them this year in Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary and this should have been as easy a win as Seattle’s decisive victory over these same Giants last year, right. Right???
Well, that’s the thing about football. I say it all the time in this column and on the podcast— the gap between the “good” teams and the “bad” teams is a lot smaller than we want to think, mostly because everyone in the NFL is really fucking good at football.
And when one team comes out disciplined and focused, and the other looks like they showed up after a four-day Vegas bender, then all bets are off. I’m not gonna mince words— the Giants kicked the Seahawks’ ass. Full stop. Seattle gave themselves a chance to win late but even if they had, it wouldn’t have felt great. And if that statement arouses any furor (aka “who cares how they win as long as they win?”) well, I have great news for you— it ended up not mattering.
If I didn’t know anything about either of these teams, and you told me one was 3-1 and the other was 1-3, I would’ve told you without hesitation that the Giants were the 3-1 squad. They were locked in and mistake-free, while the Seahawks played like a bunch of bums.
Seattle took a 7-0 lead when Rayshawn Jenkins returned a dubious goal-line fumble 102 yards for a touchdown on the ass end of a 16-play drive but that’s the only thing keeping this game from being a blowout. Seattle played their worst game of the season, making mistakes in every facet of the game and throwing the e-brake on a Seahawks bandwagon that was going 100mph on I-5.
The crazy thing is that, despite all the buffoonery, the Seahawks were in position to tie this game with a minute left with a very makable 48-yard field goal but that was blocked and returned for a touchdown to seal the deal. I honestly believe that Jason Myers would’ve made that kick and that Seattle would’ve escaped with an ill-gotten win in overtime but the way things went for the first 59 minutes, I can’t say Im surprised that the ‘Hawks were stymied by a complete meltdown in a key situation.
A bad, inexcusable loss. Every team has them, and the good teams bounce right back. The fact that the bounce-back opportunity comes against a division rival and the best team in the NFC over the last four years in the 49ers on three day’s rest is… not ideal. Let’s get to it.
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CIGAR THOUGHTS
~Perhaps the single most noticeable motif of the 2024 Seahawks team has been their discipline. They’ve been so solid from an assignment and game-management standpoint through the first month of the season, and it felt like a welcome departure from the previous regime. Well, all that got folded up and thrown down the laundry shoot today. This was a gross performance from a team that all of a sudden looks wildly unprepared to compete in any meaningful way.
Lots will be made about the DK Metcalf fumble in the second half and honestly, that’s fair. Metcalf now leads all receivers in fumbles lost since coming in the league and that aspect of his game is flat out unacceptable. But that fumble was a symptom, not the disease. The core issue was a team that looked woefully overmatched and terribly unprepared. I’m not gonna lie, this game presses pause on everything I’ve thought about Mike Macdonald’s precocious ability to get his team ready for a game.
Last week there was the built-in excuse of missing half your starting defense against a good offense. This week? Whew. Sure, you’re missing Byron Murphy and Boye Mafe but the Giants were missing Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary and if you offered me that trade, I’d take it. This was just bad football top to bottom. The coverage was looser than a 51st St hooker, the tackling was sloppier than cafeteria Joes, and the O-line looked like a JV squad against the only remaining strength of the New York team.
The Seahawks lost at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and the skill guys on offense and the secondary on defense were the worst versions of themselves— unable to make up the difference. Gross, bad football and if we’re gonna give the new coaches credit for the hot start, then the failures of the last two weeks fall firmly at their feet as well.
~Geno Smith had his worst game of the year. The volume numbers were suppressed by the defense’s inability to get off the field but if you watched the game, he looked sluggish and out of sorts. His final line was fine— completing 28 of 40 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown but he collapsed under pressure in a way that runs counter to his superfluous analytical profile when it comes to managing pressure.
He ate seven sacks, and sacks are drive-killers. It looked like he was slow in his processing and look, the O-line was awful— but the O-line has been awful his entire tenure in Seattle and tonight was as bad as I’ve ever seen him against pressure. And him sliding a yard short of the sticks early in the 4th quarter, instead of diving for the first down— that’s the first time I’ve ever gotten the ick from Geno.
~Ken Walker never had a chance to show what he can do. Make no mistake, I love that Seattle has been pass-first this year and that has mostly been borne out in their offensive success this year. But this was a game that demanded rushing dominance and that never materialized. Walker had an inexcusable five carries in this game, turning those intermittent opportunities into 19 yards but he made the most of the passing game by translating a team-high eight targets into a team-high seven catches for 57 yards. Kudos to the team for making sure their backfield stud remained a focal point but it was so clear the Giants were happy to defend the run with their four down lineman and the Seahawks never challenged that in a meaningful way.
~It seems that each game there’s a different feature in the passing game and among receivers, it was Tyler Lockett’s day. And when your offensive line is getting whipped on every play, Lockett is the best guy on the team to act as a relief valve. Lockett led the way with four catches for 75 yards, displaying both sides of his coin with a few avoided tackles and a few fall-downs. It is what it is.
DK Metcalf does way more good than harm, but that’s only because he normally does so much good. The penalties and turnovers are a real thing and for the vast majority of his career, it’s just been the cost of doing business for a game-wrecker like Metcalf. Today though… man. He had four catches for 55 yards but he lost a fumble for the second straight game and a league-leading eighth time since he entered the league. He’s my favorite player in the world but this was a bad game from my boy; and I’m guessing he’d tell you the same thing.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a giant zero until the fourth quarter before feasting in catch-up mode. He caught four passes for 31 yards and the team’s only offensive touchdown, a slick lil slip route to make it 23-20 but it’s concerning that he wasn’t a factor until garbage time. Just a bad game from Ryan Grubb and I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about it.
Now listen, offensive coordinator is a tough gig— your successes are expected and your failures are vilified. randomly poll 1,000 NFL fans and the majority of them will give a negative review of their OC. Grubb has been excellent in his NFL debut season but today he seemed stagnant and unimaginative. And when your offense is only running half as many plays as your opponent, it makes it tough to do all of the things you want to. But I have a tough time squaring how effective their 4th quarter / hurry-up offense looked with how ineffective everything else did. Here’s hoping it’s a learning experience.
~The offensive line was well, offensive. They’ve been bad all year but today was especially poor. They were all sub-par, if I’m being generous, but if I’m not— then Laken Tomlinson is the worst starting OL I’ve ever seen in a long list of poor offensive lineman for the Seahawks. He got smoked on nearly every snap and inexplicably favored his outside shoulder on the potential game-tying field goal, allowing the kick-blocker to slip unfettered off the center’s shoulder and snuff out his team’s last chance at winning this game. The fact that he’s still a starting guard in Week 5 falls squarely at the feet of John Schneider. Do better— this ain’t working.
~The Seahawks defense was (/Charles Barkley voice) turrrrrrible. Every single aspect of it was awful. Even Rayshawn Jenkins’ 102-yard opening TD was the beneficiary of a questionable review and cae on the ass-end of a 16-play drive that evoked PTSD of bad Seattle defenses over the last half-decade. Tre Brown got absolutely cooked today, getting powdered by every receiver lined up against him. He wasn’t the only one in the secondary that struggled today, but he was the most obvious. Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson dusted him with regularity and Daniel Jones hunted him accordingly. With Riq Woolen on and off the field with injuries, Brian Daboll did what good play-callers do and focused nearly every pass play on the weak link in the opposing defense. Brown has been great this year but today was the worst I’ve ever seen him.
I’d like to point out other defensive performances but be honest with me— who do you think I’m neglecting? The defense sucked for the second straight week and all of a sudden the mountain that Mike Macdonald has to climb looks steeper than it ever has. Yuck.
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Incredibly, the Seahawks are still first place in the NFC West. Despite this afternoon’s circus, their 3-2 record is somehow still the best in the division, thanks to the Cardinals upset of the 49ers. Doesn’t mean I’m felling good though.
It’s funny, the vibes after last week’s loss feel immeasurably better than they do right now, and I think that would be the case even if Seattle won today. That’s because last week you felt like the tea gave their all and came up short against a good opponent on the road. Spending three and a half hours defecating into the bed you refuse to get out of, at home, ahead of a killer stretch of games just, well— it feels very bad.
The Seahawks play their third game in eleven days on Thursday. I think the realistic hope coming into that stretch is that they’d go 1-2 over that stretch, but most of us assumed that 1 would come today. Now the gambit is exorcising the 49ers demon. Do that, and miraculously, you have a two-game lead over the team that poses the biggest threat to the peak-outcome goal of winning the NFC West in 2024. Lose and you’re in second place coming off a three-game losing streak and fighting a national assumption that your 3-0 start was a fluke.
It’s look-in-the-mirror time, and we’re about to find out if this Seahawks team is any different than the 9-8 teams of the last couple of years. Are we legit, or did we get out over our skis? We’ll find out in four days. In the meantime, onwards and upwards my friends.
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And if you didn’t know, we also have our own cigars now, which you can order below:
~~ORDER YOUR OFFICIAL CIGAR THOUGHTS CIGARS HERE~~—
I’ve been obsessed with the new release of Cigar Thoughts RedZones but today I went back to the Cigar Thoughts Originals and man, I forgot just how smooth these are. A touch darker than the RedZones, so we’ve got you covered for whichever mood you’re in.
We’ve linked up with one of the premier cigar manufacturers in the world to offer a special 13-year-aged blend of Dominican tobacco leaf to Cigar Thoughts readers for less than half of MSRP. These cigars, banded and branded by their creator, sell for $35-$40 per stick but we’re able to offer them to you for just $149 for a bundle of 10. They come with a Mylar bag and Boveda humidification pack so they’ll stay fresh whether you have a humidor or not. Just use the link!
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We’re also on YouTube, where you can catch video clips from the podcast, entire video episodes, and the audio recordings of the articles. Go watch our latest episode where yours truly gives my honest perception of the team so far. This is maybe the best way to support Cigar Thoughts, so I appreciate the few seconds it takes to like and subscribe.
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This is the 6th year of our incredible partnership with Seattle Cigar Concierge. They have the plug on some of the most insane stogies on the market and they’re offering them to Cigar Thoughts readers for 20% off. These are extremely special sticks, and among the most enjoyable I’ve ever smoked. To get the hook-up, just email SeattleCigarConcierge@GMail.com. They are carrying over 70 cigar brands with many rare releases, including Davidoff, Opus X, and Padron. You can also hit them up on Twitter: @SeattleCigars. Just be sure to mention that you’re a Cigar Thoughts reader. Many of you have taken advantage of this incredible opportunity and for those who have always wondered what elite cigars are like, this may the best chance you’ll get to step into that world.
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We’re also thrilled to partner with The Balvenie, one of my favorite distilleries. Popped open their Doublewood today, which has earthier tones than some of their lighter fair. Very complex, and strong enough to hold up against the Cigar Thoughts RedZone series I was smoking..
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The 2024 season of Cigar Thoughts is also proud to be sponsored by Fairhaven Floors in Bellingham, WA.
Seattle, WA
Everything TikTok Restaurant Reviewer Keith Lee Ate in Seattle
TikTok food critic Keith Lee, who taste tests dishes from family-run restaurants around the country while sitting in his car, stunned his nearly 17 million followers in the last week with a video from Seattle that his followers alleged included him unknowingly eating a piece of sushi with a “worm” in it from Fob Sushi Bar in Seattle. The restaurant was his first and highest-rated stop in the city until all hell broke loose on the internet.
Lee did eat several other places while he was in town, however. Here’s where and what he thought of them.
King’s Barbeque House
518 6th Avenue S, Seattle
The ducks hanging in this window of this Chinatown spot caught the attention of Lee and his family, so they stopped to buy one and filmed the process of its preparation for takeout — including the head. “I’m not going to eat this, I just thought it was interesting,” Lee says. Cool, cool, cool.
He proclaimed it seasoned to perfection, said it tasted like a duck but not gamey or exotic, and just seasoned meat — which… seems normal? Loved the rice and proclaimed the skin the home of all the flavor. Ultimately, he gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and said he likes Seattle.
Pike Place Market
This stand outside Pike Place, where shoppers buy a cup or try as many different drinks as they like, caught Lee’s eye on a rainy day. His first sip was of the buttered rum cider, which he judged to be “real sour” and “real good.” That and lavender cider got 7s, and his highest rating went to the cinnamon spice cider at an 8. Lee bought everyone else waiting in line cider and attempted to leave one of his trademark large tips for the staff but noted on the video in a caption, “[T]ipping isn’t a thing in Seattle so it took some time to explain what we were doing.” In the end, Lee purchased 60 large cups and asked the vendors to keep anything left over from people who wanted a smaller size.
3114 NE 125th Street, Seattle
A fan of this restaurant emailed Lee to ask him to visit, saying it struggled during COVID and was still trying to get back on its feet. His family purchased doro wat, beef tibs, oatena, injera, and samboosa. Lee found the presentation of the beef tibs in a to-go container lacking because the grease was leaking, and although the beef was tough, the flavor was “deep” and “spicy.” Several family members rated it and opinions were varied. The samboosa was not to his liking, with too many lentils, and was “very mushy.” Its rating was a 1. He compares the doro wat to barbecue or braised chicken (it is stewed and covered in spices, so… yes) and gives it a 7.9. Why not an 8? The world will never know.
Lee and his family left the restaurant with $1,000 to pay for anyone who came in to eat after them, which is admittedly very cool.
A Seattle teriyaki chicken taste-test
Various locations
Lee decided to get teriyaki chicken from several places and taste-test them against each other. What could go wrong?
Chickens from the top five most recommended places, including Toshio’s Teriyaki, Rainier Teriyaki, Nikko Teriyaki, Toshi’s Teriyaki in Bellevue, and Ichi Bento. Spoiler alert: Ichi Bento and Toshi’s tied, but Ichi would have won if they had rinsed the rice so it was less starchy, per Lee.
504 5th Avenue South, Suite 107A, Seattle
The Filipino food at Hood Famous received raves, though Lee seemed to struggle to accurately describe the dishes. He ordered multiple dishes, from savory mains to desserts. In describing them, the word ube was used a lot, and although it was an ingredient in some of the dishes, he meant umami a few times. But honestly, who knows?
Seattle, WA
Seattle weather: Scattered showers Thursday, more wind and rain Friday
A much calmer afternoon and evening after strong winds moved through the area Tuesday into early Wednesday. We had stronger storm cells off the Washington coast, prompting a tornado warning near Westport. No damage was reported. This evening, scattered showers continue with even a lightning strike along the coast. Our next round of wind and rain will move in by the end of the week.
This evening, scattered showers continue with even a lightning strike along the coast.
Overnight showers will continue with mild temperatures, lows in the upper 30s to low 40s. Scattered showers will continue through the day Thursday.
Scattered showers will continue through the day Thursday.
Highs will be slightly cooler with temperatures in the mid to upper 40s.
Highs will be slightly cooler with highs in the mid to upper 40s.
Our next round of wind and rain will move in on Friday as another low pressure system moves into the Pacific Northwest. We are tracking gusty winds along the coast and north interior, but not as strong as what we saw with this bomb cyclone. Stay tuned!
Our next round of wind and rain will move in on Friday as another low pressure system moves into the Pacific Northwest. (FOX 13 Seattle)
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Seattle, WA
Nashville Predators vs Seattle Kraken score today: Live updates, stats, how to watch
The Nashville Predators’ road trip concludes Wednesday with a nationally-televised game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
Nashville (6-10-3) won 5-3 in Vancouver on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak, with Steven Stamkos recording his first two-goal game as a Predators player.
Seattle (9-9-1) had a four-game winning streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday. Goaltender Joey Daccord has seized the No. 1 goaltender spot and is 8-3-1 with a .918 save percentage this season.
The Predators and Kraken last played on Oct. 15, a 7-3 Seattle win at Bridgestone Arena.
Follow the Tennessean’s live Predators game updates below:
Nashville Predators vs. Seattle Kraken: Live updates, highlights from NHL game
- Date and game time: 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20
- TV channel: TNT and truTV nationally
- Streaming info: FUBO (free trial available), MAX app
- Radio: 102.5 FM The Game
The Nashville Predators vs. Seattle Kraken game will be televised nationally on TNT and truTV, with streaming available via FUBO and MAX.
Odds according to BetMGM on Wednesday, Nov. 20
- PUCK LINE: Predators -1.5 at +180, Kraken +1.5 at -225
- O/U: 5.5 goals
- MONEY LINE: Kraken +120, Predators -140
All times central; Games on FanDuel Sports Network South unless otherwise noted
Record: 6-10-3, 15 points
October
- Oct. 10: Dallas Stars, L 4-3
- Oct. 12: at Detroit Red Wings, L 3-0
- Oct. 15: Seattle Kraken, L 7-3
- Oct. 17: Edmonton Oilers, L 4-2
- Oct. 19: Detroit Red Wings, L 5-2
- Oct. 22: Boston Bruins, W 4-0
- Oct. 25: at Chicago Blackhawks, W 3-2
- Oct. 26: Columbus Blue Jackets, W 4-3 OT
- Oct. 28: at Tampa Bay Lightning, L 3-2 OT
- Oct. 31: Edmonton Oilers, L 5-1
November
- Nov. 2: Colorado Avalanche, W 5-2
- Nov. 4: Los Angeles Kings, L 3-0
- Nov. 6: at Washington Capitals, L 3-2
- Nov. 7: at Florida Panthers, L 6-2
- Nov. 9: Utah Hockey Club, W 4-0
- Nov. 11: at Colorado Avalanche, L 3-2 OT
- Nov. 14: at Edmonton Oilers, L 3-2 OT
- Nov. 15: at Calgary Flames, L 2-0
- Nov. 17: at Vancouver Canucks, W 5-3
- Nov. 20: at Seattle Kraken, 9 p.m. on TNT
- Nov. 23: Winnipeg Jets, 6 p.m.
- Nov. 25: at New Jersey Devils, 6 p.m.
- Nov. 27: Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 29: Tampa Bay Lightning, 2 p.m.
- Nov. 30: at Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.
December
- Dec. 4: at Toronto Maple Leafs, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 5: at Montreal Canadiens, 6 p.m.
- Dec. 7: at Ottawa Senators, 6 p.m.
- Dec. 10: Calgary Flames, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 12: at Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 14: at Colorado Avalanche, 8 p.m.
- Dec. 17: New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 19: Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 21: Los Angeles Kings, 12:30 p.m.
- Dec. 23: Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 27: at St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 30: at Winnipeg Jets, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 31: at Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.
January
- Jan. 3: at Vancouver Canucks, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 4: at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 7: at Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 11: Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 14: Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 16: Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 18: Minnesota Wild, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 21: San Jose Sharks, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 23: at San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m.
- Jan. 25: at Anaheim Ducks, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 29: Vancouver Canucks, 8 p.m.
- Jan. 31: at Buffalo Sabres, 6 p.m.
February
- Feb. 1: at Pittsburgh Penguins, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 3: Ottawa Senators, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 7: at Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m.
- Feb. 8: Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 22: Colorado Avalanche, 5 p.m.
- Feb. 23: New Jersey Devils, 5 p.m.
- Feb. 25: Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 27: Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.
March
- March 1: at New York Islanders, 11:30 a.m.
- March 2: at New York Rangers, 6 p.m.
- March 4: at Boston Bruins, 6 p.m.
- March 6: Seattle Kraken, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
- March 8: Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m.
- March 11: at San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu (sign up here)
- March 14: at Anaheim Ducks, 9 p.m.
- March 15: at Los Angeles Kings, 7 p.m.
- March 18: St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. on ESPN
- March 20: Anaheim Ducks, 7 p.m.
- March 22: Toronto Maple Leafs, 6 p.m.
- March 23: at St. Louis Blues, 5 p.m.
- March 25: at Carolina Hurricanes, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu (sign up here)
- March 27: St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.
- March 29: Vegas Golden Knights, 5:30 p.m.
- March 31: at Philadelphia Flyers, 6 p.m.
April
- April 1: at Columbus Blue Jackets. 6 p.m.
- April 3: at Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
- April 6: Montreal Canadiens, 6 p.m.
- April 8: New York Islanders, 7 p.m.
- April 10: at Utah Hockey Club, 8 p.m.
- April 12: at Vegas Golden Knights, 9 p.m.
- April 14: Utah Hockey Club, 7 p.m.
- April 16: Dallas Stars, 7 p.m.
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