The Seattle Seahawks could not have been thrilled about the news of Josh Gordon’s suspension, but the Seahawks will be able to overcome this, in the same way they have overcome so much this season.
Losing Gordon for the rest of the year takes one of the best NFL receiving athletes off the field for Seattle. Although his absence may limit some of the team’s offensive production going forward, the Seahawks still have plenty of playmakers to shoulder the offensive load.
The Seahawks offense was operating at its peak before Gordon showed up and while he made some crucial catches in his five games with the team, it is not like he had a huge role in the offense. Gordon recorded seven catches for 139 yards in his five appearances as a Seahawk.
He was clearly productive for the team, but hardly irreplaceable. Seattle could still have two 1,000-yard receivers in Tyler Lockett and D. K. Metcalf, and younger receivers Malik Turner and David Moore have shown flashes this year.
And it is not like the Seahawks’ road to an 11-3 record has been smooth. The team defeated the Carolina Panthers with half of its defense out and has already lost starting center Justin Britt and starting tight end Will Dissly from the offense and Joey Hunt and Jacob Hollister have filled in relatively seamlessly.
With Gordon now out of the fold, watch for John Ursua to get some more action. The seventh-round pick from Hawaii led FBS college football with 16 receiving touchdowns in 2018. He has appeared in two games so far but Ursua’s quickness and route-running abilities could add another dimension to the passing game.
Gordon’s absence could affect the team more if it suffers some injuries in the receiving group. If Metcalf or Lockett go down, Gordon would have easily been the best replacement. Still, the Seahawks have been able to win games in a variety of ways in 2019, with or without Gordon.
Seattle has operated under chaos and adversity all season, so the loss of Gordon is just par for the course. Pretty much every game has been down to the wire and, somehow, the Seahawks are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
As long as Russell Wilson is under center the Seahawks will have a shot to win every game they play in.
