We're still taking in the good, the bad and the ugly from the Seattle Seahawks 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field. 

Lamar Jackson’s unstoppable performance and Earl Thomas’ revenge game all filled the headlines on Monday morning, but it was Russell Wilson's candidacy for NFL MVP that took perhaps the greatest hit. 

Let’s take a look at What They’re Saying about the Seahawks (5-2) following Week 7: 

Adam Jude of The Seattle Times said a rare off day from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson made Lamar Jackson look all the more impressive. 

"For so long, and for so many moments already this season, Seahawks fans have been spoiled by a quarterback who makes the magical look routine, who is at his best when the pressure is molten hot in the fourth quarter. Sunday, that quarterback was Lamar Jackson of the Ravens (5-2)."

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports says there’s a new MVP front-runner in town, and his name isn’t Russell Wilson.

“While Wilson struggled on Sunday, his counterpart, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, put together another superb performance while leading his team to a 30-16 win over the homesteading Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens' defense complemented Jackson's efforts by scoring two touchdowns and handing Wilson his worst game of the season to date.”

It was Earl Thomas’ first game back to Seattle after his bitter divorce with the Seahawks last season. After spending nine seasons with the Seahawks, Thomas’ time in Seattle ended terribly when he was carted off the field with a broken leg and flipped the middle finger at coach Pete Carroll.

Kevin Patra of Around the NFL says Thomas’ revenge couldn’t have gone better.

“Earl Thomas got his revenge. The former Seahawks safety, who built his Hall of Fame-worthy resume in nine seasons in Seattle, helped a Baltimore Ravens defense that clamped down on Russell Wilson and scored twice en route to a 30-16 road win Sunday.”

Stacy Rost of 710 ESPN Seattle noted Russell Wilson’s bad night, which included his first pick of the year that was returned for a 67-yard touchdown.

“Last week brought questions about what this Seahawks team would look like without a stellar performance by Wilson. This week brought the answer: Not great. On second thought, maybe that is the mark of a team’s most valuable player.”

John Blanchette of The Spokesman Review says the Seahawks have a big problem when Russell Wilson isn’t himself.

“This Seahawks team hasn’t shown that it’s special enough in any other area if Wilson doesn’t play A-minus or better. That’s fragile. Consider that in addition to the two losses on Seattle’s record, the Seahawks beat the Rams when their money kicker missed a field goal, outlasted winless Cincinnati by a point and survived two Chris Carson fumbles to edge Pittsburgh. Their five victims have an aggregate record of 11-21-1. Their only victory by more than four points has been over Arizona.

And until Sunday, their quarterback has been MVP-caliber.”

Earl Thomas took the field at CenturyLink for the first time as a Raven. Jarran Reed shook off the dust and played in his first game of the Seahawks season. Two of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks went head-to-head.

There were a lot of fascinating storylines heading into the Seattle Seahawks meeting with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, but only one mattered when it was all said and done on Sunday: Would the Seahawks let these narratives spoil their hot streak?

It appeared as if the noise was too much for Seattle to handle. Lamar Jackson proved why he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. Earl Thomas taunted his former team, and even Wilson couldn't save his Seahawks in this one, recording his first interception of the season. 

Let’s take a look at the best moments on social media from the Seahawks 30-16 loss to the Ravens. Seahawks Insider Joe Fann shared his initial reactions to the game here. 

Seattle got on the board for the first time when Russell Wilson hit Tyler Lockett for an 8-yard touchdown.

.@DangeRussWilson and @TDLockett12 in motion?

Pure MAGIC. ✨

Q2: SEA 7, BAL 3 pic.twitter.com/fj9YmNIOFy

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2019

PUT SOME RESPECT ON TYLER LOCKETT’S NAME

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 20, 2019

Doug Baldwin was the most underrated receiver in the NFL, retired and Tyler Lockett immediately took over the mantle.

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) October 20, 2019

Marlon Humphrey has dominated some top wide receivers this year, but he's having a tough time with Tyler Lockett.

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 20, 2019

Jason Myers’ notched two field goals to give Seattle an additional six points. Both teams went into the locker rooms at halftime with the game tied 13-13.

Jason Myers’ 3️⃣4️⃣-yard FG is GOOD 🙌#Seahawks 10, Ravens 6 #BALvsSEA pic.twitter.com/p9jmYynTYq

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) October 20, 2019

Jason Myers — absolutely amazing on that drive. Big contributor

— Evan (@EvanHillSEA) October 20, 2019

Jason Myers has been simply excellent this season

— Evan (@EvanHillSEA) October 20, 2019

Then, the Corgi Cup happened. That’s right. The Seahawks brought at least a dozen adorable smoosh faces to the field and let them race each other. It was everything we could have hoped for and more. 

The @Seahawks are racing corgis at halftime! (🎥 @NBCSNorthwest) pic.twitter.com/VO4Uuo3iPD

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 20, 2019

SEAHAWKS DOG RACE UPDATE: The winning Corgi got a trophy 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/cwOET0JBGN

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 20, 2019

THEY DID A HALFTIME CORGI RACE pic.twitter.com/Q5vhaF5e3w

— j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) October 20, 2019

It all went downhill for Seattle from there. The Ravens went on to outscore the Seahawks 17-3 in the second half.

Next up, the Seahawks (5-2) head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PT. 

It’s Week 7 of the NFL season and the Seattle Seahawks (5-1) are hosting the Baltimore Ravens (4-2). The matchup will be a homecoming of sorts for Earl Thomas, who left Seattle after nine seasons and joined the Ravens. Thomas was last seen in Seattle gesturing towards his former team's sideline after breaking his leg.

Another big storyline is the showdown between quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson. Wilson is playing at his best right now, emerging as one of the top candidates for the NFL MVP award through six weeks. The Seahawks franchise quarterback has led his team to a 5-1 record thus far, completing 72.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,704 yards, 14 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Jackson is starting to cement his name in the quarterback game as well. After replacing Joe Flacco as the starting QB last season, Baltimore went 6-1 and into the playoffs. This year, Jackson is 4-2 and has already improved his completion percent from 58.2 percent to 65.1 percent.

HISTORY

Seattle has won its last three meetings with the Ravens and leads the all-time series, 3-2. The Ravens last faced the Seahawks in 2015, when Russell Wilson threw for five touchdowns and 292 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett caught six passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

A win for the Seahawks this week would mean Seattle would be 6-1 for the first time since 2013—the year they won Super Bowl 48 over the Broncos.

Our Seahawks Insider Joe Fann and Digital Producer Lindsey Wisniewski are in Seattle for the game, so make sure you follow along on social. Kickoff is at 1:25 p.m. 

The game was tied at 13 at halftime.

RUSSELL TO LOCKETT

Russell Wilson finds his favorite target in the endzone once again to put the Seahawks on the scoreboard and take the lead. 

.@DangeRussWilson and @TDLockett12 in motion?

Pure MAGIC. ✨

Q2: SEA 7, BAL 3 pic.twitter.com/fj9YmNIOFy

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2019

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Earl Thomas on his return to Seattle: 

“Hopefully they respect what I’ve done, get a couple of cheers and not too many boos,” Thomas said. “But whatever happens, happens. Hopefully it’s love.”

“It doesn’t matter who I’m playing for, I’m going out there and trying to win,” Thomas said. “Maybe when I get to the visiting locker room and see how that feels, it’ll add something to that. But other than that, it’s business as usual. I’m going out there to compete and make plays.”

Pete Carroll on Thomas' return: 

“No different than facing the other guys who were great players for us in the past. We’ve been through this a number of times. I love playing our guys. I always do. I always like playing people that I know. I know that there’s an underlying current that somebody wants some other agenda going on or some other storyline. I don’t have one. I love playing against our guys. Earl was a great football player in the years that he was with us."

QUICK LINKS

Week 7 preview: 5 Seahawks players to watch vs. Ravens

Seahawks rookie S Marquise Blair in line for first-career start in Week 7 vs. Ravens

Pete Carroll, Bobby Wagner share expectations for Earl Thomas’ revenge game vs. Seahawks

Seahawks DL Jarran Reed is eager for his return: ‘Trust me, I’m ready’

VIDEO

Seahawks TD celebrations could soon extend to secondary

'It's business as usual' for Earl Thomas in return to Seattle

Seahawks, Earl Thomas couldn’t stay together forever

Wagner: Lamar Jackson is "amazing" to watch

Free agent safety Earl Thomas, who spent last year belly-aching at every turn about the Seattle Seahawks not giving him a contract extension as he entered the final year of his deal that paid him $8.5 million, has reportedly signed a four-year, $55 million deal with Baltimore that includes $32 million in guaranteed money. 

So at the end of the day, all of Thomas' histrionics with holding out, threatening not to practice and flipping off coach Pete Carroll (allegedly) were for naught even in spite of breaking his leg Week 4 at Arizona. 

On one hand, Thomas' concerns were understandable. He wanted to secure more guaranteed money just in case he suffered a severe injury that would greatly diminish his value, which is what happened with safety Kam Chancellor (neck) in 2017.

On the other hand, Thomas' stance ignored the fact that Seattle had already offered that type of security when it gave him a four-year, $40 million extension in 2014 before his rookie contract expired. A four-year contract is for four years. Not three. Four. Had Thomas gone down for good in game one of year one of that deal, he would have received at least the $27.7 million in guaranteed money. That's the risk a team must take. The player, of course, is then obligated to play out that contract in exchange for the hefty boatload of guaranteed money. 

We could argue all day long about whether or not NFL contracts should be fully guaranteed. But the stance here is that guaranteed money already exists in these contracts while long-term deals could never fully be guaranteed because of the serious risk of injury inherent in professional football. Teams cannot afford to be on the hook for 10s of millions of dollars in dead cap space devoted to injured players. It's not fair to the paying customer or the players able to play who should receive that money in hard salary cap system. 

Chancellor will count $12.5 million against the cap in 2019 even though he cannot play. Great for Chancellor. Bad for the team. Maybe that money could have gone to Thomas, or another free agent star. It's a dicey situation, at best. The best possible solution could be to allow teams to have an injury cap allotment where salaries committed to players such as Chancellor could be listed and not count against the salary cap for active players. That way, teams could offer more financial security while not hindering its chances of competing due to money devoted to players that can no longer perform. 

Just an idea. 

Back to Thomas, who ultimately played all four years in Seattle and received all $40 million despite missing five games in 2016 with a broken leg and then 12 games last year. 

Now, just shy of his 30th birthday on May 7, Thomas is receiving another $32 million in guaranteed money. Good for him. All Seattle fans should wish Thomas well and lament the loss of one of the franchise's greatest ever players. 

But what went down last year wasn't good for anybody involved. Thomas did not live up to his contract. Some could argue that Seattle should want to keep Thomas moving forward, but the truth is that Baltimore's offer to him is risky. Thomas, who has broken his leg twice now, is no longer at the peak of his powers. This is not to say that Thomas doesn't deserve this type of money. It's to say that Seattle's position on not signing Thomas to an extension makes financial sense. The team did well without him for most of last season by making the playoffs with a 10-6 record and with Bradley McDougald and Tedric Thompson at safety. That duo will make roughly $4 million combined next season. 

It's just a shame that once again, the business aspect of professional sports had lead to a Seattle legend ending his career elsewhere following a messy divorce.

Earl Thomas is finally getting paid. One of the biggest free agency questions has been answered. Former Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas has signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

First reported by Adam Schefter:

Former Seahawks’ S Earl Thomas intends to sign a four-year, $55 million deal that includes $32 million fully guaranteed at signing with the Baltimore Ravens, league source tells ESPN. Deal includes $22 million in first nine months.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2019

Thomas’ contract is for four years, $55 million dollars ($32 million fully guaranteed) and $22 million in the first nine months alone. 

After an long offseason of contract negotiations and just four weeks into the regular season, Earl Thomas had played his last game in the Seahawks jersey after suffering a season-ending injury against the Arizona Cardinals.

Now in NFL free agency, Thomas joins the Ravens’ secondary alongside Tony Jefferson, who recorded 53 tackles last season. In other Ravens news, Baltimore also signed former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram to a three-year deal worth $15 million dollars. 

The Seattle Seahawks will host the Baltimore Ravens during the 2019 regular season.

In case you’re wondering, the 2019 NFL schedule does, in fact, have the Seahawks hosting the Ravens. And @Earl_Thomas

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) March 13, 2019

The moment football fans have been waiting for has finally arrived in Baltimore. Rookie QB and first round draft pick Lamar Jackson got the nod as starter today with veteran QB Joe Flacco out with an injury. 

IT’S LAMAR’S TIME

Ravens to start rookie Lamar Jackson vs. the Bengals with Joe Flacco hurt, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/bBa3tOiV9s

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 18, 2018

In his first NFL start, Jackson lead the Ravens to a 24-21 victory over rival the Cincinnati Bengals. Looking at the box score alone, one would think Jackson lined up as a running back, leading the Ravens in rushing yards with 117 on 27 carries. Those are impressive numbers for any back in the league. As a passer, Jackson finished 13-for-19 for 150 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. 

Even after drafting Jackson and this impressive game, the question begs: Is this the end of the Flacco era in Baltimore? Only time will tell.

Football is hard.

Former Oregon Duck, Kiko Alonso, found that out first hand today in a preseason game when he ran to the wrong sideline after making a tackle against the Ravens. Baltimore's sideline got a good laugh about it while sending him back across the field.

Sorry Kiko, you gotta stay on your side. 😂 pic.twitter.com/KEfW4gmoSj

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 25, 2018

Alonso played for Oregon before being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He was traded from Buffalo to Philadelphia and then to Miami. 

Haloti Ngata was the best defensive lineman the Ducks had ever had when he arrived on campus in 2002, and Oregon hasn’t had a player like him since. Ngata was dominant from day one, but he had his best season in 2005. That season Ngata was the Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Pac-10, was awarded the Morris Trophy as the conferences’ best lineman, and was named a Consensus All-American.

Ngata would leave Oregon following his junior season and would go on to be drafted 12th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. In the NFL he has been named a five-time All-Pro and was victorious in Super Bowl XLVII. Ngata currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.