THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: More woes in second half for Seahawks

What now?

A week earlier, the Seahawks committed a truckload of critical penalties, eventually wilted down the stretch and got bulldozed at home by Tennessee.

So, on to Minnesota…

This time, Seattle once again had nothing much to offer on either side of the ball in the second half (they were outgained 224 yards to 66 in the final two quarters), they allowed the previously winless Vikings to push them around and finally staggered out of Minneapolis lugging a 30-17 defeat.

Oh, and while the Hawks cut down on penalties, there was one biggie — a silly defensive holding call on Ugo Amadi that turned the game upside down.

This one won’t look good on tape.

The Seahawks were up 17-7 and appeared to be rolling again midway in the second quarter when they got a stop on a Vikings third-down play.

The Minnesota defense was on roller skates at that point, and you could see Russell Wilson and the boys piling up some points.

INSTEAD, Amadi was flagged for grabbing a shirt — miles away from where Kirk Cousins’ pass had been thrown — and the Vikes kept the ball.

From that point on, it was all Minnesota.

Cousins threw the second of his three TD passes after the Amadi penalty, Jason Myers saw his streak of 37 straight field goals snapped when he missed from 44 yards, and to compound that misery, Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for a score – and a 21-17 lead – just seconds before halftime.

The second half was more of the same, with Minnesota adding three field goals and shutting down Wilson without so much as a sniff.

The alarming part of the whole collapse was that every Viking receiver seemed to be wide open, screen passes all worked, running back Alexander Mattison had nice lanes to enjoy, and so forth.

It looked easy.

It was the Tennessee defeat all over again, what with blowing a double-digit lead and giving way quietly at the finish.

Once again, as soon as the Seahawks lost their early momentum, they looked helpless in every facet of play.

The irony, of course, is that Pete Carroll is famous for saying that football games are won in the fourth quarter.

And until these last two weekends, that really has been the Seahawks’ calling card.

But now?

The script has been reversed, and that’s a scary thought.

NEXT UP comes a visit to the 49ers, then there’s a bout with the Rams (who thumped Tom Brady and Tampa Bay on Sunday), and a trip to Pittsburgh.

A lot of things have to change if the Hawks seriously intend to get in the playoff mix.

Fans no doubt will holler about the cornerbacks — the reinstated Tre Flowers and D.J. Reed, a late switch to the left side — but in truth, no piece of the defense looked good.

There was virtually no pass rush to help the secondary, and Cousins seemed to know exactly where everyone would be once the ball was snapped.

It was the reverse when Seattle had the ball, as far too many plays were run straight into a waiting Minnesota defense.

Was there a failure on the coaching staff, perhaps?

The Vikings were quicker, sharper, crisper and seemed better prepared.

Sure, they were at home with a howling crowd to help — but the Hawks have played plenty of good road games in the Carroll era.

I’m sorry, but…

Something is wrong with this Seahawks set-up.

We should know the problem soon enough.

And if it can be fixed.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the off season, and weekly beginning in mid-October.