For Pete's Sake: 5 critical observations from Seattle Seahawks Week 7 victory

After a disappointing performance against a lukewarm Cincinnati Bengals team last week, the Seattle Seahawks had the bounce-back game they needed to continue putting heat on division leaders, the 49ers. There were many storylines heading into the game, adding to the pressure to perform at the standard the team has set this year.

One of the more prominent focuses was on Geno Smith, who had one of the worst games of his Seattle tenure in Week 6. Turnovers were a big part of his forgettable performance; unfortunately, it continued to be this week.

Then there was the loss of DK Metcalf, who was announced to miss the game on Saturday. As the biggest game-changing players on the offense outside of ol' reliable Tyler Lockett, Metcalf's absence meant that the rookies would need to step up big time, which wasn't expected to be as easy as it looked given who they were playing.

Unlike last week, the positives and negatives seemed to equal out. Although some substantial improvements need to be made, the Seahawks got a solid win in their first divisional matchup of the season, inevitably bringing an excellent morale boost heading into another potentially tricky matchup next week.

No DK Metcalf? No problem!

It's never good when a starting receiver is downgraded to out with rib and hip injuries the morning of the game, especially when that player is DK Metcalf. As one of Smith's most go-to weapons, there was concern about the players needed to fill the void he would leave on the field.

Fortunately, any worry was put to rest quickly once the offense hit the grass.

Jake Bobo came alive on the first drive for the Seahawks, catching a deep pass for 31 yards on 3rd and 11, getting them out in a more comfortable position on the field. He continued with that momentum in the second quarter, scoring an 18-yard touchdown to put Seattle back in the lead minutes before halftime.

By the end of the day, Bobo recorded career highs in receptions (4), yards (61), and longest reception (31 yards). It was an impressive performance for the rookie, not just because of his inexperience but also because of the circumstances and the likely immense pressure to fill in for Metcalf.

But Bobo wasn't alone in his efforts. Fellow first-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also set career highs on Sunday afternoon, recording four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. He scored the first points of the game with an outstanding 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

It was Smith-Njigba's first time in the endzone in his short career, and he hopes to make it a repeated effort the rest of the season.

Smith continued to utilize him throughout the game, proving exactly why the Seahawks wanted to draft him in the first place. Both rookies brought the energy needed and helped fans forget that Metcalf wasn't active, an unexpected feat for the inexperienced duo.

Ball security needs to be a point of emphasis after 3 more turnovers

Other than a weak effort against Cincinnati last week, a big reason for their struggles, which led to the loss, was costly turnovers, especially by the hands of Geno Smith. Although the quarterback tightened up a bit this week, limiting it to just one interception, the rest of the team created what could have been a massive setback but fortunately wasn't, with two lost fumbles.

The first came late in the first quarter when DeeJay Dallas was out as the punt returner after Seattle's defense forced a three and out. The running back ran it back for four yards but then proceeded to fumble the ball, allowing the Cardinals to recover it not far out of the red zone.

Luckily, the defense did their job and forced another punt, bailing Dallas out of a potential momentum-swinging mistake.

The lack of ball security didn't stop there, though. After throwing an interception on their second series after halftime, Smith lost a fumble on the next drive, putting Arizona in a great position to score once again. But just like the fortunate fate given to Dallas, they could not do anything with the turnover, as Matt Prater uncharacteristically missed a 31-yard field goal.

They weren't that lucky last week, which was a welcomed change. However, that won't be the norm for the remainder of the season, meaning they will need to emphasize the importance of ball security before it costs them in bigger games.

Seattle's defense created a hostile environment for Joshua Dobbs

Arizona's offensive line has had a tough time keeping defenders at bay, and the Seahawks exploited that weakness all game long on Sunday.

Bringing the fire early in a game is crucial, especially against a quarterback who extends plays using his legs. The defense accomplished that against Joshua Dobbs, who had tremendous difficulty getting comfortable at any point in the game.

Much of that effort was led by Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor, who together totaled 2.5 sacks, two tackles for a loss, two passes defended, and three quarterback hits. Because of the pressure Dobbs felt early, and often, he totaled just eight of his first 18 attempts while also running for his life to avoid getting hit.

The quarterback was brought to the ground four times for a loss of 28 yards, with the most significant sack coming with just over a minute left in the game. Jarran Reed hit Dobbs for -9 yards on fourth down, sealing a big win for the team.

On top of making life difficult for Dobbs to perform his quarterback duties, they also essentially shut down the run game. The Cardinals were already dealing with the loss of James Conner but got away with a lot on the ground in the first half. Seattle made the necessary changes at halftime and allowed just 23 rushing yards for the final two quarters.

The secondary shut down the Cardinals' receiving corps

The Cardinals may not be a star-studded offense with game-changing receivers, but they have enough talent that, when used properly, can make defenses pay, which the Seahawks were fortunate to avoid in this matchup.

Their secondary limited any potentially big plays, especially when a guy like Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is lined up on the other side. With a depleted run game due to injuries and a suffocating run defense, Joshua Dobbs needed to spread the football around by including eight different pass-catchers during the game.

Despite the wealth of options for the quarterback, they totaled just 20 receptions on 33 targets for 150 yards and no touchdowns, adding to the Cardinals' woes of the day.

They didn't force a turnover, which would have likely sealed the game a lot sooner. However, Devon Witherspoon technically did nab an interception that was sadly negated due to penalties. That didn't slow the rookie down though, as he made sure to make his presence known through the full 60 minutes.

Geno Smith rebounded nicely after last week's disaster

Outside of the ill-timed interception and lost fumble, both of which led to zero points by the Cardinals, Geno Smith needed a big bounce-back game after a rough outing in Cincinnati. It was far from perfect, but a win is a win, right?

A contributing factor for his rebound was partly due to a better usage of the run game. Kenneth Walker III was limited last week to just 19 carries, but that changed on Sunday as he totaled 26 carries for 105 yards. His utilization took some pressure off Smith to do more than he needed to, limiting the chances of any more mistakes.

Then there were the incredible efforts by Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba stepping up to make up for the void left by D.K. Metcalf's absence. Their combined eight receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns were noteworthy, especially since they both totaled nearly 30 yards for their longest catches of the afternoon.

Smith ended the game 18/24 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, plus the interception and fumble, a much cleaner stat line than just one week ago. Even though his performance wasn't necessarily memorable, it was for the history of Seattle quarterbacks.

With two touchdowns in this game, Smith moved into the sixth position on the Seahawks' passing touchdown leaders list. It's a noteworthy accomplishment when you consider that he's only been the starting quarterback for one and a half seasons, providing more context to his Seattle career.

Hopefully, these types of performances can continue, with fewer turnovers, of course, and we'll see more wins stacked before the schedule gets more grueling next month.

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