The Seattle Seahawks are back in prime time in Week 4. Sure, it's a late game for east coasters, but 12s in the Seattle area will have time to celebrate after Seattle defeats the New York Giants in Week 4. I hope.
Seattle is getting slightly healthier and will get an impact player back (more on that in just a second). The Giants might be without their best offensive player (more on that later, too). Overall, however, Seattle appears to have the better roster.
Seattle is 2-1 while the Giants are 1-2. New York has two really bad losses, however. Seattle has bounced back from a Week 1 loss and might be making a run at another postseason. But that continues only if the Seahawks can defeat the Giants on Monday. Here is some news!
Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams almost retired
Jamal Adams has been oft-injured and oft-frustrated with being hurt. After his Week 1 injury in 2022, he almost decided he had had enough. Adams was in a cast for 20 weeks and could do very few things without assistance. Adams couldn't go to the bathroom, get out of bed, or shower without help. For someone who had spent his life getting into prime physical shape for the game of football, this was devastating.
After practice on Friday, Adams addressed the ahead of him getting back onto the field to play when the Seahawks play the Giants on Monday Night Football. Adams admitted that he had been in a "dark place" over the last year. He was never suicidal, he said, but just the bleakness of dealing with another injury and not knowing if he would play the game of football again - a game that will give him and his family generational wealth due to the contract he signed with Seattle in 2021.
Playing his first game back in New York is special for him, too. He played for the Jets, of course, to begin his career before the Jets traded Adams to Seattle before the 2020 season. In his first year with the Seahawks, Adams had 9.5 sacks which broke the all-time record for sacks by a defensive back. He can make a huge impact for Seattle's pass rush, and that begins on Monday.
Dre'Mont Jones is down but Boye Mafe is up
Dre'Mont Jones injured his hip on his 32nd snap against the Carolina Panthers and he had to leave the game. He didn't return and the likelihood he plays in Week 4 is iffy. While it would be great if Jones were healthy (just as it would be if all humans everywhere we fully healthy), Seattle might not missed the defense lineman all that much.
Jones was signed this offseason to the most expensive contract general manager John Schneider had ever signed a free agent of another team to. Jones signed a three-year deal for $51,530,000 but one that is fairly front loaded to the first two years. This means he has two seasons to prove he is good enough to keep around for the third year, and so far, he hasn't been.
Because Seattle plays a 3-4 base, Jones gets double-teamed a lot. But he gets double-teamed no more than Jarran Reed. Yet, so far in 2023, Jones is nowhere near the top-ten in run-stop or pass-rush win rate. Meanwhile, Reed ranks sixth in pass-rush win rate while being double-teamed 69 percent of the time. Reed is earning his contract but Jones isn't, at least not yet.
At least the pass rush is being helped a great deal by second-year player Boye Mafe. Mafe wreaks havoc on opposing quarterbacks, but you wouldn't know that from his raw stat line. He only had 1 tackle against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, but there was no doubt Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton felt his presence.
As far as edge rushers this year, Mafe is third in the NFL in pass-rush win rate at 31 percent. That means while he isn't getting a bunch of sacks, he is making offenses adjust to him. And that should free another pass rusher up to get a QB hurry.
Week 4 prediction
I completely respect New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He is one of the best at his position in the NFL. I don't think, however, that simply having Barkley available means New York should be favored to beat Seattle. The Seahawks faced Barkley in 2022, too, and limited him to 20 carries and 53 yards rushing. And that was when Seatte's run defense was bad.
I have almost as much fear as to what New York QB Daniel Jones can do with his legs. He is a decent passer, though far from great. But he has elusiveness and speed when running the ball. Seattle hasn't faced a quarterback that can hurt them consistently with thier legs yet this year, and I am unsure how the Seahawks will adapt to Jones trying to pick up third downs by running the ball.
For Seattle to win, I think they need to do two things. One is to run the ball effectively and consistently with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Walker has proven he is a very good running back and Charbonnet has flashed potential to be so. New York is 28th in the NFL in yards allowed rushing per game (138) so Seattle should be able to eat clock and grind out yards and win fairly comfortably.
The most interesting bit about the game on Monday Night Football is getting jamal Adams back. He wants to make a lot of noise, and if he is healthy, he can. But his overexcitement needs to be tempered just a bit or New York could take advantage of him in pass coverage. I still think Seattle wins 24-14.