I will write this sentence and mean it, and this is something I haven't written in quite some time: The Seattle Seahawks dominated another team and almost solely because of their defense. Seattle's defense swarmed, collapsed, destroyed the New York Giants in Week 4. The only question is, can they do it again?
The fact is, the Giants offense is amazingly horrible right now. Their offensive line is full of backups that can't play. Having Daniel Jones at quarterback doesn't help them either as he is not good. My point in this is sometimes it was tough to tell if the Seahawks defense was really good or the Giants just bad.
Seattle won the game 24-3 in a game when the offense did very little overall and never felt in sync. Seattle had a couple of explosive plays, but otherwise Seattle was stunted. Seattle only had 281 total yards. But here are some quick takeaways.
Devon Witherspoon proved the Seattle Seahawks were right to choose in at pick 5
Yes, Jalen Carter has been fantastic. Had Seattle chosen him that would have been a good choice at number 5 overal in the 2023 NFL draft too, but if Seattle went with Carter, they obviously wouldn't have gotten Witherspoon. And Devon Witherspoon is a freak who is going to be a multi-time Pro Bowler.
DEVON WITHERSPOON 97-YARD PICK-6!
— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2023
📺: #SEAvsNYG on ESPN/ABC
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In just his third NFL game, Witherspoon had 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles-for-loss and a 97-yard pick six. He was as good as advertised out of college as he hits like he is 6'4" and 280 pounds and plays ultra-sticky coverage. He and Riq Woolen are going to be one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL for years to come.
Drew Lock might be OK as Seattle's quarterback, if he had to be
For the first time since Lock was traded to the Seahawks in the offseason before the 2022 season, he got to play real downs. His throws weren't always extremely accurate, but he showed excellent mobility and a very quick release. His pass to Noah Fant which went for 51 yards came only after Lock was forced to roll out and throw with strength. (By the way, Geno Smith was only out for a couple of series and was able to come back in and play so Smith will be fine.)
Seattle's defensive statistics are ridiculous
The Seahawks finished with 11 (11!) sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Seattle also had 10 tackles for loss. Bobby Wagner had 17 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 tackles for loss. But the question will be whether Seattle can repeat that kind of performance regularly.
The Giants had a bunch of injuries on their offensive line (so did Seattle, of course, and Seattle held up better than new York), but they just looked clueless as far as adjusting to what Seattle was doing. This was the Seahawks best defensive performance in years, and if they can remain this good, Seattle is capable of making a deep run in the playoffs.