The Seattle Seahawks flipped the script of the 2023 season in this game. They struggled on offense but did just enough to support an absolutely dominating pass rush to victory. That devastating pass rush was just part of the good news we saw from this Seattle team Monday night.
Hi there, 12! I'm addressing you, the only fan of the Seattle Seahawks who somehow doesn't know how the Hawks beat the giants - lowercase definitely deliberate - this past Monday night. Okay, fine, the Hawks beat the New York Football Giants. Belittling the losing team just makes our win less impressive anyway. The defense came through in this game as we haven't seen in years. Unlike many recent Seahawks games, this one got easier as the clock grew shorter. We'll take more of that, please.
That pass rush was certainly the top story of the good news, but it was far from the only happy tale from Monday night's 24-3 Seahawks victory. The leader of the Hawks veterans erased any doubt about his game, while a rookie established himself as a new superstar in the league. There's bad news too, but even that is tempered by the situation the Hawks find themselves in. We'll hit that first, then get to the good stuff.
The Seattle Seahawks limped through this game, especially on offense
The bad news is that the Seahawks offense sputtered far too often against the Giants. Seattle had just 13 first downs, was an unsightly 3 of 12 on third down, and scored 17 points against a defense that had given up 98 through the first three games. I mean, the Cards hung 28 on this D. New York had two sacks coming into the game - yes, for the season - and doubled that against Seattle. The Hawks held the ball for a mere 24 minutes. The Giants literally had the ball 50 percent longer than our guys.
Sounds terrible, right? Mmmm...it does until you think about the fact that the Seahawks played nearly the entire game with one starter on their offensive line. That of course was center Evan Brown, who had to move over to guard for 38 of the team's 55 snaps. So for nearly 70 percent of this game, the Hawks had zero starting offensive linemen in their regular positions. So maybe that offensive output wasn't so terrible after all. Could it be better? Of course, and it will be with more experience for rookies like Anthony Bradford and Olu Oluwatimi. It won't hurt to get starting tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas back, either.
Speaking of coming back, the long-awaited return of Jamal Adams was cut short after just nine plays. He took a knee to the head while bringing down Giants QB Daniel Jones, and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Apparently, he wasn't too pleased about that decision. I get the frustration, and I'm sure the concussion didn't help, either. Concussions can do weird things to your thinking processes and your mood. With the bye week, hopefully, Adams will have plenty of time to recover. Jarran Reed was kicked in the shin and missed almost the entire second half, but apparently, he'll be fine for week six as well. Whew, two bullets dodged there.
Seattle's pass rush was dominant and came from everywhere
Do you know who wasn't doing much dodging Monday night? Poor, poor Daniel Jones. The quarterback of the first New Jersey football team in the NFL sure gets dumped on a lot. I mean, the Giants had 248 yards of offense, and he accounted for 269 of those. Yeah, I know that's crazy math, but he had 203 yards passing and 66 yards rushing. Yeah, that rushing total is rough. The good news is the rest of the team managed just 46 yards on 19 carries. So overall, New York had 315 yards of offense.
Well, they did until the Seahawks extracted 67 yards from that total on an amazing 11 sacks. Those 11 sacks tied the franchise record, first set in November of 1853, just months after the city of Seattle was founded. Okay, it was 1986, but it might as well have been centuries ago. This wasn't a superhuman effort by one player, but a true team effort. Uchenna Nwosu, Jordyn Brooks, Bobby Wagner, and Devon Witherspoon all had two each. Boye Mafe, Myles Adams, and Mario Edwards put Daniel Jones on the turf as well.
If I may, I'd like to add a few thoughts about Mr. Bobby Joseph Wagner. For some unknown and frankly unfathomable reason, there are still a few alleged 12s who thought Bobby Wagner was past his prime. This, despite racking up 18 tackles in the season opener. One game of five tackles last week against the Lions, and suddenly, he was "done". I think 17 tackles, two for a loss, two quarterback hits and two sacks might offer evidence to the contrary.
In four games, he's made 50 tackles. That puts him on pace for 212.5 for the season. He's missed three so far, which puts him just a bit below his career average rate. But yeah, he's done. Listen, it's one thing to make valid critical points. For example, the Seahawks have to get better in the red zone and absolutely have to get better on third down. But to say BWagz is done? Go get a Cards jersey; you're done.
The Seahawks made the right choice with the fifth pick of the draft
Ah, the last tidbit of good news. A lot of 12s wondered why the Seahawks would take a cornerback with the fifth overall pick. I mean, Look at Riq Woolen, look at Richard Sherman, right? Sure, lightning struck twice in the 47-year history of the franchise. So yeah, let's depend on that again. Or, maybe recognize a generational talent when you see one.
Cornerbacks drafted in the top five spots include Charles Woodson, Patrick Peterson, Denzel Ward, and Jalen Ramsey. Oh, and a guy named Shawn Springs. Yeah, I think you could win with those guys. So, not a wasted pick. I mean, Devon Witherspoon had more picks in college, five, than allowed touchdowns, four.
As for playing Witherspoon in the slot, I think the results on Monday speak for themselves. Let's see, he had seven tackles, six of those solo. He had two tackles for a loss, three QB hits, and two sacks. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that 97-yard pick-six that turned a potential 14-10 game into a 20-3 laugher.
That score not only gave the Seahawks a huge cushion in what had been a difficult game but forced the Giants to throw even more. Is it any wonder the Hawks racked up five sacks in the fourth quarter alone, and that Jones was picked off again? Yes, Witherspoon can play, and he can dominate a game from the slot, just as Pete Carroll said he would.
So sure, there was some bad news. The offense still can't move the chains on third down consistently. They are unable to find Jaxon Smith-Njigba with any consistency, and that's troubling as well. But considering the injuries on the offensive line, the offense has held up. Add the rebirth of the defense, and there was far more good news for the Seahawks heading into their bye week than bad.