Three studs and duds from Seattle Seahawks Week 4 win over the Giants
The Seahawks did have some dud statistics
As good as the defense was, I can't say the same for the Seahawks offense. Seattle managed just 281 yards and 17 points against a team that gave up 28 to the Cardinals. The Niners hung 441 yards and 30 points on the G-Men, so no one can be too happy with the Hawks performance on the offensive side of the ball.
Two issues stood out above all others in this game. Again, Seattle was terrible on third down. They converted on just three of twelve third downs, and came up empty on fourth down tries twice. Not to get too mathy or anything, but if you're moving the chains on just 21 percent of those situations, you usually won't win the ballgame.
The other worrisome issue is the use - or misuse - of the Seahawks other first-round draft pick, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Yes, he's a rookie, and few rookies have breakout seasons, especially in their first few games. Even high draft picks take time to find their game. I'll go into more detail another time on this, but for now, trust me on that. I want to be clear that I don't believe any blame for this should be laid at JSN's feet. He's not calling for all those passes behind the line of scrimmage. His average yards before the catch against the Giants were -3.0. Yep, he had to pick up three yards just to gain nothing overall. His yards after the catch averaged 4.7, so at least he's doing something once he gets the ball.
The thing is, it isn't really on the Seahawks, either. Not completely, anyway. It's hard to work a rookie into the rotation when you have two Pro Bowl wide receivers on the team already. Add in that the Hawks are playing a lot of two tight end sets, and even three at times, and Smith-Njigba's opportunities are going to be limited. With their offensive line woes, Seattle needs as many extra blockers as they can get. He's just not going to see as many snaps early on as he might on a different team. Still, it would be nice to see him out on more routes. Especially with a QB that can find him.