The Seattle Seahawks punched the clock (and the Arizona Cardinals) with a complete second-half dismantling in Week 2. I much prefer the Dismantling in the Desert to the Debacle, don't you? As we will every week, we saw some Seahawks rise, and others fall on the trust index. Let's get to it.
As I stated in the previous edition, I can't include every player who belongs to the alphas. I mean, I could, but that would just be a list of half the roster, and you can get that anywhere. What we're looking for is the movers, week by week. And a chance to recognize the Seahawks who were on the cusp of that recognition before.
When you see that the Seahawks allowed just 2.7 yards per pass by the Cardinals, you know the defense played well. They absolutely throttled Arizona in the second half, basically doing what we expect them to do against their little brothers.
- The Seattle Seahawks alphas
- The mainstays
- The fast risers
- The proving ground
- The slipping grip
- The afterthoughts
The Seattle Seahawks alphas
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
Surely no one among the 12s is surprised to see this guy repeat as one of Seattle's alphas. All he did on Sunday was haul in his longest reception ever, an 82-yard bomb that traveled 35 yards through the air before reaching the wide-open JSN. Budda Baker, no slouch himself, was six yards behind him when he made the catch. Smith-Njigba had two more scores for his first career three-TD game.
Leonard Williams, DT
The Big Cat will not be denied. Not by me, not by anyone. He continues to show how important he is to the Seahawks as a leader every week. Oh, and he gets it done on the field, too. Against the Cardinals, Williams had two tackles for a loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack. He set the tone for the Dark Side defense, which limited Arizona to just 44 yards in the second half. Eat, Big Cat, eat.
Drew Lock, QB
Not too shabby for a backup quarterback, right? Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Lock is the top-ranked QB in the league at 92.1, just ahead of Mahomes. If you'd laid a bet three weeks ago that the perennial backup would be the top-rated signal caller in the NFL at this point, you could buy out Elon Musk. I don't always agree with those guys, but in this instance, absolutely.
Devon Witherspoon, CB
You've been waiting on this one. Spoon was targeted six times by the Cardinals. Although he allowed four completions, they totaled just 20 yards. He proved his elite status - not that he needed to - by helping turn Jacoby Brissett from PFF's top-ranked QB in Week 1 (86.1) into a journeyman (44.3). Eight tackles, one for a loss; yes, that's the Witherspoon the 12s expect and get virtually every game.
Julian Love, S
I told you this top tier was gonna get crowded. Just like last week, there's no way to keep the Seahawks' safety out of this group. And there was no way to keep the opponent's football out of Love's hands. He's basically 50% Earl Thomas, 50% Kam Chancellor, and 100% the one and only Julian Love.
The mainstays
Drake Thomas, LB
Thomas had another strong week leading the team with six solo tackles. In his press conference, Mike Macdonald credited Thomas with fixing a wrong call by the head coach. Per Seattle Sports' Cameron Van Til, "I screwed us up on that. We were in the wrong front, and that’s the type of player Drake is – he makes things right in real time." Just another Dark Side advantage.
AJ Barner, TE
Yeah, I get it. How can I call a guy with three catches for 21 yards a mainstay? Especially in a division with George Kittle and Trey McBride at the same position. Simple. Unlike either of those guys - granted, exceptional receivers - Barner is a fine blocker, *and* can catch. Oh, and there's that whole virtually unstoppable Barnyard thing, too. Still, can we get the tight ends going, Coach Fleury?
The fast risers
Emanuel Wilson, RB
Clearly, I was out of line when I compared E-Dub to the former breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet champion from Green Bay, Eddie Lacy. Wilson had 21 carries, 92 yards, and every bit of the energy Seattle expected when they brought him to town. Yeah, it's a bit concerning that the Seahawks had to go to the Barnyard for their final score, but in AJ Barner we trust. And now Emanuel Wilson, too.
Christian Haynes, G
Christian Haynes wasn't great in his first two seasons. He's had ample opportunity to displace Anthony Bradford at right guard, but has never been able to do so. Until maybe now. He was rock solid last week, not allowing a single pressure in 43 snaps. Compare that to Bradford, who was graded at 3.1 by PFF in week 1. Maybe we're seeing a changing of the guard. Yeah, let's see you write that, AI.
The proving ground
Josh Jobe, CB
I'm not about to say Jobe is losing his grip on his position, but he wasn't at his best on Sunday. He allowed Arizona's only touchdown as TE Trey McBride easily beat him to the corner of the end zone to knot the score at seven all. There was no spectacular interception this time, and to be fair, someone else should have covered the 6'4' 246 lb McBride. No doubt Jobe will bounce back, but that was ugly.
Tory Horton, WR
Horton is coming back from his season-ending injury last year and a hamstring issue in Week 1 this season. But when he's been on the field, he's been lethal. I think seven first downs and five scores on just 13 catches qualify. Considering what we've seen so far from the next player on the index, I wouldn't be surprised to see Horton get more opportunities versus the Commanders.
The slipping grip
Rasheed Shaheed, WR
Three catches on six targets? JSN, he's not. One of those catches was one of the explosive plays the Seahawks love, a 23-yard pickup with the score knotted at 7-7. Unfortunately, Jadarian Price had the ball stripped away as he fought for extra yardage. As for Shaheed, he only picked up 12 yards on his other two receptions.
Far worse, he fumbled on the opening kick of the second half. Luckily, Chazz Surratt scooped the ball up and took it all the way to the Arizona 37. The Seahawks scored four plays later on the Lock-to-JSN touchdown connection, the second of the day. With Tory Horton getting healthier every week, Shaheed may see more competition for both of his roles soon.
Dante Fowler, Edge
Another week and another slow start for Fowler. His snaps dropped from 16 in Week 1 to 11 against the Cards. At least he made it on the stat sheet this time. He was credited with two pressures on Brissett. That's solid production for just 11 snaps, but we need to see more from him in Week 3.
The afterthoughts
Mike Morris, DE
Morris was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Mike Macdonald knows exactly what he can do, as he even coached him at Michigan for one season as their defensive coordinator. Second-year player Rylie Mills is seeing the work Morris expected. Mills' crazy sack of Drake Maye (and O-lineman Jerod Wilson) in the Super Bowl probably has something to do with that, too.
As before, there are a lot of Seahawks I could have mentioned, but neither I nor any 12s want to go all War and Peace this early in the season. If ever. On to Week 3 and victory in Landover. Man, doesn't anyone actually play in their home city besides the Seahawks?
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