The Seattle Seahawks are in a must-win situation now. That's not just for this week, but for the remainder of the season. As always, it's time to ask: Who do you trust?
The loss to the Bears opened a lot of eyes in Seattle. Hopefully, none more so than the eyes of Seattle's coaching staff. Unlike the previous losses this season, this was simply a beatdown by a better team. I'm not saying Chicago is absolutely better, but they were on Monday night.
The Seahawks have to play better in all phases when they face division rival Arizona this week. Normally, I'd refer to the Cardinals as their little brothers, but it's hard to feel that same energy after such a bad loss. With all the injuries Seattle is battling, that doesn't make it any easier. One thing I do trust: we'll see a better effort all around in Week 9.
- 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
Let's be real, 12s: this guy is never going to drop from the alphas. He had his third-fewest catches and yards of the season last week, and still had over 100 yards and a score. That was nearly 70 percent of the Seahawks' yards through the air. I'm sure he obeys traffic signals, but other than that, JSN really is unstoppable.
Byron Murphy II, DT
Speaking of unstoppable, that's exactly how opposing offensive line coaches view Murphy. It isn't true that, for Murphy, "DT" stands for Double-Teamed. In fact, he hasn't been double-teamed as much this season as previously, and opponents are paying for that. He is the team's co-leader in sacks with three and is either first or second in pressures, depending on the source. Yes, football is weird.
Leonard Williams, DT
The Big Cat is the guy who may be the team leader, depending on the source (Pro Football Reference or Pro Football Focus, a subscription service). Williams also has three sacks and leads the Seahawks in quarterback hits with ten. Unfortunately, he's now been ruled out for Week 9. We'll have to wait for Week 10, but there is zero doubt about his talent or performance.
The mainstays
Jarran Reed, DT
The 37-year vet (it seems like it, right?) has been Seattle's main man at nose tackle this season. He's the guy who's been eating those double teams more than anyone else this year, but he's still been a beast on the line. Per John Boyle on seahawks.com, Reed leads the league in pressures when double-teamed since 2018. That's at nose tackle, and for the record, this is Reed's 11th season.
The fast risers
Drew Lock, QB
So maybe there was a reason for Sam Darnold to be off his game against the Bears after all. Has to be fun to play with a cracked rib for three hours, right? As for Lock, he's been here before, literally, as he had a great game versus Arizona in Week 2. Can he throw for three scores again? Let's see...the Cardinals have a terrible pass defense, and JSN is playing. Let's just hope Lock is healthy.
The proving ground
Grey Zabel, G
As debuts go, that was rough. Per Pro Football Focus, he was only charged with three pressures, but they also graded him at 13.2 (out of 100) in pass protection; he wasn't exactly Steve Hutchinson. But let's give him some grace. He hadn't played right guard since college, and he had Jeffrey Simmons, one of the league's best, lined up on him all day. He'll be back at left guard this week.
The slipping grip
Sam Darnold, QB
Many 12s would place Darnold here even if he wasn't out with injuries this week. In fact, there could have been more if he were playing. If Lock plays well, the calls for Darnold to be benched will be louder than ever. Injuries or not, he has to get it together whenever he next gets on the field.
The afterthoughts
Jalen Milroe, QB
As of game time Sunday, it will have been 399 days since Milroe took a snap in a regular-season game. For that matter, he has never attempted a pass in the regular season, either. I still like the guy, but if he has to play this week, the Seahawks will find out if he was worth that third-round pick.
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