Jamal Adams had his best game as a Seahawk

Jamal Adams is a lightning rod of criticism, brought on by his play, character, and style of communication.

Even in that sentence, some will assume all three traits are negative, and that the negative attention he receives is justified. Others feel differently, as do the numbers from Week 10.

For Jamal Adams just had his best game as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Our dear Ken Norton Former Scapegoat Jr. himself has been keeping Adams much further from the line of scrimmage for most of the year. It’s taken some getting used to, both for the defense and the fans.

However, Adams has begun to have his best season in coverage, and it’s getting better each week.

Adams put up a passer rating when targeted of 31.9, the third best of his career, best as a Seahawks.

Week 10 Coverage Stats:

• 20 yards total on 4/6 completions
• 3.3 yards per target
• Average depth of target was 10.8, which is impressive. That’s farther downfield Adams has been targeted than 15 other games in Seattle.
• 0 missed tackles, the 12th time he’s done that here
• His first Seahawk interception

Additionally, on only three blitzes Adams got a pressure and a QB knockdown.

That might be the bigger truth that makes this interesting going forward. While some people are clamoring for Seattle to tear it all down (I’m not, more later), Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs make an intriguing core of this team’s future.

Both Pro Bowl safeties, the Seahawks have on paper among the NFL’s best safety tandem, probably the best. However, this difference between Adams the blitzing “safety” and the one that can truly play two-high alongside Diggs is important.

In the first six games of last year, Adams blitzed 11, 10, 10, 11, 9, and 12 times. This season, he’s yet to blitz more than seven times.

The pass rush this year has not been what it needs to be. Carlos Dunlap has been invisible and Kerry Hyder hasn’t been consistent. Darrell Taylor is great but is often alone. Instead of “full-send Jamal” like 2020, Ken Norton Jr. has taken a different approach, and it’s generally working.

Adams is now here through 2025. Tre Brown through 2024. Quandre Diggs was not extended but he absolutely should be. D.J. Reed will also be a free agent at the end of the year, and appears to be quite respectable so long as he plays the right side.

Seattle will have a linebacker question eventually, and a bunch of defensive line questions immediately, but Adams’ best game against the NFL’s 7th best offense (DVOA) gives the Seahawks the opportunity to build around its secondary.