Winners and Losers from Seahawks 27, Giants 13

The Seattle Seahawks are going into November not just with a winning record, but first place in the not so vaunted looking NFC West. This team was projected at either five or six wins and they’ve got five already. If last year felt like pulling teeth and an aggressively tedious team to watch, the 2022 Seahawks have pulled a 180 and are consistently producing excitement.

It’s time for Winners and Losers after Sunday’s 27-13 win over the New York Giants. There aren’t too many losers on this list!

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Winners

Geno Smith

The statline looks good without being extraordinary: 23/34 for 212 yards and 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Smith was much better than the box score indicated, and he was a lot closer to roughly 300 yards and a trio of TDs as opposed to what he actually got.

One of the knocks on Smith was that he hadn’t led a game-winning drive in a clutch situation. Well what do you have to say now? With the score tied at 13-13, Smith went 5/5 for 75 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to Tyler Lockett. Wanna move the goalposts to having it be when the team is trailing? And in the final two minutes? Fine.

It’s no secret I wasn’t optimistic that Geno would play at even an average level. The dude is playing great football and I’m not going to move the goalposts and put qualifiers in there as a means of trying to defend my initial opinion. I was wrong about Geno. Way wrong. And he’s showing himself to be a damn good team leader, too.

Pete Carroll

I said my piece last week about him as the personnel guy, so I’ll focus on the coach. Did you fear a pointlessly run-heavy offense the moment Russell Wilson got traded? Well Seattle is one of the most pass-heavy teams in the NFL. And surely if Wilson was gone, a notoriously conservative head coach wouldn’t dare trust Geno Smith in “go for it” situations on 4th down. Today Carroll went for it on 4th and 1 and 4th and 2 and Seattle converted both times in passing situations.

There have been rightful gripes about Pete’s in-game decisions and bad challenges and bad 4th down decisions, but he’s also not as inflexible as he may seem. It may be time to re-evaluate the “horny for the run game” narrative he’s earned because 2018 is really the only year where it was really absurd. In the early years of Russell Wilson I think it was more than justified because Wilson was also a major part of the run game. Besides that? When he’s wanted to pass, he’s passed the ball.

I’ll take the L on this front, too. Pete’s still got it. The game hasn’t passed him by.

DK Metcalf

I was not exactly thrilled with the idea of DK playing given his injury, but he answered the call and had 6 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. His best play was arguably that 3rd and 14 conversion that led to the game’s opening TD. It’s still frustrating watching Metcalf’s inconsistent hands and his troubles with contested passes but he’s still clearly a net positive for this offense.

Fourth Quarter Kenneth

Kenneth Walker has five touchdowns. Four of them are in the fourth quarter, hence “Fourth Quarter Kenneth” on a day when he was largely bottled up.

Will Dissly

He’s normally here for his pass-catching but today it’s for special teams. Uncle Will forced Richie James Jr to fumble in the 1st half, then recovered a fumble in the 2nd half. That alone might make him special teams player of the week.

Travis Homer

Back on the field and look what he does! First big play was his 21-yard catch-and-run that set up a field goal in the 3rd quarter, then his game-clincher (in effect) was the forced fumble on Richie James Jr.

Jason Myers

Another week without a missed kick, and you know it’s his year when he can have a field goal tipped and still go through the uprights. Points were at a premium so it’s huge that he delivered again.

Defensive Line

The Giants OL might have missed two starters but holding Saquon Barkley to just 53 yards on 20 carries is a big deal. They also sacked Daniel Jones five times and that’s without a whole lot of blitzing, so Clint Hurtt’s defense is rapidly getting it together. The defensive turnaround has been superb.

L.J. Collier

He had a QB hit and a pass defensed! He lives!

Uchenna Nwosu

It’s not just the two sacks from Nwosu, it’s the ability to cover Saquon Barkley down the field and help out in pursuing Barkley on running plays. Nwosu has been a brilliant signing and now he leads the team with five sacks, all while being more impactful beyond just his sack stats.

BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE

He gave us everything from multiple pressures (that should’ve been sacks!) to a huge -8 yard TFL by shoving Daniel Jones into Saquon Barkley, to an offsides penalty! I’m enjoying this reunion.

Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton (!!!)

Brooks has been balling but a shoutout to Barton for a hustle sack and a pass defensed (okay it’s a dropped interception but it was 4th down so it was better not to catch it).

Ryan Neal

Thankfully he was just dealing with cramps so he’s fine. Neal has been terrific since taking over from Josh Jones and I believe he’s been very instrumental in the Seahawks’ improved defense over the past three weeks.

Boye Mafe

The rookie got a sack before halftime and continues to be very good against the run. Mafe’s main goal is to get after the QB and I think in due time we will see his sack total rise.

Shelby Harris

How huge was that tackle of Jones when the score was 20-13? Harris’ motor is awesome and he is everything I remember him being in Denver.

Michael Jackson

I’m gonna leave Tariq Woolen aside for a week and praise Michael Jackson, who’s really picked up his tackling in recent weeks and has been flying to the ball to break passes up. He led all Seahawks players with three passes defensed, and the only thing that upset me was that he didn’t get a turnover or a touchdown. The Halloween/Thriller content writes itself! Oh well, at least Kenneth Walker III did the Thriller celebration.

Losers

Tyler Lockett

Okay so this is interesting because I can easily make Lockett a winner for the go-ahead touchdown as a moment of redemption for someone who has seldom had a bad game in his career. I’ve sadly still gotta put him as a Loser because the game probably isn’t that close without the lost fumble — Lockett had never lost a fumble on offense prior to today — and the dropped touchdown in the 3rd quarter. We don’t often see Lockett have that sort of afternoon but those were agonizing moments at the time, and I’m glad he came through in the end.

Run Blocking

A tough task for the Seahawks offensive line as running holes were scarce. Austin Blythe is banged up but it’s clear Gabe Jackson is struggling out there. I’m not sure there needs to be a rotation of Jackson and Phil Haynes when they could just as easily just start Haynes and play him every snap.

Ball Security

That’s seven lost fumbles for the Seahawks this year, which is tied with the Saints for most in the NFL. Gotta get that fixed!

Jerome Boger

The Mariners?! Really?! They didn’t deserve to catch a stray.

Final Notes

• Marquise Goodwin dropped a touchdown but he still contributed with 4 catches for 33 yards, and most importantly he’s a viable YAC option.
• Dee Eskridge had as many catches as penalties. He had one catch (which was a pop pass that’s essentially a run). In year two his best attribute can’t be blocking.
• A shovel pass worked! Shane Waldron really is a miracle worker. I rescind all my criticisms of him.
• Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez are an enjoyable pair to listen to. It’s good to have an NFL broadcast crew that isn’t agonizingly bad! Sanchez may be the butt of jokes for his playing career but he’s enjoyable and knowledgeable on the mic without being overbearing.
• Only three accepted penalties against the Seahawks! That’s a welcome change after the sloppy flags and some ticky-tack stuff we’ve seen throughout the season.
• The Cardinals rematch is going to be a lot tougher than the first game. Not just because it’s at that cursed stadium but because DeAndre Hopkins is back. The receivers that the Seahawks have played over the past three weeks have uh... well they’re not scaring anyone. Hopkins is elite and Rondale Moore is dangerous in the open field. If Seattle wins this and they sweep Arizona (effectively sending the Cards out of the NFC West chase), it’s hard not to get giddy about what this team can do. Isn’t this so much better than tanking and trotting out an unwatchable product?