Travis Homer, Seattle Seahawks.
It’s over; it’s finally over! The Seattle Seahawks losing streak is over. They beat Jacksonville by 24 points! Sure, the Jags are now 1-6 on the year, plus they have a rookie quarterback and head coach. However, they get paid to go out and get a victory all the same.
This game had some good and bad. Subsequently, more good than bad. There’s always more good than bad when the Seattle Seahawks win. Let’s dive into this week’s takeaways from a victory.
As previously mentioned in the opponent preview, Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner came into Sunday’s game second in the NFL in tackles. All he did in this game was make Jacksonville pay for trying to bring the ball into his area. He finished the game with 14 total tackles, seven of the solo nature.
The Seattle Seahawks’ third-down efficiency was putrid against a less than stellar Jacksonville defense, converting three of ten attempts. Smith is a backup and not Russell Wilson, but an NFL-level quarterback should convert more than 30 percent of the third downs he faces.
Finally! It only took eight tries for the Seattle Seahawks’ top two receivers, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, to have a good game at the SAME TIME! Lockett finally had over 60 yards receiving, for the first time since Week 2! He finished the day with 12 catches, on 13 targets, for 142 scoreless yards.
Another game, another Metcalf highlight; this time, he made an incredible catch, against former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquille Griffin, for a beautiful touchdown. Metcalf had more of a quiet game compared to Lockett. Finishing with six catches, on six targets, for 43 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Don’t get too excited about the Seahawks only giving up seven points. Seattle only managed two combined sacks and turnovers. This Seahawks’ pass rush isn’t elite by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, Jacksonville’s offensive line is worse. So, it’s reasonable to think Seattle could get more than one sack.
Trevor Lawrence was harassed on some throws, and he was hit three times, but they couldn’t bring him down behind the line more than once. Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., and head coach Pete Carroll, didn’t get creative with their defense. That’s a surprise, given their reputation.
They faced a rookie QB who hasn’t seen all of the exotic NFL defenses yet. At the least, they needed to mix up their blitz and coverage packages to confuse Lawrence.
Also, how and why did Jacksonville tight end Dan Arnold roast the Seahawks? With all due respect to Arnold, an athletic tight end (who was never properly utilized in Arizona), he’s not Travis Kelce. However, he did his best to impersonate Kelce by pulling down 8 of 10 targets for 68 yards.
With Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Jordyn Brooks, and Bobby Wagner on Seattle’s defense, it was disappointing to see this kind of result from an opposing tight end. Hopefully, they can fix this issue before upcoming games against Zach Ertz, George Kittle, and Tyler Higbee.
On a positive note, the Seattle Seahawks defense did a good job getting Jacksonville off the field on third down. Jax converted only 5 of their 14 third-down opportunities, which was a big reason why they limited the Jaguars to a lone touchdown. Success in these two areas is huge for a unit that has struggled to get sacks and turnovers.
Geno Smith’s performance while filling in for Russell Wilson has drawn plenty of attention. The chatter is rightfully deserved, and it comes with the job of being an NFL starting quarterback. Up for debate is the quality of his performances.
Some fans say he’s played well for a backup. Others argue to the contrary. Against the Jags, Smith had an efficient game, completing 20 of 24 pass attempts for 195 yards and two TD passes. He also “ran” in another score.
Smith fed his two best offensive weapons Lockett and Metcalf, all game. He also gave a few opportunities to Gerald Everett and Travis Homer. Maybe this week, the coaches finally realized that they couldn’t expect Smith to do Wilson-like things on offense.
Making the offense simpler and easier yielded big dividends. Smith was decisive with his throws and decisions. He still took three sacks for 35 yards, but overall this was his best Seahawks performance to date.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron showed some innovation this week. The trick play was executed well, and it eventually led to Metcalf’s second touchdown on the day.
We might as well end this with some talk about the final scoring play of the game. After Jacksonville got on the board, they tried an onside kick. Much like the last two seasons, it went horribly wrong. The ball popped right up to Travis Homer, who caught it cleanly, split two defenders, and raced for his touchdown. Even the Atlanta Falcons were laughing at Jacksonville.
Here’s to hoping the Seattle Seahawks can keep the wins coming.