Hey, the Seattle Seahawks got a win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Was it borderline insurmountable because of all the penalties, punts and near collapse of a 27-6 lead to a 30-23 score? Yeah. Is it still a victory? Yes it is. Since the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers both won, it was pretty important for the Seahawks to stay ahead of the Rams and not lose touch with San Francisco before the big showdown in Week 5.
Let’s move on to the winners and losers while this game is still burned into my brain.
Emanuel Wilson’s first start is one of his best performances in the NFL
If I could give a ball to anyone on the Seahawks offense, it’s Emanuel Wilson. He had 81 hard-earned yards on 21 carries, his first Seahawks rushing TD, and he completed a 23-yard (!) screen pass to the house. Over 100 yards from scrimmage for Wilson on a day when Seattle’s offense was far from sharp. He’s not fast or particularly good at lateral quickness, but he runs hard and can play contact well when he gets downhill.
Rashid Shaheed makes the most of his limited touches
Only three touches on offense for Shaheed, but one was a 28-yard touchdown, another was a five-yard run on a 1st-and-10, and his only reception was a 20-yard catch. Given his slow start to the season, he showed up in a major way even on a low volume of offensive plays. I thought he was also about to break up a big punt return.
Tory Horton is back in the end zone
How about a touchdown for the first time since last year’s Commanders game? It was Horton’s only catch and target, but it was a soft slant on a Sam Darnold check at the line of scrimmage. Hopefully we’ll see more of Horton on offense as the weeks go on.
Uchenna Nwosu saves the day
There was a real chance the Seahawks could have given up a tying touchdown, or even a game-winning touchdown on that final drive. Uchenna Nwosu closed the show by haunting his old team, sacking Justin Herbert and sealing the victory. Nwosu has played well throughout the season and now has the sack to show for it, and he’s as good as it gets when it comes to getting the edge in the running game.
I would walk through walls for Ernest Jones IV
Ernest had a sack and an interception, and there’s a chance he finishes this weekend as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for a phenomenal performance. The Seahawks’ defense (when they weren’t flagged) stifled the Chargers’ offense, and Jones played a big role in that stifling. He is one of the leaders of the team and is a premier inside linebacker.
Drake Thomas bounces
Last week wasn’t one of Thomas’ best days at the office. He started this game with an interception on the first play from scrimmage and made a TFL on a screen pass. Thomas is just a simple linebacker and is extremely fun to watch.
Nick Emmanwori looked like Nick Emmanwori, but with two bad penalties
E-Man had a normal count and made them count. He collected one sack, one pass defended, nine tackles (with two TFLs) and even generated pressures while lined up as an edge rusher. I’m not happy with the headbutt penalty (more on that later), but otherwise he dominated the Chargers offense.
Connor O’Toole is on site
Derius Davis muffed a punt and O’Toole was there for the recovery (which led to a touchdown). Although he is not part of the defensive rotation, he is a valuable contributor on special teams when active on game days. I won’t hold it against him for the helmet-to-helmet penalty because it was simply wrong.
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Seattle must clean up its penalties
As awful as Scott Novak’s crew was, many of those Seahawks penalties were legitimate. Nick Emmanwori’s headbutt on Cole Strange was a stupid thing to do, especially since the referees were happy with the flag for other penalties earlier in the match. Emmanwori committed a facemask that extended a drive, Devon Witherspoon was flagged for unnecessary roughness, Derick Hall was roughed up on the passer (which I didn’t like, but I think it’s okay by the letter of the law) on 3rd and 24, everything needs to be fixed. Likewise for pre-snap penalties, like Jalen Sundell swinging in his stance before snapping the ball.
The Seahawks are one of the most penalized teams in the league and they were currently their own worst enemy. When they encounter a crew as happy as Novak’s, it’s cause for concern.
Brian Fleury needs to understand a few things
Seattle’s offensive coordinator has been put in a difficult situation with injuries at key positions. The Seahawks’ passing game on third down isn’t consistent enough to threaten teams, and if Seattle wants to continue falling into oblivion, it needs to identify and find better blitz beaters. Furthermore, they are not equipped to make the most of obvious temporary situations.
Plus, too many drives end because of second-and-long runs that go nowhere, and he has to figure out which plays are best for Emanuel Wilson versus George Holani. The latter should never be the short-yardage option, and certainly not on the weaker side of the line.
On the plus side, Fleury fixed the screen play that seemed like an impossible task. That’s a big plus for the first-year playcaller.
Enough of the Christian Haynes/Beau Stephens rotation
If Christian Haynes can’t be trusted to handle a full action game, I don’t know what to say. Your backup agent can’t enter into a time-sharing agreement because you want to give Beau Stephens entry-level reps in situations without unnecessary time. Haynes is doing well and, as I recall, has not yet let go of the pressure. Start Haynes until Anthony Bradford returns. End of story. There was a series where Stephens worked on multiple pieces, and I’m just exasperated that we’re still doing that.
More inconsistencies on special teams
Jason Myers missed an extra point, missed a field goal (and got a second life thanks to a Chargers penalty) and had another kickoff short of the touchdown zone. Coverage continues to be an issue on kickoffs, although at least they took advantage of Derius Davis’ muffed punt. Something isn’t working consistently with this ST unit and it needs to tighten up.
George Holani is a good “anything but running the ball” running back
I’ve talked a lot about Holani because John Schneider made glowing comments about him in the offseason after Kenneth Walker left. There has even been some unnecessary chatter among fans that George might have a significant workload. Holani is generally a very good pass-protecting back, a good special teams player who can return kicks, and a quality receiver. When he actually has to run the ball, he’s very limited because he’s not quick, doesn’t make many tackles, and can’t push the stakes. Holani had 7 carries for 18 yards and now has 153 career rushing yards on 47 attempts. Its longest range to date is still 9 meters. These are rear numbers.
When Zach Charbonnet returns, it should be Emanuel Wilson and Charbonnet sharing touches and Holani only for the more situational shots (obvious third down pass, maybe two-minute drills, etc.). Hopefully Zach will be back sooner rather than later.
A rare day off for AJ Barner
Not one, but two drops for Seattle’s normally safe tight ends. Three targets, one capture, two drops. Speaking of tight ends, what’s going on with Elijah Arroyo? Will he ever get seriously involved in this offense? Eric Saubert has more targets than him!
Sam Darnold was far from his best
The interception on the opening play was crude and inexplicable. Darnold kind of settled down the rest of the game and threw a few touchdowns, but he was almost picked off later in the game and seemed a little fidgety in the pocket. No, he won’t be benched for Drew Lock like I’ve seen suggested/recommended/considered. I guess after a year’s reprieve, we’re back to what has been nearly half a decade of turnovers leading to cries for the replacement to play.
Something still isn’t really right with Darnold on an individual basis, so he’s neither a winner nor a loser, but he has had a few iffy moments that merit closer inspection over the next few weeks.
Is the run defense starting to crack a little?
Seattle’s run defense was outstanding for nearly two full years under Coach Macdonald, but the Chargers had several successful running plays from their running backs. Kimani Vidal, Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell collectively totaled over 100 yards on 25 attempts, although no backs broke. The run defense is still great, but I wonder if a better offense is about to break the barrage.
- Byron Murphy II destroyed Trevor Penning for his first sack of the year. What a complete mismatch, even on paper. It’s Mike Tyson versus the uncompetitive levels of Marvis Frazier.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba was “quiet.” And by that, I mean he still led the team with five catches for 76 yards. There were plays in which he was open and Darnold didn’t see him or had pressure on his face and couldn’t reach him in the progression.
- Fortunately, Leonard Williams appears to be fine. That doesn’t mean “play next week,” but if it’s not a long-term injury, it’s good news.
- Scott Novak’s crew must be away from Seahawks games. Enough said.
- The Seahawks need to clean things up or they’ll be in trouble next month. Home vs. 49ers, at Broncos on a short week, home vs. Chiefs 4-0 and Bears 3-1 (with Caleb Williams likely back). From what I’ve seen in the first month, Seattle would do well to split these games. Denver actually appears to be the more favorable matchup given that the Broncos offense has struggled, but Seattle’s offense has been hot and cold and the penalties in all three phases are concerning. Seattle hasn’t played its best football yet, so if there’s ever a time to do it, it’s now.
Gn sports
