Field Gulls
Coming off a frustrating defeat last week against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks took a trip back east and took care of business in a 30-24 victory over hapless Tennessee Titans.
While the score doesn’t exactly tell the whole story of the game, it was a more competitive game than most fans would have thought, which was indicative of how the entire NFL felt on Sunday.
Sitting at 8-3, this is the best record the Seahawks have had after 11 games since the 2020 Seattle Seahawks. As Seattle continues a three game stretch against some brutal teams, we break down Sunday’s win and what it means going forward.
So I had a business trip this week, where I went down to Florida. On the long flight back, I chose to rewatch one of my favorite movies ever, Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
In the movie, George Clooney flawlessly voices Mr. Fox, who despite hilariously ridiculous lengths the local farmers go to catching this thief, he just toys with them and can take whatever he wants. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the fantastic Mr. Fox. On Sunday, JSN toyed with Tennessee, scoring two touchdowns on eight catches for 167 yards. His 1,313 receiving yards is a new franchise record in a season…in 11 games!
JSN is marching toward history, he will set franchise records that may never be touched. He’s dancing with history as he looks to become the first 2,000 yard receiver in NFL history. If not for Jonathan Taylor, it’s possible that the offensive player of the year award would already have Smith-Njigba engraved on it. It’s a special season for the Seahawks, and that starts with one of the best players in all of football, Mr. JSN.
Last Sunday was a disaster for Sam Darnold, there’s no denying that. I do think that Sam was better on Sunday.
The game felt closer to the game plan we have seen from Seattle in nine of their eleven games this season (49ers and Rams). Darnold’s pass attempts were down (16/26) for 244 yards and two scores. His 63-yard touchdown bomb to Smith-Njigba was an absolute thing of beauty.
I thought overall Sam was good. He did a better job at checking down to his easy throws, and was better about middle pressure in the pocket while scrambling and playing to live another down. That being said, Darnold still made a couple of throws that make you close your eyes and look away. He probably should have thrown a pick-six on their first drive and his ability to make touchdown plays in the red zone leave a lot to be desired.
It’s been a great season overall for Sam, minus Los Angeles, but his play and status for the future still needs to be monitored over the final six games of the season.
Giving up 24 points to...
