Field Gulls
The legend of Mike Macdonald’s road warrior Seattle Seahawks continues to grow. Coming off a heartbreaking loss at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks went into Jacksonville and responded again after a home loss with a big bounce back victory over one of the early darlings of the NFL season.
With the win, the Seahawks move to 4-2, with a 3-0 record on the road, and are now 10-1 under Macdonald when on the road. The home/road splits are frustrating, but this level of road dominance is astonishing, and really should allow Seahawks fans to dream big and have hope, if Seattle goes on the road in the playoffs.
It was a big win and a big week for the NFC West and the NFC as a whole, let’s break it down.
Before Sunday’s game, Trevor Lawrence had upped his level of play under Liam Coen, while only being sacked six times. Against the Seahawks, Lawrence was sacked seven times, and if not for his impressive playmaking, it could’ve been a lot worse.
On Sunday, the defensive line won the game, putting up a historic effort to swallow up the Jags. Down Derick Hall still, but gaining back DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle got the seven sacks and a franchise record 17 QB hits. They remarkably pressured Lawrence on half of his drop backs. It was a truly impressive performance that carried a defense that was down four starters on that side of the ball.
Hats off to Mike Macdonald and Aden Durde for responding to the ass kicking that the Bucs delivered to their defense a week ago. Their mangled up secondary gave up some plays, but it held up enough while the front seven took over.
I believe that NFL success is about talent accumulation and development of your youth. The draft, the trade market, and choosing the correct players to invest in when it comes to free agency, are usually what decides who are the Philadelphia Eagles of the world and who are the Miami Dolphins.
The Seattle Seahawks continue a strong and positive trend since the Russell Wilson trade, of accumulating talent. GM’s will tell you that they are trying to get their hands on as many red chips as possible. Red means plus starters that may see the occasional pro bowl. If you accumulate enough of those guys, you may luck yourself into a few blue chip players, who are the true All-Pro talents that make the difference between making the playoffs and truly competing for a championship.
The Seahawks have a strong roster full of red chips, but through six games, I think they are starting to see some chips turn blue.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has elevated his game to a level none of us thought was even remotely possible. He’s on pace to have a historic season, and has fully arrived in the camp of top seven...
