Field Gulls
So much for that being a trap game. After I spent the whole week telling anyone that would listen how nervous I was about playing a feisty team with a backup quarterback at home (PTSD, anyone?), the Seattle Seahawks brought down the hammer, again.
With eight and a half minutes left in the second quarter, Seattle was up 35-0, and was once again doing what no fan thought was realistic this season. Sure, making the playoffs, maybe a division title, felt like it was on the table. This version of the Seahawks, this is something beyond most fans’ realistic expectations.
In a 44-22 win, Seattle once again looked like the best team in the NFL, as they continue to physically overwhelm teams with their defense, while their offense continues to roll. If not for the rash of inexplicable turnovers, this game may have been 60-10.
As Seattle moves on, and prepares for the ultimate test, we break down the win and what is to come.
Despite the Cardinals getting to 22 points, you can make a case that this was one of the better defensive performances of the season.
The Cardinals had come into Seattle after a big road win on Monday Night Football in Dallas, having found success with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. After 16 minutes, the Seahawks had jumped out to a 28-0 lead that included two sack fumbles for touchdowns (Tyrice Knight and Tank Lawrence déjà vu).
As a whole, the Seahawks had the two massive turnovers, but also sacked Brissett five times, forced the Cardinals to go just 6/16 on third down, and turned Arizona away three separate times in the red zone on fourth down. If not for the silly Seahawks turnovers, the Cardinals would’ve truly struggled to get more than a single score in this game, but the defense held up multiple times when they shouldn’t have had to.
The pass rush was as consistent as ever, with Boye Mafe (should’ve been Derick Hall, as well) getting his first sack of the year. Drake Thomas called out without Ernest Jones, Ty Okada continues to perform at a plus starter level.
Speaking of the secondary, Riq Woolen had one of the best games of his career on Sunday, showing the elite athleticism that will make him a very rich man in March. Despite all the great plays and wow moments like from Knight and Lawrence, the biggest star for me was rookie Nick Emmanwori.
Emmanwori on the day had nine total tackles, half a sack, and four passes defended. He’s a complete physical matchup problem for the opposing offenses. He was fantastic again in run defense, was absolutely elite in pass coverage minus the one play where he slipped against McBride. It feels like Mike Macdonald has his queen of the chess board, and as each week goes, he’ll continue to use him in ways that are just going to really mess up opposing...
