Field Gulls
What a game. A shame the Seattle Seahawks lost it.
On paper, even with the injuries, the Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers figured to be in a bit of a lower scoring battle in which points would be at a premium. That might have been true in the first half but the second half was a good ol’ fashioned shootout. Unfortunately, a brutal turnover by Sam Darnold led to Tampa Bay’s walk-off field goal to secure a 38-35 victory. They’re easily the most entertaining watch in the NFL if you’ve seen their stupidly dramatic endings.
It’s Winners and Losers time after this 50th anniversary special went south in a hurry.
Klint Kubiak
The awful Jalen Milroe play aside (more on that later), Kubiak had a masterclass in design and playcalling that had a good Buccaneers defense unsure what to do. They put up a season-high 463 yards and an outstanding 6/9 on third down, averaging an astounding 8.6 yards per play. I was curious to see how the Seahawks trailing by two scores would affect how he’d call the game and he didn’t spam run plays or get desperate; that was a super encouraging showing.
Sam Darnold
Sorry, even with the game-turning interception he’s still my top winner. Before that last throw, which was deflected slightly at the line, that was elite quarterback play. He was 28/34 for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns outside of that pick, making great throw after great throw. There is something decidedly sustainable to Darnold’s play and what’s most encouraging is how he performed when Seattle was trailing for a majority of the afternoon. Darnold has the goods and frankly his TD to Tory Horton should’ve been an electrifying game-winner, not what instead happened. If Darnold was any bit lesser this game would’ve been lost by the third quarter.
And yes, if you want me to say it, John Schneider was 110% right to move on from Geno Smith and sign Darnold. He’s managed to move off of the incumbent QB and get value back at the right time twice in a row.
AJ Barner
He may not wow anyone as a future top five tight end in terms of target volume or gaudy numbers, but he does his job so damn well as a receiver that he could go down as one of the better tight ends in Seahawks history. Barner had a career-high seven catches for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Elijah Arroyo may be the exciting new talent on the block but Barner is only in his second season, so it’s not like he’s an elder statesman.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Few QB-to-WR connections are as lethal right now as Darnold to JSN. On what was a great day for JSN and his former college teammate Emeka Egbuka, Seattle’s Ohio State star scored a crucial touchdown at the end of the first half and caught a 53-yard bomb with Antoine Winfield Jr in coverage. He finished the day with...
