Field Gulls
Win by any means necessary, and the Seattle Seahawks did just that.
Seattle’s defensive front was tremendous, the offense hit enough explosives in the passing game, and the Seahawks did benefit from some wayward Trevor Lawrence throws, horrible special teams, and some bad drops by Jacksonville Jaguars receivers. The end result is a 20-12 win that means so much given the tightness of the NFC West race.
Last week they lost a classic, this week they won a slog. It doesn’t matter how you win; this ain’t college football. It’s time for Winners and Losers, which is a lot more cheerful even if the game was a bit of a snoozer.
Mike Macdonald
For the second time this season, Macdonald entered a 10 am road game with significant injuries (particularly in the secondary), and on both occasions the Seahawks defense stepped up. They held the Pittsburgh Steelers to 17 points without Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori, and now they’ve shut the Jacksonville Jaguars down for 12 points without Julian Love, Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Derick Hall. Were there iffy moments in the secondary? Absolutely, but it’s to be expected. Pretending Ty Okada and practice squad era Shaquill Griffin can operate the defense as effectively as the starters is a foolish thought.
What we did see from Macdonald was more blitzing without going overboard, and even without blitzing the Seahawks still recorded seven sacks and a staggering 17 quarterback hits. For context:
Macdonald had a rough time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but with a week to prepare for injuries to hit in the front and back, he coached a defensive masterclass. And unlike the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Buccaneers games, the defense did not relinquish the lead late.
Byron Murphy II
What a dominant performance by the second-year player. He leads the team in sacks with 4.5 and set the tone early with a hustle sack of Lawrence on the game’s opening play. This is exactly what we wanted to see after not having a standout rookie season.
DeMarcus Lawrence
What a return! He missed the Buccaneers game but took over against the Jaguars, providing his usual run-stopping prowess while also recording his first two sacks as a Seahawk. Seattle’s Lawrence proved to be superior to Jacksonville’s Lawrence, and this was a massive performance especially given Derick Hall’s absence.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Amazing. Simply amazing. Another eight catches for 161 yards and a career-long 61-yard touchdown. He just knows how to get open at a level I’ve only consistently seen from Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett over the last 15 years of Seahawks football. This is not just an amazing start to the season, it’s the kind of start that makes you wonder if JSN could eventually start challenging Steve Largent’s all-time franchise records many years down the road. I cannot wait to see JSN against that elite Houston Texans secondary, led by Derek Stingley Jr and Jalen Pitre.
The passing offense without him most likely...
