Hey, the Seattle Seahawks won against the Los Angeles Chargers. Was it borderline unwatchable because of all the penalties, punts, and near collapse from a 27-6 lead to a 30-23 score? Yes. Is it still a win? Yes indeed. With the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers both winning, it’s pretty important for the Seahawks to stay ahead of the Rams and not lose touch with San Francisco before the big Week 5 showdown.
Let’s get to Winners and Losers while this game is still etched in my brain.
Emanuel Wilson’s first start was one of his best performances in the NFL
If I could give the game ball to anyone on the Seahawks offense, it would be Emanuel Wilson. He had 81 hard-earned yards on 21 carries, his first Seahawks rushing TD, and he took a 23-yard screen pass (!) to the house. More than 100 scrimmage yards for Wilson on a day when Seattle’s offense was far from crisp. He’s not fast or particularly good with lateral quickness, but he runs hard and plays well through contact when he drops.
Rashid Shaheed made the most of his limited touches
Only three touches on offense for Shaheed, but one was a 28-yard touchdown run, another was a five-yard carry on a 1st and 10, and his lone reception was a 20-yard catch. Because of his slow start to the season, he showed up in a major way even in a low volume of offensive games. I thought he was about to break a big punt return, too.
Tory Horton returns to the end zone
How about a touchdown for the first time since the Commanders game last year? It was Horton’s only catch and only target, but it was a slick slant on a Sam Darnold check at the line of scrimmage. Hopefully we’ll see more of Horton on offense as the weeks progress.
Uchenna Nwosu saves the day
There was a real chance the Seahawks could have given up a tying touchdown, if not a winning touchdown on that final drive. Uchenna Nwosu closed the show by haunting his former team, stripping Justin Herbert and sealing the win. Nwosu has played well all season and now has the sack to show for it, and he’s just as good when it comes to edge-setting in the run game.
I’ll walk through walls for Ernest Jones IV
Ernest had a sack and an interception, and there’s a chance he could finish this weekend as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for an impressive performance. The Seahawks defense (when they aren’t getting flagged) has held the Chargers offense in check, and Jones has been a big part of that stop. He is one of the leaders on the team and is a premier inside linebacker.
Drake Thomas bounce back
Last week was not one of Thomas’ better days at the office. He started this game with an interception on the first play from scrimmage, and had a TFL on a screen pass. Thomas is just a fireplug of a linebacker and a lot of fun to watch.
Nick Emmanwori looks like Nick Emmanwori, albeit with two bad penalties
E-Man has a normal snap count and makes them count. He picked up one sack, one pass defense, nine tackles (with two TFLs), and even generated pressures while lined up as an edge rusher. I wasn’t happy with the headbutt penalty (more on that later) but otherwise he was dominant against the Chargers offense.
Connor O’Toole is in place
Derius Davis blocked a punt, and O’Toole was there for the recovery (which led to a touchdown). Although he is not part of the defensive rotation, he is a valuable special teams contributor when active on game days. I won’t hold the helmet-to-helmet penalty against him because that’s just bogus.
Join the Field Gulls on game day!
Stay on top of every Seahawks update and debate every snap with other members of the 12s. Game day discussion is more streamlined on the SB Nation app.
- Fewer ads
- Easily jump between conversations
- Comment and post faster
Seattle needs to clean up its penalties
As terrible as Scott Novak’s staff was, many of the penalties on the Seahawks were legit. Nick Emmanwori’s headbutt penalty on Cole Strange was a stupid one, especially given how happy the refs were for other penalties early in the game. Emmanwori took a face mask that extended the drive, Devon Witherspoon was flagged for unnecessary roughness, Derick Hall had a pass roughing (which I didn’t like, but I think was correct by the letter of the law) on 3rd and 24, it all needs to be fixed. Also for pre-snap penalties like Jalen Sundell knocking his stance before snapping the ball.
The Seahawks are one of the league’s most penalized teams and are their own worst opponent right now. When they find a crew as happy as Novak’s flag, it should be remembered.
Brian Fleury needs to know a few things
Seattle’s offensive coordinator has been put in a tough spot with injuries at key positions. The Seahawks’ third-down passing game isn’t consistent enough to threaten teams, and if Seattle is going to continue to get overlooked, it needs to identify and find better blitz beaters. Otherwise they are not equipped to come out on the positive side of clear passing situations.
Additionally, too many drives end because of 2nd and long runs, and he needs to figure out what plays are better to run for Emanuel Wilson versus George Holani. The latter should never be a short-yardage option, and certainly not on the weaker side of the line.
On the plus side, Fleury fixed the screen game that looked like an impossible task. That’s a big plus for the first-year playcaller.
Enough of the Christian Haynes/Beau Stephens rotation
If Christian Haynes can’t be trusted to handle a full game of action, I don’t know what to say. Your backup guard can’t be on a time-share deal because you want to give rookie Beau Stephens reps in non-garbage time situations. Haynes did well and as far as I can remember didn’t give in to the pressure. Start Haynes until Anthony Bradford returns. End of story. There was a series where Stephens worked a lot of run plays, and I just hate that we’re still doing it.
More inconsistency by special teams
Jason Myers missed the extra point, missed a field goal (and was given a second life thanks to a Chargers penalty), and had another kickoff short of the landing zone. Coverage continues to be an issue on kickoffs, although they somehow took advantage of Derius Davis’ weak punt. Something is not clicking with this ST unit on a consistent basis and it needs tightening.
George Holani is a great “everything but running the ball” running back
I harped on Holani a lot because John Schneider made glowing comments about him in the offseason after Kenneth Walker left. There was even some idle chat with fans that George might get a big workload. Holani is generally a very good pass-protecting back, a good special teams player who can return kicks, and a quality receiving back. When he does have to run the ball, he’s limited because he’s not quick, doesn’t break many tackles, and can’t push in piles. Holani had 7 carries for 18 yards and now has 153 career rushing yards on 47 attempts. His longest carry to date is still 9 yards. These are fullback numbers.
When Zach Charbonnet returns, it should be Emanuel Wilson and Charbonnet splitting the handles and only Holani for the most situational snaps (third-and-obvious passes, maybe two-minute drills, etc.). Hopefully Zach is back sooner rather than later.
A rare day off for AJ Barner
Not one, but two drops for Seattle’s usually sure-handed tight end. Three targets, one catch, two drops. Speaking of tight ends, which is up with Elijah Arroyo? Is he seriously involved in this sin? Eric Saubert has more targets than him!
Sam Darnold is nowhere near his best
The opening play interception was terrible and inexplicable. Darnold settled down the rest of the way and threw a couple of touchdowns, but he almost got picked off again later in the game and seemed a little sloppy in the pocket. No, he’s not getting benched for Drew Lock as I’ve seen suggested/recommended/considered. I think after a one-year layoff, we’re back to almost half a decade of turnovers resulting in cries for backups to play.
Something hasn’t quite clicked with Darnold on a per-down basis, so he’s neither Winner nor Loser, but he’s had some bad moments worth closer scrutiny over the next few weeks.
Is the run defense just starting to crack?
Seattle’s run defense has been exceptional for nearly two full years under Coach Macdonald, but the Chargers have had some successful run plays from their running backs. Kimani Vidal, Omarion Hampton, and Keaton Mitchell combined for more than 100 yards on 25 attempts, though without a back break out. The run defense is still good, but I wonder if a better offense is poised to break the dam.
- Byron Murphy II breaks Trevor Penning for his first sack of the year. A total mismatch on paper. That’s Mike Tyson vs. Marvis Frazier level non-competitiveness.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba is “quiet.” And by that, I mean he still led the team with five catches for 76 yards. There were plays where he was open and Darnold either didn’t see him or had pressure on his face and he couldn’t come close to progressing.
- Fortunately, Leonard Williams appears to be doing okay. That doesn’t mean “play next week” okay but if it’s not a long term injury that’s good news.
- Scott Novak’s crew needs to stay away from Seahawks games. Enough said.
- The Seahawks need to clean things up or they will be in trouble next month. Home vs. 49ers, at Broncos on a short week, home vs. 4-0 Chiefs and 3-1 Bears (with Caleb Williams presumably back). From what I’ve seen in the first month, Seattle would do well to split these games. Denver actually looks like the most favorable game given the Broncos’ offense has struggled, but Seattle’s offense has been hot and cold and penalties in all three phases are a concern. Seattle hasn’t played anywhere near its best football, so if there’s ever a time to do it, it’s now.