3 Things We Learned From the Seattle Seahawks After Week 4
After a difficult Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks have bounced back nicely and strung off three straight wins.
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1. Seahawks’ Run Game and Offensive Line are Big Strengths
Heading into their Week 4 clash with the New York Giants, there was speculation that running the football might be a challenge for the Seahawks, who were missing two starting tackles in this matchup. Things went from bad to worse on Monday, which saw the Seahawks lose a pair of starting guards to injury. This certainly wasn’t an ideal situation for the Seahawks, who also saw starting quarterback Geno Smith leave the game to injury in favor of Drew Lock.
The Seahawks’ offensive line kept Lock on his feet for the most part and continued running the ball at an effective clip. Kenneth Walker III finished with 17 rushes for 79 yards and a touchdown, averaging a solid 4.65 yards per carry. Credit to Seattle’s offensive line coach, Andy Dickerson, who had his entire group ready to play.
2. Devon Witherspoon Broke out as a Potential Star
It would be hard to argue that Devon Witherspoon wasn’t the most noticeable player on the football field for either team on Monday night. The Seahawks faced some backlash after selecting Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, especially with a potential phenom like Jalen Carter still on the board.
With the Giants in the red zone and driving, quarterback Daniel Jones was picked off by Witherspoon and taken to the house for a 97-yard pick-six. Witherspoon was everywhere on Monday night, finishing with seven tackles, three quarterback hits, two sacks, and two tackles for a loss. There will be ups and downs during his rookie year, but Witherspoon demonstrated on Monday night that he certainly has the potential to live up to his high draft status.
3. The Defense is Improved
The Seahawks were not a good defensive team last season, and their offense ultimately helped overshadow that to lead them back to the postseason. There were undoubtedly some question marks about this group after they were torched in Week 1 by the Rams. The point totals allowed were still high against the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers. However, we’ve still seen some noticeable improvements from this group on that side of the ball, and they should become even more prominent with better health.
Jamal Adams returned to action in Week 4 but left after nine snaps due to a concussion. Those injuries are tricky to deal with, but if you watched the veteran on the sidelines, you know he wanted to be back in the game. Bobby Wagner is still playing at a high level and finished Monday night’s tilt with 17 tackles and two sacks. Mix in these quality veterans with young talent like Witherspoon, and you have a defense that can continue getting stronger as the regular season progresses. Seattle finished Week 4 with eleven sacks, which had them first on the week.
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