Photo Credit: Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
What did we just watch? Seriously, what kind of game was that? The Seattle Seahawks move to 11–3 after an 18–16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, led by Grandpa Philip Rivers. It was the fourth time in franchise history the Seahawks have won a game without scoring a touchdown. But none of those other wins were against a team whose quarterback hadn’t played in five seasons and is a literal grandfather.
I couldn’t believe my eyes while watching that game. The Seahawks offense has had sloppy moments at times, and if you’ve been reading these articles for most of the season, you know I’ve been critical of it, but Sunday was sloppy for all four quarters. But before I get into that, let’s start with the good.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba cracked the 100-yard mark for the first time in two games, finishing with 113 yards on seven receptions. Smith-Njigba is 423 yards shy of Calvin Johnsons all time single season receiving yard record. He will need to average 141 yards per game to break it. Rashid Shaheed finally made his mark in the receiving game and came up clutch on Seattle’s final drive, finishing with five catches for 74 yards. And finally, Jason Myers, Seattle’s MVP on Sunday went 6-for-6 on field goals, a franchise record, and kicked the game-winner from 56 yards out with just 18 seconds left.
Now for the rest, which wasn’t just bad, it was straight-up ugly.
Like most people, when Seattle hired Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator, I thought the Seahawks’ run game would resemble the good old days. Instead, it’s been the complete opposite, non-existent. Against the Colts, the Seahawks rushed for just 50 total yards. Even with DeForest Buckner out, Seattle couldn’t run the ball to save its life. Zach Charbonnet had Seattle’s longest carry at a measly eight yards. Credit where it’s due, the Colts’ defense came to play.
Although the Seahawks surrendered only one sack, the pass protection was absolutely horrendous, especially from Charbonnet, who’s usually solid in pass protection. This was most noticeable on third down, where Seattle went just 2-for-13, as Sam Darnold was forced to step up in the pocket far more than he would’ve liked. Seattle made only two red-zone trips all game and was forced to settle for field goals both times. Now for the Seahawks defense.
Seattle gave up its first touchdown in two weeks when Rivers hit Josh Downs for an eight-yard score late in the second quarter. But as I said in my preview, the main goal was stopping Jonathan Taylor and they did that. On 25 carries Taylor was held to just 3.5 yards per attempt.
Nick Emmanwori had another strong performance, finishing with seven tackles, two passes defended, one tackle for loss, and the Seahawks’ only sack of the day. Josh Jobe, who’s had a solid season, had his worst game by far and was picked on repeatedly by Rivers.
Earlier in the season, I said the Seahawks needed to improve their time management, and they did exactly that in a critical moment Sunday. When the Colts were driving with under a minute left, Mike Macdonald used his timeouts effectively, allowing Seattle to get the ball back. It was great to see that improvement.
Colts kicker Blake Grupe who had an excellent game, going 3-for-3 on field goals nailed a go-ahead 60-yard attempt that looked good from at least 65. The Seahawks defense played well, but not dominantly like in recent weeks. They played extremely deep in the secondary, and even the broadcast crew kept mentioning that Seattle should focus on taking away the short passes, since that’s all Rivers was throwing.
It felt like a game where the Seahawks played down to their opponent and assumed they would win automatically something very uncharacteristic of a Mike Macdonald-led team.
Coby Bryant sealed it by intercepting Rivers’ desperation pass in the final seconds as Indianapolis tried to get into field-goal range. The Seahawks escaped with a win and now set up a pivotal Thursday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
