Well that one isn’t going down easy anytime soon… It seemed like everything was there for the taking for the Seattle Seahawks against a team that has been a hindrance for years. Seattle’s former signal caller, Geno Smith, slayed the dragon last year. His 13-yard walk off scoring scramble broke a six-game losing streak against the San Francisco 49ers and seemed to signal a possible sea change. I’d almost like to link that play, but this is a new season.
San Francisco has faced injuries, offseason personnel
changes and the seeming improvement of the rest of the division this year. On the other side, there has been a buzz around Seattle’s potential after last year’s late season swell by the defense, then leading the league in rushing this preseason. Preseason is preseason, but it was a welcome development after seeing Ryan Grubb’s pass-happy offense allow tons of pressure on the quarterback. Making three picks in the top 50 of this year’s NFL Draft also provided excitement.
Fast forward to the season opener in Seattle. Mike Macdonald’s defense intercepted Brock Purdy TWICE! Jaxon Smith-Njigba racked up 124 yards and had a clutch catch to put the Hawks within striking distance of a win. To see a strip sack end the game was enough to make a grown man get choked up. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Either way, the 2025 season rolls along.
The following is not a list of players who are forever marked and judged based off of one game, but rather, a fluid tracking of how different guys are trending. Usage and strategy could evolve around some of this movement as the season progresses. ‘Stock up’ guys will want to keep stacking on their success. They may be players that the Seahawks could look to feature even more. The ‘stock down’ individuals will want to evaluate and plot a bounce back in future weeks. There is still time to strike a different chord in a long season.
Stock Down
Abraham Lucas. I don’t want to hate on the man that walked out with a huge neck roll fresh off of a new contract. It’s probably not even fair to say that big Abe had a bad game. That final image of him getting violently placed into the lap of Sam Darnold to ruin everything is not one we’ll want to stay with, however. Lucas should get continued chances to show why Seattle is taking their chances with him at right tackle.
Riq Woolen. While Seattle recorded 48 total yards after the catch (YAC), SF gained 128. There were a lot of missed tackles in the secondary. Woolen is a hot and cold player with all the talent in the world, but you cannot be letting up big plays in crucial spots in a contract year. Mike Macdonald said after the game: “Seems like Riq might have lost it there down the field.” Let’s hope that’s not foreboding. If not, Stephon Gilmore is still out there. Ok, let’s not get too crazy.
Ty Okada. I hate to say it after he played well in the preseason, then only played 6 snaps on Sunday! Alright, I’ll say it: Okada had no hope of covering George Kittle on his TD catch. The backup safety may yet make some plays in the future, but it wasn’t his best day. Nick Emmanwori had to leave due to injury, and at the moment his timetable is unknown. Maybe it would be better to continue to play Josh Jobe (with Witherspoon in the slot) over Okada at this point in the season? Speaking of which…
Stock Up
Josh Jobe. Pay the man his respect! To go from an undrafted free agent on the practice squad, to straight balling ever since he hit the starting lineup last year is nuts. Jobe pulled down the second pick of Purdy to put a stamp on the defense’s efforts all game.
Charles Cross. The Hawks allowed 8 pressures, while the Niners allowed 15. That’s usually a good indicator of success in a football game. Usually. The game did not end on a pretty play for the linemen, but they did their thing against a talented front. We already know he will get paid next year, so his stock might be soaring at this point. I respect the commitment to the run, but having a guy like this should help if you need to open up the playbook a little more in the future.
Zach Charbonnet. The one-time backup ball carrier led the team in rush attempts and rush yards. Charbonnet ran strong and looked like a good fit in the wide zone attack. Is that an RB1 controversy I smell? Nope, just a hot take right out of the oven. There’s room for both, but Charbs could see more run as the hot hand after almost doubling Ken Walker’s yard per carry average (3.9 vs. 2).
