What a game. A shame the Seattle Seahawks lost it.
On paper, even with the injuries, the Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers figured to be in a bit of a lower scoring battle in which points would be at a premium. That might have been true in the first half but the second half was a good ol’ fashioned shootout. Unfortunately, a brutal turnover by Sam Darnold led to Tampa Bay’s walk-off field goal to secure a 38-35 victory. They’re easily the most entertaining watch in the NFL if you’ve seen their stupidly
dramatic endings.
It’s Winners and Losers time after this 50th anniversary special went south in a hurry.
Winners
Klint Kubiak
The awful Jalen Milroe play aside (more on that later), Kubiak had a masterclass in design and playcalling that had a good Buccaneers defense unsure what to do. They put up a season-high 463 yards and an outstanding 6/9 on third down, averaging an astounding 8.6 yards per play. I was curious to see how the Seahawks trailing by two scores would affect how he’d call the game and he didn’t spam run plays or get desperate; that was a super encouraging showing.
Sam Darnold
Sorry, even with the game-turning interception he’s still my top winner. Before that last throw, which was deflected slightly at the line, that was elite quarterback play. He was 28/34 for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns outside of that pick, making great throw after great throw. There is something decidedly sustainable to Darnold’s play and what’s most encouraging is how he performed when Seattle was trailing for a majority of the afternoon. Darnold has the goods and frankly his TD to Tory Horton should’ve been an electrifying game-winner, not what instead happened. If Darnold was any bit lesser this game would’ve been lost by the third quarter.
And yes, if you want me to say it, John Schneider was 110% right to move on from Geno Smith and sign Darnold. He’s managed to move off of the incumbent QB and get value back at the right time twice in a row.
AJ Barner
He may not wow anyone as a future top five tight end in terms of target volume or gaudy numbers, but he does his job so damn well as a receiver that he could go down as one of the better tight ends in Seahawks history. Barner had a career-high seven catches for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Elijah Arroyo may be the exciting new talent on the block but Barner is only in his second season, so it’s not like he’s an elder statesman.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Few QB-to-WR connections are as lethal right now as Darnold to JSN. On what was a great day for JSN and his former college teammate Emeka Egbuka, Seattle’s Ohio State star scored a crucial touchdown at the end of the first half and caught a 53-yard bomb with Antoine Winfield Jr in coverage. He finished the day with eight catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. JSN may have a legitimate shot at making an All-Pro and that is not hyperbole.
Dareke Young
His WR4 leap is real and I couldn’t have been more wrong about what he was capable of. But his 36-yard catch in itself isn’t why he’s on this list. Young also sparked Seattle with a huge kick return before the two-minute warning in the first half. At this point he’s ahead of Jake Bobo on the depth chart and is making the most of his contract year.
Kenneth Walker III
Walker didn’t get a touchdown but he was outstanding in limited touches. The Bucs run defense is normally stout but they got bullied for 122 yards on 20 attempts. Walker had 86 yards on 10 carries for by far one of his most efficient performances in a long time. Zach Charbonnet had 36 yards on nine carries plus a touchdown, but Walker was the star in the rushing attack.
Tory Horton
Three catches for 39 yards and what should’ve been a game-winning touchdown if not for yet another late game collapse by the defense. He continues to make impactful plays either on special teams or on offense, and I’m excited for his present and his future.
Offensive Line
They were outstanding. The rushing attack was not relied upon heavily but they were moving the Bucs defensive front around and getting good lanes on the outside. Sam Darnold was not pressured often and did not take a sack. This looked like a potential mismatch and instead the Seahawks won at the line of scrimmage… on the offensive side of the ball. There were some penalties on Grey Zabel and Jalen Sundell and those were unfortunate but they were a clear net positive. Did any of you curse out Anthony Bradford today? No? Good. It was that kind of day.
Losers
The entire defense
Injuries suck and the Seahawks lost even more people in this game. This was still an abomination of a performance that should also quell the “trade Riq Woolen” crowd because the depth below him was horrific. Nehemiah Pritchett’s “preseason improvement” looks so much different when he’s playing high-end starters and not practice squad fodder. Pritchett came in for Riq and was the worst player on the field by miles. Derion Kendrick also came back down to Earth after some ill-fated christening as one of the reasons to move on from Riq.
The pass rush was barely there and Boye Mafe without Derick Hall is just not a consistent winner off the line. Given Tampa Bay’s injuries on the offensive line this was a disappointing display by the pass rush, giving Baker Mayfield too much time to unleash hell against a banged up secondary.
Drake Thomas and Tyrice Knight are massive liabilities in pass coverage and the linebacker depth below Ernest Jones IV (who himself wasn’t at his best) is scary. This may be a position Seattle hunts for an upgrade at the trade deadline.
Lastly, Ty Okada had a nice PBU on Chris Godwin and is a willing hitter but the dropoff from Julian Love to him is as steep as you think when they’re not playing bad teams like the New Orleans Saints. Josh Jobe got beaten badly by Egbuka on a 50+ yard gain but he’s got safety help over the top, only for Ty Okada to randomly play Sterling Shepard when Coby Bryant is already covering him.
Poor showing defensively, injuries or not. I’ll shout out D’Anthony Bell for sacking Baker Mayfield (after initial pressure from Uchenna Nwosu), Nick Emmanwori making a couple of nice plays at the line of scrimmage, but that’s about it. The big concern is Seattle’s defense has now gagged leads away all three times they’ve been faced with two-minute drills, and the tackling from everyone was super sloppy.
Jalen Milroe
That’s the end of the Milroe package indefinitely. Frankly I wouldn’t lose sleep if it’s for the entire season. Seattle ran an option play and while it wasn’t going to go anywhere, Milroe made a bad play worse with a terrible pitch that Kenneth Walker III couldn’t corral. Lost fumble (charged to Milroe) and a possible scoring drive turned into an eventual touchdown the other way. If he can’t do literally any normal QB stuff then make him inactive. Some of this (a lot of it, really) also falls on Klint Kubiak and the coaching staff. If he’s not ready, don’t play him. If he’s botching a limited set of plays, don’t play him. It’s only hurting the team.
Jason Myers
Another week, another missed field goal for Myers. That’s three in four games and none of them was blocked. Generally speaking, kicker volatility is a thing, and year-to-year consistency is the exception and not the rule. Myers tends to be toward the rule and he’s really not been at his best in terms of his field goal kicking this season. Keep in mind his contract expires in 2026 and he’s 34 years old, so while we’re a ways from a decision on that front, each week he’s looking shaky with his kicks makes that decision easier.
Jake Bobo
I cannot recall ever putting Bobo on the losers list but two holding penalties wiping out positive plays will do the trick. This was a warranted instance of Less Bobo.
Final Notes
- Mike Macdonald going for it on 4th and 2 in a tie game might have been the first time I’ve seen him trust his offense over this defense. A made field goal would’ve put them up with three minutes left, aka enough time for the Bucs to get a go-ahead TD and make the Seahawks score a TD to win. Instead, the Seahawks get a go-ahead touchdown (on a 99-yard drive, no less!) and his defense only has to prevent Tampa Bay from getting seven. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, which I think only vindicated Macdonald’s decision. He’s erred on the side of caution on key 4th down decisions but he was justifiably aggressive today.
- Seattle’s defense will not get unquestioned elite status until it can stymie a high-octane offense. That was made more difficult with the injuries pre and mid-game, but facts are facts. They’ve also still not as much as forced a fumble since the Packers game last December.
- Cooper Kupp was solid, catching six passes for 59 yards. Not quite a winner in my book but he’s still a positive contributor this late in his career. Let’s get him into the end zone sooner rather than later, though.
- I feel like everyone needs to be re-educated on ineligible man downfield. Linemen can’t be downfield by more than a yard when the pass is thrown, not when it’s caught. That’s why Jalen Sundell was flagged on a Ken Walker shovel pass (he was two yards down the field) and the Bucs offensive lineman’s flag was picked up (he was only a yard downfield) on Tampa’s 3rd and 12 conversion. Yes, this is not consistently well enforced. No, this was not the refs out to get the Seahawks.
- This loss stings less for the fact that they lost, but who they lost in terms of injuries (Riq and Hall). They have some tough games to come against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, so let’s see what Seattle is made of, because that could distinctly change the mood of the season entering the bye. This was a blown opportunity to stay attached to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West race, and they have to watch themselves the rest of this season for NFC West and NFC tiebreakers, both of which have been fatal in terms of the playoff chase over the past two years.
