So that’s what a complete game looks like. On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks handed the New Orleans Saints one of the most lopsided losses of the early NFL season, 44-13. The score doesn’t do justice as to
how dominant the Seahawks delivered the knockout in Kellen Moore’s homecoming back to the state.
In one of the most relaxing and stress free games in a decade, there’s a ton of positives to look at, and the hype is starting to rise for this team. Let’s break it all down.
1st Down – Tory Horton continues to show star potential
In one of my first Four Down Territory articles here at Field Gulls, I wrote about Tory Horton, and how much star potential I thought he flashes in a small sample size. Last Sunday in Pittsburgh, we saw him make some nice plays, including his first score. On Sunday, he looked like the star I believe he can be.
He looked like a high-level No. 3 receiver for Seattle right now, grabbing three passes for 32 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown. On special teams, it was the franchise record 95-yard punt return for a touchdown that broke the Saints back, and showed the explosiveness that has fans giddy about the rookie from Colorado State.
I wrote about the Seahawks potentially needing to look at trading for a New Orleans wide receiver at the trade deadline, but if Horton is gonna provide this level of talent and production, the job is his.
2nd Down – Depth of the defense proves this unit has Super ceiling
Before the game, Seahawks fans were a little nervous about the potential of this game ending up like the nightmare choke jobs of the past, from the Giants loss last year, and those horrific Colt McCoy games. When we found out that multiple starters in the secondary were going to be out, those concerns were heightened.
Yes, the Saints are a bad offense, but the Seahawks defense showed that they are more than just talented on Sunday, but they have the makings of a championship defense.
A lot of defenses have good players or that one or two blue chip guys that can carry your defense to the playoffs. The Seahawks have both, and now their backups are playing even better than the starters. For the second straight week, Derion Kendrick and Josh Jobe have played like Pro Bowl and All-Pro level defensive backs.
Kendrick, who was picked up after the Rams discarded him, should have four interceptions instead of the two he currently has. Jobe continues to have the look of a blue chip shutdown corner. It’s early, but if these two players play anything remotely close to what we’ve seen so far, then this will undoubtedly be the best secondary in the NFL, and drastically change the ceiling of this year’s team.
Now, Riq Woolen is not facing as much pressure to be “the guy” and Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori are allowed to come back fully healthy, this #2 ranked scoring defense (15.7 ppg) will only get better.
3rd Down – Whispers “Sam Darnold looks like Minnesota MVP candidate Sam Darnold”
Arguably the biggest question the Seahawks were facing this season and going forward as a franchise, was whether Sam Darnold was going to be the guy we’ve seen in Minnesota last year, or the nearly out of the league draft bust.
Through three games, we’re seeing someone different from both of those previous versions of Sam, but is clearly closer to that MVP candidate Minnesota version.
Darnold played behind a poor offensive line in Minnesota, and he was asked to use his athleticism to create explosive plays constantly in Minnesota, until they ran into the Lions and Rams buzzsaw to end his season.
In three games in Seattle, he seems more comfortable and a better offensive line has allowed him to be arguably the most efficient quarterback in the NFL so far. So far, Darnold has only been sacked three times, which has led to a 70.3% completion percentage, a career high in yards per attempt, and a career high passer rating.
The numbers are not sexy, but the production in less than 25 attempts a game so far looks elite. It’s early, but it’s hard not to see similarities to what Sam is doing, compared to the Super Bowl seasons we saw from “game manager” QB’s like Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy.
Long way to go, but this contract and marriage has been nearly flawless so far.
4th Down – Starting to feel like Baltimore West
When Mike Macdonald came to Seattle, and John Schneider was the man to hire him, I was sad for Pete Carroll, but more excited at this partnership. For the last 20 years, the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens had been two of the four or five most consistent franchises, finding consistent success in multiple ways. I felt that, at its potential peak, we could see this become Baltimore West. I believe we are starting to see this take shape.
Again, it’s early, but according to FTN Fantasy’s DVOA, the Seahawks are the top ranked team. They currently are sixth in offense, fifth in defense, and first in special teams. Will that last, probably not, but this team and fanbase saw on Sunday the way things can be. Fans in Baltimore have enjoyed this type of dominance throughout the Lamar Jackson era, Seahawks fans experienced it at the peak of the Holmgren and Carroll years.
From the second half of the Pittsburgh game to halftime of the Saints victory, the Seahawks outscored their opponents 62-9. When it’s clicking, it’s really clicking, on all three levels. This could also just be the start of the corner turning for Macdonald and this regime.
This could be the norm again, with division titles and the Super Bowl being an expectation more than a hope.
Extra Point- Go M’s
