Seattle Seahawks Week Eight Review: Jaguars Fall Victim to A Terrifying Seahawks Performance

Jaguars’ rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence is sacked by Seahawks’ safety Ryan Neal (Florida Times-Union)

Ah yes, the great holiday of Halloween. It's a spooky day of tricks, treats, and an absurd amount of alcohol consumption. But this year, the holiday yielded a crucial win for the struggling Seattle Seahawks. As I'm sure you're all aware, the Seahawks are massively underperforming this season. Their 2-5 record before the game ended has them at dead last in the NFC West--one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Geno Smith and his Seahawks have faced two opponents since he began starting at quarterback, and they lost both of them in an ugly fashion. With Russell Wilson set to return to play after the Seahawks BYE next week, this was a must-win game for the 'Hawks. Lucky for them, their opponent was none other than the most dysfunctional team in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the hot garbage season the Jaguars are having, all you need to know is that Urban Meyer is destroying the already battered organization with his horrible decision-making on and off the field. Before the Jaguars had their BYE last week, they defeated the surprisingly ineffective Miami Dolphins in London for their first win since Week 1 of 2020. They were eight losses away from setting the longest losing streak in NFL history--yea, they're that bad. The Jaguars were coming into this game hoping to keep whatever scrap of momentum they had alive with a win over the 'Hawks in Lumen Field. In all honesty, with how poorly the Seahawks have been playing, I was sure the Jaguars were going to win, but alas, I was wrong--and I'm glad I was.

Jacksonville got the ball to start the game--I love it when the Seahawks get the ball to start the second half anyways. The Jaguars made their first drive count with a decent nine-play drive, but the Seahawks defense wouldn't yield and kept the first overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, and his offense at bay--which in all honesty isn't hard to do. But Lawrence and former Seattle Seahawk running back Carlos Hyde effectively executed calls from former Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to get the Jags onto the Seahawks' 39-yard line. An incomplete pass from Lawerence and a small gain of one yard from running back James Robinson set up third-and-nine from the Seattle 38-yard line. Once the rookie quarterback took the snap, he quickly realized that there were no options for him to throw to, and he had to move out of the pocket to make a play, but Seahawks' safety Ryan Neal blitzed and took Lawrence down for an 11-yard sack. Once the Jags punted the ball away, it could only mean one thing--Geno time!

Geno Smith started his first drive off with a bang once he found underused wide receiver Tyler Lockett for nine yards. Backup running back Alex Collins then found a hole in the offensive line and powered his way upfield for a 12-yard gain. Geno's next pass fell incomplete, but a late flag for roughing the passer on DaVon Hamilton brought the Seahawks offense 15 yards closer to the endzone. Alex Collins was responsible for the next eleven yards of offense for the 'Hawks to take them deeper into Jacksonville territory. Following a five-yard run from NFL draft bust Rashaad Penny--God, I still can't believe we wasted a first-round pick on this guy --Geno Smtih threw a 27-yard pass to Tyler Lockett--that pass was so beautiful I thought I was watching Russell Wilson on the field. The catch has initially ruled a touchdown, but Lockett was down by contact short of the endzone. The Seahawks then lined up on their goal line, and I was curious to see what Shane Waldron would dial up on offense. Would he dial up a pass to Tyler Lockett and have him run a nasty route in the endzone? Would he have either D.K Metcalf or Gerald Everett go one-on-one and try to beat their defenders with their bigger bodies? None of those things happened. Waldron wanted to play it safe, so he had Geno Smith hand the ball off on three straight downs to either Alex Collins or Rashaad Penny--the Jaguars' defense quickly read every run. On fourth-and-goal, Pete Carroll kept his offense on the field to score a touchdown--I hate how aggressive Pete is on fourth-down situations; I can't stress that enough. Geno lined up under center, a mere yard away from the endzone, and he leaped up over his offensive line and reached the ball out to score the first points of the game--I love the decision, coach!

Rasheem Green introduces Trevor Lawrence to Lumen Field (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Urban Meyer's Jaguars suffered a three-and-out on their second possession of the game, Pete Carroll's Seahawks followed suit and did the same thing. The Jags' offense retook the field and began strong with a 17-yard catch-and-run from James Robinson. Then, Trevor Lawrence got a taste of the 12s when the fan noise amplified by Lumen Field threw his count snap off, and he committed a delay of game penalty. Lawrence was able to push his team downfield with two more plays for 19 yards, but his subsequent completion wouldn't be ideal for the young signal-caller. On first down from midfield, Lawrence threw the ball into the ravenous hands of Seattle pro-bowl safety Quandre Diggs. This is Diggs' third interception of the season and the third for the Seahawks' defense.

The Seahawks began this drive with a pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett--I'm delighted that he's being used in this game. After a seven-yard gain from Alex Collins, Geno Smith--who is not yet acclimated to playing in front of the roar of the 12s--committed a delay of a game penalty of his own. Once third down was in play, Geno Smith continued his cerebral connection with Tyler Lockett for a gain of nine yards to keep the drive alive. The following two plays from Geno Smith were passes to Tyler Lockett for eight yards and D.K Metcalf for five, but from first down on the Jaguars' 16-yard line, Smith threw a fifty-fifty ball up for D.K Metcalf, who ex-Seahawks corner Shaquill Griffin was tightly covering. DeKaylin made quick of his former teammate and overpowered the challenged corner for a nasty catch that counted for another touchdown for his illustrious career. Jason Meyers came out to kick the extra point, and the Seahawks were up 14-0 on the worse team in the league.

Jacksonville needed to get something rolling if they wanted to stay in this game, and of course, they didn't. After a minimal gain of two yards from Carlos Hyde, Trevor Lawrence found Marvin Jones for a respectable gain of 13 yards. A run play and a pass play later, the Jaguars were down into Seahawks' territory. T-Law threw an incompletion on first down, and running back Dare Ogunbowale gained four yards on second down to bring up third-and-six--yet another incompletion followed. Urban Meyer decided to keep his offense on the field. He trusted his young quarterback enough to attempt a pass, but it ultimately fell incomplete, giving the Seahawks the ball back on their 39-yard line--that's some solid field position.

D.K Metcalf mosses Shaq Griffin for his first score of the game (Corky Trewin)

Gerald Everett began the drive with a set-up screen that failed miserably for a loss of five yards--not how I would've liked this drive to start. Everett made up for his yard loss on the next play after receiving a seven-yard reception to set up third-and-eight from the Seattle 42-yard line. The Seahawks could comfortably punt the ball away on third down if they didn't convert because of how well they've been playing and how poorly the Jags have been. But Geno liked what he's been getting from Tyler Lockett all game, and he targeted him again, and the part-time poet caught the ball and advanced it up the field for a 28-yard gain. The Seahawks continued to push the ball down the field a yard at a time. Once the Seahawks offense made it to the Jacksonville 18-yard line, the Jaguars committed a penalty--too many men on the field--that moved the 'Hawks to the Jacksonville 13-yard line. After a minor gain of four yards for D.K Metcalf, Travis Homer received a handoff but was immediately met in the backfield for a loss of five yards on the next play. On third-and-six, Geno Smith threw the ball incomplete with Freddie Swain as his preferred target, but Jihad Ward hit Geno Smith too hard after the pass was thrown, and the refs rightfully called roughing the pass and gave the Seattle offense a new set of downs. On second-and-goal from the Jacksonville five-yard line, Geno Smith was met by Josh Allen--no, not the Bills quarterback--in the backfield and was taken down for a sizeable 13-yard sack. On the deep third down, Geno Smith heaved a ball up to Tyler Lockett, but Tre Herndon caught the ball instead for a drive-killing interception--or so we thought. It was revealed that Jacksonville defensive lineman K'Lavon Chaisson advanced before Geno Smith snapped the ball, thus waiving off Smith's ugly interception. With six seconds left on the clock, Jason Meyers came out and nailed an easy 31-yard field goal to give the 'Hawks a 17-0 lead going into halftime.

At halftime, the Seahawks honored legendary head coach Mike Holmgren with an induction into their Ring of Honor. They did this earlier in the season with Matt Hasselbeck—I don’t why they didn’t induct the two of them together, but whatever. Holmgren was an excellent head coach for the Seattle Seahawks who brought the team into relevancy in the early and mid-2000s. He lead us to our first-ever Super Bowl appearance in 2005 as well as brought some great household names such as Walter Jones, Lofa Tatupu, Shaun Alexander, and Steve Hutchinson. Mike was an excellent offensive-minded quarterback guru who worked with legends such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Brett Favre. But if you asked him who his proudest work with a quarterback was, he would tell you it was Matt Hasselbeck. He saw something in Hasselbeck that no one else did and when he left the Green Bay Packers to coach the Seahawks, he brought Favre’s backup with him and turned him into a franchise legend. Thank you, Coach, for all you have done for this great organization

Legendary coach Mike Holmgren delivers a speech at his inductment into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

After the ceremony, the Seahawks got the ball back at the half and went to work with a three-and-out that netted them -9 yards--brilliant offensive prowess! A good run back set the Jags' drive up in Seahawks territory, but we all know they didn't do anything with it. They gained seven yards on the drive and were then faced with a long fourth-and-three. Urban Meyer issued them to go for it, and again they failed--that's what happens when Schotennheimer is your offensive coordinator. Urban Meyer is having a tough time making wise decisions as well as keeping his team disciplined. It's almost as if his team doesn't much care for him, but I digress.

Ugo Amadi breaks up a pass meant for Jamal Agnew (Rod Mar)

Seattle began their drive from their 38-yard line and got it rolling with quick gains from Alex Collins, Tyler Lockett, and a seven-yard scramble from Geno Smith. As they slowly advanced farther and farther upfield, the Jags' defense was beginning to become tired, so in the spirit of Halloween, Shane Waldron ordered some trickery from the Seattle offense. On second-and-four from the Jacksonville 33-yard line, DeeJay Dallas took the handoff from Smith, but shortly after he began to run, he turned around and threw the ball back to Geno Smith--a flea-flicker. Smith was able to get a great block from pro-bowl left tackle Duane Brown, and he launched a ball up to Tyler Lockett, who caught it and brought it down to the Jacksonville five-yard line. If you showed me the highlights of Tyler Lockett this game and asked me who was throwing him the ball, I would guess it was Russell Wilson. Geno Smith has been having such a great game, and it's refreshing to see how well he's been playing with Seattle's two best receivers. Smith continued his strong connection with his receivers when he threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Metcalf, who beat Shaq Griffin again. The Seahawks were now up 24-0 well into the third quarter--it's not looking good for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars and Seahawks then exchanged three-and-outs on their next possessions--God, I love punts. The ensuing Jaguars' offensive drive showed some promise, but it ultimately ended in yet another turnover on downs after they gained 40 yards. The punt-fest continued as either team failed to do much of anything on offense as the game continued. I will say, I wish that Shane Waldron would've gone all out on this Jacksonville team and decimated them. But I'll never complain about being up 24-0 well into the fourth quarter with victory already secured. After stringing together a solid drive that lasted 16 plays and went 80 yards, the Jaguars finally found the endzone with a nine-yard pass to promising young receiver Jamal Agnew. I was a bit upset that the Seahawks couldn't get the shutout in this one, but the defense did play excellently--even if it was against an abysmal Jaguars unit.

With the game all but decided, the Jaguars attempted an onside kick to try and win the game with less than two minutes left. Jaguars' kicker Josh Lambo comes out and kicks the onside kick, but Seahawks' running back and special teamer Travis Homer recovered the ball, thus sealing the Jaguars' fate--but he wasn't finished. Homer picked up the ball and squeezed past two Jaguars defenders and rushed the ball upfield, and scored the final touchdown of the day to rub more salt into Jacksonville's wound. The final score was 31-7 in favor of the Seahawks.

Tyler Lockett makes a great effort and catches the ball (Corky Trewin)

Rookie quarterbacks have a rough history playing at Lumen Field. The only rookie quarterback that I can remember having a great game was Deshaun Watson in 2017—fun fact, that was also the last game that Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor played together. Lawrence was asked to throw the ball 50 times, and that’s unacceptable. I don’t care if Trevor Lawrence, Tom Brady, or Todd Blackledge no quarterback should be thrown the ball 50 times in a game under any circumstances. I guess this is a testament to how well Seattle’s defense played, but it also shows how incompetent Urban Meyer is not only as a husband but also as an NFL head coach.

I was worried about this game coming into it because of how horribly the Seahawks have been playing under Geno Smith, but after the first touchdown to D.K, I realized we would be fine. Tyler Lockett and D.K Metcalf had great games with Geno Smith throwing to them. The running game was lackluster, with only 69 yards gained on the ground--nice. That's not ideal, but the team could make the most out of their rush attempts, which is essential to keep in mind. However, I was pleased with the offensive line. Though they gave up three sacks, two of those were on Geno Smith and his inability to escape pass rushers gracefully. But, all and all Gabe Jackson had another great game along with Duane Brown and Damien Lewis. Even Ethan Pocic looked strong today after he earned the start at center over Kyle Fuller—perhaps we’ll see Ethan reclaim his old starting role.

I was pleased with how Ken Norton Jr.'s defense performed. Yes, I know that the Jaguars are one of the worst teams in the NFL, but our defense had a shutout up until the last two minutes of the game--that's going to be a huge confidence booster for the surging unit. Seattle has been playing well defensively their previous three games, and we will have to wait and see if they will be able to keep this up. The actual tests will come for this unit in the next two games against the Cardinals and Packers. But, the 'Hawks won't need to worry about those NFC powerhouses until after their BYE week, which is a relief. The 'Hawks could've gone 3-0 in the games that Geno Smtih started, but they ultimately didn't. Sure, Geno may not have been anywhere as good as Russ is, but he leads our offense for three and a half weeks wearing his heart on his sleeve. This slaughtering of the Jaguars is most likely going to be the last game Geno will start this season. I appreciate everything that Geno did, but the 'Hawks now need a miracle to get back into playoff contention. That miracle should be slinging the ball during Week Ten versus the always potent Green Bay Packers, the most crucial game the Seahawks will play this season. Go 'Hawks!