QUARTERBACK
-Daniel Jones: 23/34 – 257 yards / 2 TD – 0 INT / 109.6 RAT
Jones added 38 yards on 11 carries. He took several big hits on the day, a few of which I was not sure he would get up from. The number one positive trait to Jones, since day one, has been the toughness he plays with. He is a dude who puts it all on the line. As a rusher, Jones broke six tackles. He evaded two others when scrambling away from pressure on pass plays. He was in Lamar Jackson territory when it came to getting through contact and creating more production. Jones maneuvered the pocket well, he kept both hands on the football, and he made things happen when the pocket broke down. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. If you take away the Hail Mary interception in week four, Jones has not turned the ball over since the Week One loss to Minnesota.
Following the loss to Dallas, a key talking point was Jones and the lack of success throwing the ball downfield. For much of his career, a key talking point has been Jones’ struggles when it comes to reading a defense and throwing the anticipation throws following his second/third reads. Not against Seattle. In this game at least, Jones stepped on and squashed those arguments against him hard. He thew two passes of over 20 air yards, both to Slayton, both which were second-read throws, both which were completed, one which went for a touchdown. Jones was 5-for-10 on third down with four first downs, but Wan’Dale Robinson dropped two balls that would have converted two more. As a matter of fact, Jones’ adjusted completion percentage was third-best in the NFL. His line would have been even stronger had the receivers come down with the balls they should have. Strong, tough, efficient game by Jones.
RUNNING BACK
-Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 18 att – 129 yards / 0 TD
Tracy had one catch for a yard. Even though he entered the day as the number two back, he dominated the snaps and touches. Daboll played the hot hand and that was undoubtedly the fifth-round rookie who is playing running back for just the second season of his football career. Tracy not only led the NFL in rushing Week Five, but he also led the league in rushes of over 15 yards with four. Even though he did not get into the end zone, Tracy was the most reliable and consistent offensive player who helped this team continue to move the chains, hang onto the football, and accrue more points. Ten of his 17 attempts were successful, which equates to 59%. Anything above 52% is outstanding. Tracy’s running style is exactly what Daboll wants. He hits the hole hard and will only adjust if he needs to. Very little dancing, very little nonsense.
-Eric Gray got the start, the first time of his career. It was a massive opportunity for him, one that he took advantage of early on. It started off on the first drive where he took a 3rd-and-17 dump-off pass and got past the sticks. He then took another pass for 19 yards and then another first quarter catch for 13 yards. Gray was the second- leading receiver on the day (50 yards), third-most of all running backs league wide in Week Five. The one blip on the day was a fumble at the end of that drive that resulted in the Seattle’s 102-yard fumble return for a touchdown, the longest in franchise history. For the record, I watched the video from every angle possible. It was close, but that was not a fumble. I’ve seen less obvious called touchdowns. I did not hold that against him in the grading process, but I will say he was the second-most talented back on the roster. There is little doubt Tracy should be the guy when Singletary is out.
WIDE RECEIVER
-Darius Slayton had himself a day after dropping his first target. Dealing with a thumb injury (an awful injury for a receiver by the way), he led the team with 8 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. We have not seen 8 catches or 120+ yards from Slayton since Week Five of 2020. It is important to see someone step up in the absence of Malik Nabers, who was ruled out with a concussion. The major positive from this game? He caught 3-of-4 contested targets. The major negative from this game? He dropped a pass for the third straight week. He blocked his butt off, too.
-Speaking of drops, Wan’Dale Robinson dropped two third-down conversions. The go-to weapon on third-and-manageable needs to tighten it up there. He is a real weapon and asset for this offense (he scored a touchdown and caught six passes for 36 yards), but because his impact on the offense overall is limited because of the diminutive frame, he can’t put balls on the ground at the rate he has the past two weeks. He also impacted the game as a blocker.
-The mystery of Jalin Hyatt continues. Twenty-nine routes run, not a single target. For those not keeping track, he is at three targets on the year (56 routes run) and we are still waiting for his first catch. I spent extra time on him before writing this review and will expand on him more below.
TIGHT END
-Theo Johnson was thrown at five times and he brought all five in for 48 yards, two of which went for a first down. Johnson looks more comfortable with his routes, and I can tell by the way he is bringing the ball in and turning upfield. It is a key trait to look for in tight ends when scouting. While he is not the most graceful athlete, he is big and explosive and now that there is less thinking when it comes to his routes and timing, he is a much more dangerous threat to the passing game.
-Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz took a back seat to Johnson’s playing time. This offense had played with a ton of heavy personnel through four weeks, but not so much in this one. Manhertz allowed a pressure, but I thought Bellinger performed well as a run blocker.
OFFENSIVE LINE
-Another incredibly strong pass blocking performance by the group. The two best of the day were the two main free agent signings, Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan. Both of them pitched a shutout in pass protection, but I thought the two were assets to the strong running game by Tracy. They were making their way into space and getting just enough of guys to create creases for the rookie runner.
-Greg Van Roten was also solid in the run game, but he allowed a team-high four pressures, one of which led to a sack. We are five games into the season, and I think I’ve seen enough to say there may need to be Plan B in the forecast. Van Roten is routinely the weak link to this line, and while I am a believer in chemistry, for this team to reach its peak, there may need to be a change at this spot. More on that below.
-Andrew Thomas had his second below-average grade in three weeks. Except this time Myles Garrett wasn’t the catalyst. He allowed three pressures including a sack (that really wasn’t him getting beat). There were some oversets in pass protection that the defense took advantage of. There have been a few plays this year where his chest is getting way in front of his feet, which is unlike him. Nothing to be alarmed by yet and he did make up for some of that with a strong performance in the run game.
-John Michael Schmitz allowed a pressure and got stuffed on a couple inside runs, but for the most part played a solid game. He had a few key blocks where he got a ton of movement off the ball but there is some inconsistency that pops up from time to time. Because he is not a natural athlete, the timing and accuracy of his first two steps and hand placement determines everything. He does not recover well. But one thing he did prove capable of was getting out in space on screens and making an impact there. NYG excelled at blocking in space in this game and he was a part of that.
EDGE
-The first half was a rather quiet period for the edge guys, but remember, Seattle was only on the field for 17 plays in the first two quarters There simply was not much opportunity for production. In the second half (41 plays), however, these two balled out. Brian Burns had three pressures and a key fourth-down sack in the fourth quarter. Kayvon Thibodeaux added a half-sack and three pressures. He stood out with his run defense, setting a consistent edge and making an impressive tackle on Kenneth Walker that could have been a big play for the Seattle offense. He was active and disruptive.
-Azeez Ojulari added a pressure and a defensive stop. The only thing I have to say about his game is how much he has lost when it comes to both initial explosion and pursuit speed. Those were his calling cards that led to him setting a franchise-record in sacks as a rookie. Those traits are simply not there now.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
-Through 5 games of the season, it is time to officially put Dexter Lawrence in the “Defensive Player of the Year” conversation. He had 3 sacks in addition to two tackles. The 365 pounder looks more powerful than ever and simply cannot be handled by a lone blocker. I’ll say it now -he is the top DT in the league.
-There is an improving unit of complementary pieces up front. DJ Davidson continues to impress, finishing with two sacks that were made by his power alone. The poor movement skills are an issue here and it severely limits him, but this is a situation where we can see these bull rushes impact the game. When you have double teams on Lawrence and strong edge play, this kind of threat is exacerbated to a blocker. Rakeem Nunez-Roches got in on the action, finishing with two tackles and a half-sack. He also broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage.
LINEBACKER
-In a contest where the defense really didn’t make many notable mistakes, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden both missed a tackle and failed to impact the game much. Seattle abused Okereke in coverage, as it was an obvious key component to their game plan. They blitzed three times each and neither came up with a pressure. And lastly, their run fits were strong inside, but they were a bit slow to the outside runs.
-Darius Muasau was back on the field, seeing five snaps and getting in on special teams action.
CORNERBACK
-Deonte Banks had one of the most dominant games of his career. I like how he bounced back after getting abused by Amari Cooper two weeks ago and allowing a long touchdown to CeeDee Lamb against Dallas. DK Metcalf is the kind of profile Banks can handle well. He is not as shifty, but he is big and physical. Because there is not a ton of variety to Metcalf’s route tree, Banks leaned heavily on his sheer talent. He allowed two short completions on five attempts, made five tackles, forced a fumble, and broke up three passes.
-Cor’Dale Flott is ascending. He got his hand on a pass as well, a beautiful cornerback play on the ball against the much bigger Metcalf. He added four tackles and was a key piece to containing the run game.
-Andru Phillips was back, playing just 23 snaps from the slot, giving the majority of those snaps to Nick McCloud, who gave up the longest play of the day for Seattle to Tyler Lockett. McCloud also missed a tackle. Phillips should work his way back into the majority snaps in the slot; he is clearly the most impactful player for NYG there.
-Adoree’ Jackson was flagged for a pass interference that was declined. He was fortunate the NYG pressure got to Geno Smith several times. There were a few instances where he really got beat bad vertically.
SAFETY
-Besides one missed tackle, Tyler Nubin once again played a very solid middle-of-the-field role. He led the team with 9 tackles including one for a loss. The biggest play of his day was a fumble recovery in the third quarter of a tie game. Nubin is always around the ball. He forecasts the run like a linebacker and his first steps in coverage are clean and effective. Jason Pinnock added four tackles and an untouched pressure. He was not targeted in the passing game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Greg Joseph: 3/3 (Made 38, 31, 24)
P Jamie Gillan: 4 punts (46.5 avg – 44.8 net) – very strong game for Gillan
3 STUDS
-CB Deonte Banks, DT Dexter Lawrence, QB Daniel Jones
3 DUDS
-OG Greg Van Roten, WR Wan’Dale Robinson, CB Adoree’ Jackson
3 THOUGHTS ON SEA
(1) Remember the University of Washington offense from last year? Michael Penix, Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan? Seattle Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb was the OC for those Huskies. There were some strong rumors that Seattle wanted to draft Penix to take over in 2025. I do believe it. They lead the league in pass attempts, and they are dead last in running plays. A far cry from the Pete Carroll days.
(2) The 2024 Seahawks line is the cheapest in the NFL. They let Damien Lewis walk in free agency and they are paying a lot of rookie contracts. Right tackle Stone Forsythe leads the NFL in pressures allowed and left tackle Charles Cross is fifth. Now, keep in mind they have dropped back to pass the most in the NFL, but as we saw in this game, the line is going to limit this team. Abraham Lucas is on PUP and backup George Fant is on Injured Reserve (thus the playing time Forsythe is getting). Seattle signed Jason Peters last week, a 42-year-old off the couch. For a team that wants to throw the ball this much, this is less than ideal.
(3) I projected Seattle to finish 10-7 this season. I love their defensive personnel, and I think new Head Coach Mike Macdonald can really coach. Their primary problem, however, is the injury bug biting hard. If this team can get healthy in a division that seems to be unstable at best, I think the projection still holds up. But Geno is not the future there. I do not see him as a guy who leads a team through the postseason.
3 CLOSING THOUGHTS
(1) So, as I said earlier, Van Roten appears to be the part of this offensive line that does not fit in with the improvements we have seen. The way he’s playing right now fits in more with what we have seen over the last decade. What should they do? I believe now is the best time to get Evan Neal snaps at guard. It should not be a full-time move, but a split-job between the two. Neal did play guard for a year at Alabama and the biggest issues he has at tackle would not be an issue inside. The question I have centers around his ability to reach the outside on pulling assignments, and the obvious – how much has he practiced there?
(2) I watched each Jalin Hyatt route. I was expecting something different. It is easy to say the deep threat, one-tricky pony simply is not panning out. In an offense that has not been explosive under the Daboll-Jones era, what is the point of having him around, right? I am pleased to tell you that you should keep holding onto the same hope many of you had before the season. After watching the routes, I firmly believe there is a significant role in this offense for him. He simply was not the initial read on almost every play. They sent him deep to clear out space underneath multiple times, taking two defensive backs with him in several cases. Very similar to a defensive tackle getting double teamed to free up a linebacker. He was open at least three times but Jones was either evading pressure or looking away from him. He did get over the top a couple times, too. Hyatt has the attention of the safeties, no question. While he did get clunky with some underneath and intermediate routes, in addition to struggling with contact, his ability to impact this offense is still there. Be patient, a big play is coming. I feel the lack of looks are more of a coincidence than anything.
(3) The Giants are 2-3. They have a better record than the Jaguars, Browns, Bengals, and Rams. They have the same record as the 49ers, Saints, Jets, and Dolphins. No matter what you thought before the season and no matter what you thought after the Dallas loss that put them at 1-3, the Giants are in it. Each game after Week One has been very close, and they have been within reach of winning all of them. The defense appears to have found their flow in the new system (they lead the NFL in sacks), the offensive line is playing at a high level, and Jones is protecting the football. That trio right there is simply going to create competitive football, especially with their upcoming schedule of CIN and PHI.