Surprisingly, the Seahawks are flying high
The Seahawks had a lot of reasons to celebrate this past week. On Sunday, they annihilated the hottest team in the NFL, the Giants, to improve to 5-3, first place in the NFC West.
With the win, coach Pete Carroll tied his mentor, Bud Grant, with his 168th NFL victory, 18th most in league history.
And on Wednesday, the Seahawks cleaned up with the NFL’s awards for October. Quarterback Geno Smith was named NFC offensive player of the month, while running back Kenneth Walker and cornerback Tariq Woolen
were named the NFL’s offensive and defensive rookie of the month, respectively. It was the first time that rookies from the same team won those awards in the same month.
“It’s amazing to see,” eight-year veteran receiver Tyler Lockett said by telephone after Thursday’s practice. “We have had so many guys that are deserving and have had a chance to win. We’re starting to come along on all sides of the ball, and it’s really a beautiful thing to see.”
Lockett is used to being in the thick of the NFC playoff race, but Seattle’s success this year is sweeter than usual. Because few inside or outside of the NFL saw this coming.
The Seahawks finished 7-10 in 2021, their first losing season in a decade. Their offseason was highlighted by major subtractions — releasing defensive captain Bobby Wagner and trading franchise quarterback Russell Wilson.
Their big plan to replace Wilson seemed like the worst quarterback competition of the decade — Geno Smith vs. Drew Lock. They ended the preseason with the third-worst Super Bowl odds in the NFL, tied with the Lions and Bears. Carroll was listed near the top of most “next coach fired” lists.
Instead, the Seahawks are No. 3 in the NFC and one of the best stories of the season.
“I mean, of course this year is special, because everybody counted us out,” Lockett said. “And honestly, that’s the best way to go, if you ask me, is when everyone is counting you out. It’s hard to play with expectations. We already know we’re going to make mistakes, but it’s not like we’ve got to beat ourselves up. We’re learning how to play through the mistakes rather than point the finger.”
The Seahawks have won shootouts (48-45 over the Lions and 37-23 over the Chargers) and defensive battles (1716 over the Broncos and 19-9 over the Cardinals). And each win in their current three-game streak has been decisive — a 10-point win over the Cardinals, a 14-point win at the Chargers, and a 14-point win over the Giants to wreck their six-game win streak.
The Seahawks had early hiccups in losses to the 49ers, Falcons, and Saints, but are now hitting their stride.
“I hate that we were crappy early in the year and we weren’t doing stuff right,” Carroll said this past week. “But we held on to it and we felt like we knew where we could go, and we’re getting going.”
The Seahawks have so many great story lines, but none better than Smith. A bust with the Jets, Smith hasn’t been a regular starting quarterback since the 2014 season, bouncing between four teams and sitting on the bench behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Wilson.
Smith has been with the Seahawks since 2019, and he acquitted himself well in a three-game stint last year, but even the Seahawks didn’t really know what they had. They traded for Lock in the Wilson deal, and entered training camp with an open competition.
But Smith grabbed control of the job early and has been remarkable. A 57.9 percent passer in two seasons with the Jets, Smith now leads the NFL at 72.7 percent. He is fourth among all quarterbacks with a 107.2 passer rating, thanks to 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Smith went 4-1 as a starter in October and is in the short conversation for midseason MVP.
“I think the only thing we saw that was different was just opportunity,” said Lockett, who leads the Seahawks with 46 catches for 531 yards and three touchdowns. “Imagine how much knowledge and wisdom he learned just from being behind so many great quarterbacks. Now it’s time for you to be able to show that it’s paid off.”
Another great story line is the emergence of pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu,
who signed a surprising two-year, $20 million contract in free agency. His career high in four seasons with the Chargers was just five sacks, but Nwosu has thrived in Seattle, already logging five to go with three batted passes, two forced fumbles, and 12 quarterback hits.
The Seahawks’ rookie class also has been fantastic. Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas have each started eight games. Linebacker Boye Mafe and cornerback Coby Bryant have been productive rotational players.
And Walker and Woolen have been home runs. Walker, drafted 41st overall, has rushed for 432 yards and five touchdowns in his last five games. Woolen, drafted in the fifth round, ranks second in the NFL with four interceptions, including a pick-6. Woolen has four of the Seahawks’ five interceptions, and also two fumble recoveries.
Finally, there’s Carroll, who is overseeing an unexpectedly quick turnaround. The oldest NFL head coach at 71 and in his 13th year in Seattle, Carroll is proving that his methods aren’t getting stale.
“A lot of coaches don’t get as many chances as I’ve had,” Carroll said last Sunday. “This is a very special opportunity right now.”
The Seahawks’ hot start won’t mean much if they stumble in games at Arizona and Tampa Bay before hitting their bye week. And the gambling world still isn’t quite buying the Seahawks, currently giving them the 16th-best Super Bowl odds.
But Carroll acknowledged that he’s loving his underdog team.
“I like this challenge. I like this whole thing,” he said. “All the people that doubt, like you’re losing it — ‘We run the ball too much, you don’t understand football, and you can’t stay up with the new game,’ and all that kind of stuff — that’s a bunch of crap, I’m telling you. Look, we’re doing fine. We’re all right. I don’t mind proving it day in and day out.”