Seahawks @ Jets
Final Score: Seahawks 26, Jets 21
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
A disastrous first half from the Seattle Seahawks special teams unit gave the New York Jets the momentum in a lively first half that had a little bit of everything for the neutral. Seattle twice fumbled away the ball on kick-off returns to hand the ball to the Jets deep in Seahawks territory. To make matters worse, kick-return specialist Kene Nwangwu, who was making his Jets debut and forced the first fumble, then took the ball 99-yards to the house for a touchdown to give Aaron Rodgers‘ men a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. As things got a little bit b-a-n-a-n-a-s, Leonard Williams made a sensational play to pick off Rodgers near his own goal line and return the ball 92 yards for an unlikely big man pick six. The Jets then turned the ball over on downs at midfield to give Seattle a route back into the game. Despite 37 points being scored in the first half, neither Rodgers or Geno Smith, who struggled to link up with his primary wideout DK Metcalf, topped 100 yards passing.
The second half was a dreadful spectacle – the Jets offense totally shut down and didn’t score another point, punting twice, fumbling the ball away and turning the ball over on downs on their last drive of the game after a failed fourth down attempt. Smith found enough to manufacture three long, time-sapping drives that mustered 10 points and that was enough to secure a huge win for Seattle in the battle for a wide-open NFC West. It was ugly, but the Seahawks faithful won’t mind.
This Seahawks game is drunk. I love it. LEONARD WILLIAMS PICK SIX FOR THE SEAHAWKS. Insane game is now 21-13. Williams gets it on his former team. This is wild.
Three Up
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – the nifty slot receiver caught all four of his passes and continues his excellent run of production, big plays for his team. He is an underused asset in a strong passing offense and needs to be integrated more often into drives
- Zach Charbonnet – it doesn’t happen anywhere near enough often but Charbonnet provided the spark in the run game to get the Seahawks over the line. He is a valuable asset for the Seahawks but a frustrating one from a fantasy point of view
- AJ Barner – the rookie tight end is becoming more relevant in this offense and has emerged as the number one option over Noah Fant. He could become a nice fantasy asset at the position down the stretch if he continues to be an active target around the end zone.
Three Down
- Breece Hall – the young back came into this game under an injury cloud and didn’t look healthy at all – he was seen on the sidelines a few times working with the medical staff before coughing up the ball late in the third quarter to give up points to Seattle and swing the momentum away from his team
- Garrett Wilson – this offense doesn’t run through the star receiver anymore and what chemistry he had built with Rodgers is dwindling quickly as he was relied on more for quick routes underneath than big plays downfield or to the sideline – had only 3 yards at the half, ouch
- Davante Adams – dropped two balls that a “prime” Adams would have hauled in no problem, and there were still plays where he and Rodgers were not on the same page.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 20/31, 206 Yards, TD, 3 Sacks | 2 Carries, 2 Yards
It wasn’t a happy afternoon under centre for the Seahawks signal-caller, who struggled with his protection behind a very bad offensive line that struggled to deal with the Jets’ blitz. The offensive line crumbled in front of him on third downs, and their vulnerability showed early in the second half when Smith couldn’t force the ball into the endzone despite 10 snaps inside the 4-yard line. Yikes! The comeback win in the second half was more down to the Jets self-destruction culture than an offensive explosion. Smith produced his lowest passing yardage total since Week 1 and four defensive penalties for 46 yards led to the winning touchdown drive. He did make a few great throws to the outside for Metcalf, but his big receiver struggled up against tight coverage.
Notes
- Smith earned half his yardage on two chunk plays to JSN in the first half but he came out dealing in the second with big plays to Metcalf for 28 yards and then 30 yards to the New York 4-yard line. The Seahawks couldn’t find the endzone and a frustrated Smith marched to the sideline. After a couple of weeks where he has navigated the offense to two tight wins, the inability to find rhythm seemed to finally be getting to him.
- A brilliant play design earned Smith his only touchdown pass, a nice fake block and slip out to the flat by rookie tight end AJ Barner saw Smith hold in the pocket and then deliver an easy ball that Barner took in for a walk-in score.
#SEAHAWKS AJ BARNER WITH HIS SECOND TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON:[🎥: NFL on FOX]
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4.bsky.social) 2024-12-01T18:55:37.606Z
Running Back
Kenneth Walker: 16 Carries, 49 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, -3 Yards
A miserable night on the ground for the Seahawks meant Kenneth Walker tallied a season low 6.80 fantasy points (in Yahoo!) as he was twice stuffed inside the Jets’ four-yard line in the third quarter as his team failed to hit paydirt despite 10 attempts at it. Walker found no room to run and averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. He also saw running mate Charbonnet rumble in from eight yards out in the only other opportunity near the goal line. It’s not like he is under serious threat from Charbonnet and to be honest the run game needs a bit more variation. It could eat into some of his volume in a more pass-happy scheme from Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Zach Charbonnet: 4 Carries, 28 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
The touchdown was Charbonnet’s fifth of the season but he came into the game with just one score in his last eight games. He has seen his role diminish since last season and despite showing an impact, the Seahawks seem intent on feeding Walker or reverting to a passing offense in a sporadic manner, leaving Charbonnet on the outside looking in.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 74 Yards
JSN hauled in two seperate 25-yard catches on the Seahawks’ only touchdown drive of the first half. The star slot receiver showed his versatility and his ability to lose defensive backs at the second level, firstly providing the perfect route for a tight throw from Smith down the sideline, before burning his man to find himself in space over the middle to put Seattle inside the Jets 30-yard line after a third-and-long. It was a crucial grab that ensured the Seahawks stayed in touch at the half. JSN then made a key grab on another deep ball in the second half for 24 yards on fourth down to setup a field goal. His development this season has been encouraging and he should ascend to a true WR2 star once they give him a little more volume.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba with another BIG PLAY. WOW. Seahawks go for it and get it 🔥
DK Metcalf: 9 Targets, 4 Receptions, 66 Yards
The Seahawks have a problem. DK Metcalf should be a consistent threat to take over games every week. Metcalf makes plays to do this most weeks but not all. There is still a disconnection between the scheme and Metcalf’s ability to catch balls across the formation. He hauled in just four of his nine targets but improved to four of seven in the second half after being stymied by Sauce Gardner in tight coverage on a couple of deep balls in the first half. He did the majority of his damage with two catches for 58 yards on the opening drive of the second half, which annoyingly resulted in a turnover on downs. Metcalf saw one (uncatchable) target out of 10 goal line plays. That’s not good enough from the team. Metcalf’s biggest contribution was drawing a clear defensive pass interference call for 20-yards on fourth down to extend Charbonnet’s game-winning rushing touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
Noah Fant: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 26 Yards
Tyler Lockett: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards
AJ Barner: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards, TD
Pharoah Brown: 1 Target
New York Jets
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers: 21/39, 185 Yards, 2 TD, INT, 2 Sacks | 2 Carries, 6 Yards
Fire the “Aaron Rodgers-led Jets” into the sun. A snarky, petulant Rodgers, barking at his teammates for small indiscretions, looked both frustrated and lethargic under centre enroute to his third straight game without throwing for 200 passing yards. The Jets veteran had a decent first quarter before breaking down in tragic fashion as he completed just 53.8% of his passes to go along with a pick six and a gluttony of bad decisions. Rodgers threw behind receivers or to the wrong side on at least four occasions, remonstrating with his sideline every time the ball fell incomplete. His chemistry with Adams could not save him in this game and the relationship between he and Wilson looks unfixable.
Notes
- After a poor start to the game, Rodgers looked to have been sacked on third down on the second drive only for a fortunate facemask call on Williams. That extended the drive and Rodgers took advantage by linking up with his main man Adams for two catches for 32 yards including a dart for a score. It was all downhill from there.
Running Back
Breece Hall: 12 Carries, 60 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 1 Target
With rookie Braelon Allen taking the first carry of the game, it looked like Hall would be set for a reduced workload, however he saw his first carry on the second drive of the game and led the team with 12 carries to Allen’s five. However, he was seen twice on the sideline moving gingerly after coming into the game as questionable with a knee injury that popped up during the week. Hall ran well but had limited opportunities as the Jets offense stuttered their way through the contest. Hall then fumbled the ball away at a key moment in the third quarter and the momentum swing moved to the Seahawks. After the fumble he touched the ball just two times and finished the game without a pass out of the backfield for the first time this season. If the knee is an issue, it would be pertinent for the Jets to sit Hall in a lost season to preserve him for next year. Keep an eye on things this week.
Braelon Allen: 5 Carries, 11 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Isaiah Davis: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards, TD
On his seventh-ever NFL snap, rookie Isaiah Davis rumbled into the endzone for his first score as a professional to put the Jets up two scores after a Seahawks fumble. The Jets players seemed thrilled for Davis, who could be a locker room favorite and candidate to see more work as the season winds down.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Davante Adams: 12 Targets, 5 Receptions, 66 Yards, TD
After a dour start to the game, Adams kickstarted the offense with a lovely basket catch down the right sideline for a 24 yard gain. Adams then polished off the drive with an impressive contested catch up high for an 8-yard touchdown to put the Jets ahead at the end of the first quarter. He caught just three more passes for 34 yards as the Jets offensive troubles continued with Rodgers under centre. Adams has just two scores in six games but his fantasy production has been at least acceptable. He won’t hurt you because of the volume but don’t expect him to be a fantasy star through the playoffs.
Garrett Wilson: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 41 Yards
This is not Wilson’s fault. Let me repeat, Garrett…”it is not your fault”! His quarterback not only missed him on a wide open slant for a touchdown in the first half but his ball placement on at least three other catches was terrible as the Jets young wideout cut a frustrated figure once again. An underthrown ball on the second play from scrimmage was also another opportunity for a big play. It mattered little as once again Rodgers proved to be the Jets’ downfall. Wilson, like Adams, will survive due to volume but the chemistry just isn’t there. Despite a two-touchdown game in Week 9, Wilson has just three other scores in 12 games despite being targeted 108 times. That’s no good for a WR1.
Tyler Conklin: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 32 Yards
Jeremy Ruckert: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Malachi Corley: 2 Targets | 1 Carry, 8 Yards
Xavier Gipson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yard