Texans-Seahawks on ‘Monday Night Football’: What We Learned from Seattle’s 27-19 win over Houston
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The Seahawks’ defense holds the lead in the first game. Defensively, the Seahawks were predators on Monday night, harassing C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The Seahawks exploited the Texans’ weak offensive line from the first quarter to the last, pressuring Stroud on 31.5% of his dropbacks (though it felt like more) and keeping Houston from scoring a touchdown until the final quarter. The Seahawks were excellent on every level, with linebacker Ernest Jones leading the game with 12 tackles and an interception—Seattle’s only accomplishment. Safety Ty Okada (nine tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup), rookie safety Nick Emmenwori, linebacker Drake Thomas (three pass breakups), and many others were exceptional. Even more impressive was the fact that the Seahawks played without Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love. It was a sloppy game, there was no escaping it. And the Seahawks’ offensive system was confusing at times. However, Seattle is locked in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West Battle Royal, and a dangerous defense has gotten them there.
Stroud, Texans’ offense struggling again. After scoring 44 points against a struggling Ravens defense in Week 5 before their Week 6 bye, C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense, which ranked 21st in total yards before Monday, returned to the field and returned to disappointing form. Stroud was disheartened throughout the game, allowing seven quarterback hits and three sacks. Whether under pressure or not, Stroud struggled, completing 23 of 49 passes, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt, one touchdown, and one interception. Of course, he’s not the entire problem, nor even the main one. The running game was nonexistent (56 yards), and top wideout Nico Collins was knocked down heavily in the first half and then knocked out of the game in the second after hitting his head on the turf on an incomplete throw. Stroud broke free in the first half and threw a pass to Nick Chubb, but it was dropped, symbolizing that night and the entire season. Even when Stroud does something positive, it’s frustrating. After the bye, offensive struggles remain a serious issue for the two-time AFC South champions.
JSN shines while the Seahawks’ offense can’t close the door. Despite several disappointing drives by Seattle’s offense, Jackson Smith-Njigba still managed to thrive. The Seahawks simply couldn’t turn this into a blowout win, even though the defense held a field goal for them. Nevertheless, one of the NFL’s brightest young stars delivered a stellar performance in his weekly performance, racking up eight receptions for 123 yards and an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 14-0 lead. The Seahawks dominated most of Monday’s game but allowed the Texans to hold on until the end. Cooper Kupp threw an interception as the Seahawks played for no reason in the first half. Seattle had a field goal blocked. Sam Darnold gave up a hat trick to Texans’ Will Anderson Jr., who earned a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in a single game. Surprisingly, Seattle continued to throw the ball away late instead of taking full advantage of the time. While Darnold has generally been good, he’s still good for a few turnovers, forcing two on Monday. As the offense remains a puzzle, JSN is not. He’s a stellar third-year player who leads the league with 819 receiving yards on 50 catches with four TDs. And he’s a rising star who shone on a night when no one else was doing so offensively.
The Texans defense performed well enough to win. At least one tip of the helmet should go to the Texans defense. Along with Will Anderson’s defensive score, Azeez Al-Shaair recovered a fumble, and Derek Stingley Jr. and Calen Bullock had INTs. The Seahawks’ 316-yard offense was hardly good, and their 2-of-14 performance on third downs was abysmal. Houston was strong on defense. Since 2000, according to NFL Research, teams that were penalized 10 or more times (the Seahawks were penalized 12 times for 93 yards), had a turnover margin of negative three or worse, and teams that converted less than 25 percent of third downs were 0-31, including in the playoffs. After Monday, those teams are 1-31. Houston’s calling card has been its defense, led by DeMeco Ryans. In Week 7, it became abundantly clear that that alone wasn’t enough.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Texans-Seahawks (via NFL Pro): CJ Stroud completed 4 of 14 passes under pressure for 55 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. On his touchdown pass to Woody Marks, he had eight seconds to throw.
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