DK METCALF, JSN, BOYE MAFE LEAD SEAHAWKS STUDS & DUDS FROM OVERTIME WIN OVER PATRIOTS

It seems every time the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots meet up on the field they play a thriller that goes down to the last play. That was certainly the case for their infamous Super Bowl matchup 10 years ago, as it was for their regular meetings in 2020, 2016 and 2012. Today's game followed the same trend of epic nail-biters and will go down as another instant classic between these teams.

In the end, the Seahawks came out on top in overtime over the Patriots, 23-20. Jason Myers kicked the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out. Here are our studs and duds for Seattle this week.

Studs: WR DK Metcalf, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Last week Tyler Lockett was the hero for Seattle's vaunted wide receiver corps. This time it was the combo of DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who went off against a strong New England secondary. Together they combined for 22 catches, 246 receiving yards and one touchdown. That came in the first quarter on a busted coverage by the Patriots defense against Metcalf, but DK and JSN continued busting them up right until the last drive.

Studs: OLB Boye Mafe, DL Leonard Williams

On the other side of the ball the featured stars were edge rusher Boye Mafe and defensive end Leonard Williams, who were the most-disruptive front-seven players for the seahawks for the second straight week. Mafe finished the game with five tackles, one sack, two hits and about a million pressures. Meanwhile, Williams went off for four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. It's still early in the season, but these two are on a Pro Bowl type trajectory.

Dud: Seahawks run defense

Mike Macdonald's defense was suffocating against the pass once again, holding a feisty Jacoby Brissett to just 149 total yards and one score. They fared far worse against the run today though compared to Week 1. The Patriots offensive line dominated in the trenches, setting up some explosive plays by both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Together they put up 178 yards on the ground.

Dud: RB Zach Charbonnet

Seattle's own run game was not nearly as effective. With the running lanes consistently getting plugged up by the Patriots' front, Zach Charbonnet had little room to maneuver all day. Still, his lack of agility and explosiveness compared to starting running back Ken Walker were more than evident. Charbonnet ended the game with just 38 yards on 14 carries. It would have been nice to see what Kenny McIntosh might have done.

Stud: QB Geno Smith

With the run game flailing, the Seahawks needed their starting quarterback to step up. Geno Smith did that and a whole lot more. He was remarkably accurate and efficient against a tough New England defense, posting a line of 33/44 for 327 yards, one touchdown and a 103.1 passer rating. Smith's numbers were all that more impressive because of several untimely drops he had to deal with from his receivers. Geno did everything you could possibly ask of a starting quarterback today, including leading a flawless game-winning drive.

Dud: Seahawks guards

Smith didn't get much help from his offensive line either, which was the same as last week. We had been hoping for a bounce-back performance after their starting guards struggled against the Denver Broncos, but it wasn't in the cards. Both long-time veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson and second-year right guard Anthony Bradford had issues with penalties and pass protection. It's bad enough to consider a midseason trade for an upgrade if it still looks like this team might make a deep playoff run, which they do.

2024-09-15T21:04:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd