Seattle Seahawks Retain NFC West Lead With Solid Performance

Posted on: October 31, 2022, 04:27h. 

Last updated on: October 31, 2022, 11:24h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

There were a lot of surprises in the NFL on Sunday, including a game where the Carolina Panthers blew two easy chances to take down the Atlanta Falcons. Elsewhere in the league, the tides are shifting as patterns begin to emerge.

Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks players celebrate a touchdown during their game against the New York Giants. The Seahawks deftly took down the Giants to retain the lead in the NFC West. (Image: Getty Images)

The Seattle Seahawks (5-3) have now picked up three straight wins after beating the New York Giants 27-13. New York (6-2) left their offense at home, although the defense prevented what could have been a catastrophe.

Meanwhile, over a thousand miles away, the New Orleans Saints (3-5) did the unthinkable. Spending the day in Las Vegas, they shut out the Raiders 24-0 (2-5) in a game the team’s QB could only describe as “embarrassing.”

Seattle Gets It Done At Home

The Seattle-New York matchup was a fight until the fourth quarter. Then, Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett redeemed himself with a clutch play. He had made a couple of rookie mistakes, dropping passes and fumbling the ball.

New York’s offense got lucky and was able to threaten Seattle because of the mistakes. But it was short-lived luck. Repeatedly, the Seahawks kept up the defensive pressure to prevent the Giants from making any big plays.

Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker III had another great performance this week. That helped offset some of the early troubles Lockett was having and ensured the Seahawks took down the Giants to remain on top of the NFC West.

New York had taken four straight wins heading into its bye week. Now, they’ve fallen further behind the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. The Seahawks knew they had to stop running back Saquon Barkley, and they did. He couldn’t get more than 53 yards on a season low of 20 carries. Switching to an aerial game didn’t help, as he only had three receptions for nine yards.

Seattle is now first in the West with five wins and three losses. The San Francisco 49ers, after beating the Los Angeles Rams, are second with a 4-4 record.

The Seahawks, or as NFL referee Jerome Boger likes to call them, the Seattle Mariners, were the favorites with the sportsbooks to win the game. The Giants started to find support as the game approached, but it wasn’t enough. The Seahawks easily covered, and the score fell way short of the listed 45 over/under.

Dalton’s Redemption

The Saints got their money’s worth out of QB Andy Dalton, who completed 22 of 30 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He had a lot of help, as running back Alvin Kamara surpassed the 100-yard barrier from scrimmage for the third consecutive game.

As he did, Kamara picked up TDs off catches of 36 and 16 yards. He added a three-yard burst into the end zone for another rushing score. Oddly enough, he hadn’t scored a single touchdown until facing Las Vegas.

The Saints defense pulled no punches. It put up three sacks on QB Derek Carr and pressured him into throwing an interception. The defense also repeatedly kept him to three-and-outs that ended with him putting up just 101 yards.

The Raiders were the favorites to win, but, instead, they hung out in the locker rooms and, in spirit, never made it onto the field. This game had a relatively high over/under, at around 49, considering the way the season has been going. The total was only about half that, showing once again that the NFL is always full of surprises.