The Seahawks had a chance at an upset over the Bengals, but their two red zone drives in crunch time both ended in disappointment. Cincinnati went on to win 17-13, dropping Seattle’s record to 3-2 on the season.
Here are 10 takeaways from today’s game.
1
A playoff game type atmosphere
If you felt a familiar knot in your stomach watching today’s game and couldn’t quite place it you’re not alone. The Seahawks have had some pretty good teams in the years since their peak Legion of Boom days ended, but this is unquestionably the best group they’ve put together since the high-water days ended with the 2015 season. The game felt more like a playoff-type atmosphere than a random Week 6 game between two non-conference opponents. While the end result wasn’t what we wanted, feeling that they had a legitimate chance to beat a real heavyweight for the first time in several seasons was an incredible rush.
2
Seattle proves a true contender
The scoreboard says 17-13 Bengals and the standings say the Seahawks are 3-2, but it’s pretty clear that this 2023 team is legit good – and more than on just paper. While there are a lot of areas they’ll need to address a long the way, this club looks much more like a true postseason contender than a plucky upstart like they were last year.
3
Joe Burrow owned the first half
For a minute there it looked like the Seahawks were going to get blown out at the hands of Joe Burrow, who returned to form in Week 5 and was positively brilliant in the first half against Seattle. He sliced up the defense with quick reads and accurate throws, at one point completing 15 in a row en route to a 14-7 lead.
4
Seahawks defense tightened up in second
However, the Seahawks bounced back and made Burrow look positively mortal in the second half. Thanks mostly to increased pressure in the pocket and some tightening up from all three cornerbacks, they kept the lid on the Bengals’ potent passing game to the tune of just three points after halftime. That won’t count for a win in the standings, but it is still a great sign of things to come.
5
Geno Smith had his first bad game this year
While he had a promising start, Geno Smith’s performance dove off in a bad way after he threw his first interception. It was simply a bad read and a bad throw, a laser intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba that was picked off by Cam Taylor-Britt. Smith’s second interception on the day appeared to be the fault of DK Metcalf not finishing his route, but that’s over our paygrade to know for sure. Whatever the case, after that Smith appeared to be as rattled we have seen him since late last season. He finished the game with 323 passing yards but no touchdowns, two interceptions and four brutal sacks.
6
Cincinnati managed to stop the run
Coming into the game we expected the Seahawks run game to roll right over the Bengals defense, but it didn’t work out that way. They came in allowing over 150 rushing yards per game on the ground but today they only gave up 87. Ken Walker averaged 3.3 per carry and Zach Charbonnet just 2.5.
7
JSN starting to get more involved
While his breakout game still hasn’t come, this latest performance from rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the most-encouraging yet. He was targeted five times by Geno Smith, catching four of them and turning them into 48 yards. The more he gets his targets away from the line of scrimmage, the better he’ll do.
8
Devon Witherspoon dangerous in slot
As for the team’s other first-round draft pick this year, cornerback Devon Witherspoon didn’t quite make the earthquake type of impact he did two weeks ago against he Giants. Still, once again Witherspoon appeared to be the Seahawks’ best defender on the field and he seems to do his best work from the slot. Today Spoon posted three pass breakups and four tackles and looked smooth doing it.
9
Red zone issues resurface
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is doing a lot of things well this year, especially how he’s using tight ends. However, there are also a lot of holes in how this offense is performing. Third down continues to be an issue, but today the red zone was the real problem. Seattle went just 1/5 inside the 20, including twice in the fourth quarter when they had a chance for a go-ahead touchdown. Waldron can’t do much about coverage sacks, but he has to come up with something better than he has in the red zone so far.
10
Pass rush cools off, but still alive
Last but not least, the pass rush cooled off a bit today after scorching both Carolina and the Giants in the trenches. The Seahawks managed to get to Burrow for five quarterback hits and three sacks. That’s way down from their production in Weeks 3-4, but it’s also way up from Weeks 1-2. With more time we’ll get a better feel of where this pass rush really ranks.
11
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