The Seattle Seahawks just escaped New York in one of the most bizarre, sloppy and confusing games we've seen in a long time. But as I've always said, style points don't count in the NFL, only wins count.
The Seahawks are now 7-0 when playing at MetLife Stadium, which has become a home away from home.
It certainly wasn't easy for Seattle to get this win. The Jets may have only been a three-win team, but they came out strong, especially in the first half. Thanks to New York scored 21 points. But the Seahawks' defense came through hard after halftime, smothering the Jets' life. New York only had four possessions, and they were distributed as follows:
- punt
- Fumble
- punt
- Sales at Downs
Part of the limited opportunities for the Jets in the second half was the fact that the Seahawks controlled the clock and closed out the game. They had drives of 12, 10 and 9 plays. Their first drive of the second half ended in frustrating disaster. After eight attempts at the goal line, Geno Smith's sack on 4th-and-goal turned the ball over on downs and Seattle came away with nothing. Luckily, the Hawks forced a fumble, which was recovered by rookie Tyrice Knight.
Smith then marched the team 39 yards to cut the lead to 21-19 with another successful field goal from Jason Myers.
However, the real miracles happened on the next possession. Trailing by two points, it was happy hour for Seattle at the Last Chance Saloon. It probably should have been over for the Seahawks, but the Jets continued to give Seattle more and more opportunities. New York was turned down four times on the Seahawks' game-winning drive – three of them on fourth downs, where Gang Green actually stopped Seattle. The Jets were rejected a total of 12 times – 10 of them in the second half alone.
The Hawks took advantage of these persistent opportunities and capped the game with a touchdown run by Zach Charbonnet. After Aaron Rodgers' pass fell incomplete on 4th-and-15, Seattle officially completed the comeback and Geno Smith scored his 11th game-winning drive since the start of 2022.
Aaron Rodgers was held in check, completing 21 of 39 passes for just 185 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, his counterpart on the other sideline, Geno Smith, was efficient as usual, completing 64% of his passes for 206 yards and a touchdown.
The Seahawks are now 7-5 and have extended their lead in the NFC West since Arizona lost 23-22 to Minnesota earlier in the afternoon. Seattle will face the Cardinals again next week, but in the Valley of the Sun.
