BUMP AND STACY
Bumpus: What stood out from Seahawks’ defense in win over Chargers
Oct 24, 2022, 11:52 AM
Shelby Harris of the Seattle Seahawks blocks a pass by Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers on October 23, 2022. (Harry How/Getty Images)
(Harry How/Getty Images)
The Seahawks got their biggest win of the year on Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 37-23 on the road, giving Seattle its first win of the year over a winning team and vaulting the Hawks into first place in the NFC West.
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The offense did what was expected, with Geno Smith again completing over 70% of his passes and rookie Kenneth Walker III on fire in the run game, scoring twice and rumbling for 168 yards.
The defense also stood out in a big way, though, especially against a dangerous Chargers offense.
Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus shared what the Hawks’ defense did that caught his eye during Seattle Sports 710 AM’s Bump and Stacy on Monday.
“They were active,” Bumpus said. “Now you can look at the passing yards and say, ‘OK, they passed for a lot (of yards).’ Yeah, so be it. They’ve got Justin Herbert and a bunch of dudes over there. We knew that they were going to do that.”
Herbert completed 33 of 51 passing attempts for 293 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but it was hardly an easy day for the young star quarterback.
“They sacked Justin Herbert three times. He’d only been sacked seven times before that (all of this season),” Bumpus said. “Nine passes defended, eight quarterback hits, one interception, two forced fumbles and only allowed 53 yards on the ground.”
Sack, strip, and a fumble recovery by DT!
📺: #SEAvsLAC on FOX pic.twitter.com/AgPnAz8RiD
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 23, 2022
The rushing yards are big for Bumpus because outside of last week’s win over Arizona, the Seahawks have struggled mightily to stop the run game. But they held star running back Austin Ekeler to just 31 rushing yards on nine attempts and made him earn his production through the air, where he caught 12 passes and a touchdown.
“We know that the struggle with these guys have been defending the run, and Austin Ekeler is a good running back,” Bump said. “… Just in general what did they do? They caused havoc and chaos. If you watch the game, Justin Herbert, rarely was he to sit in the pocket having a cup of coffee and just patting the football getting ready to go. They applied pressure from all angles and turned the football over. Loved it.”
Bump and Stacy airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports 710 AM. You can find podcasts at 3 p.m. after each show at this link.
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