Seahawks’ Smith, Woolen and Walker all earn Player of the Month honors
Nov 3, 2022, 12:02 PM
Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks hands off to Kenneth Walker III against the New York Giants at Lumen Field on October 30, 2022. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Things just keep going right for the Seahawks.
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Not only are the Seahawks in first place and riding a three-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s matchup in Arizona, but three of their top contributors are catching the attention of the league as a whole for their play.
Starting quarterback Geno Smith has been one of the top stories in the NFL this year for his play, and he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He helped lead the Seahawks to a 4-1 record last month, and he completed roughly 70% of his passes for 1,207 yards and nine touchdowns over those five games. He also rushed for nearly 150 yards and a score.
TD LOCKETT COMING IN RIGHT ON TIME! 🚀
📺 #NYGvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/XRvwiWWu42
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 30, 2022
And then there’s the Seahawks’ rookie draft class, which has been a key reason why Seattle is 5-3 heading into Week 9. And the Hawks have emerging young stars on both sides of the football.
On defense, fifth-round cornerback Tariq Woolen has been one of the best defenders in football, and he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October. On the other side of the ball, second-round running back Kenneth Walker III took home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for October.
Per Seahawks.com, it’s the first time since the league started Rookie of the Month honors in 1996 that the same team had both rookies of the month in the same month. As such, it’s also the first time that a team has had a player of the month and two rookies of the month in the same month.
There’s a first time for everything. 👏 pic.twitter.com/5P91BNrkiY
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 3, 2022
Woolen is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with four, and he had three of them in October, including a pick-6 against the Detroit Lions. He also recovered two fumbles in October, both of which were forced by fellow rookie cornerback Coby Bryant.
IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, TARIQ WOOLEN IS VERY FAST!
HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF HIS CAREER!
📺: #SEAvsDET on FOX pic.twitter.com/e4IFG4IP06
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 2, 2022
Walker, meanwhile, was thrust into a starting role partway through October when Rashaad Penny went down with a season-ending knee injury. In five games (three starts) in October, Walker rushed for 432 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also shown a knack for the explosive play, as he rushed for touchdowns of 69 and 74 yards and was tracked as the fastest ball carrier in the NFL this season at over 22 mph on the 74-yard run against the L.A. Chargers.
The fastest speed of the season on this TD run 💨😮
What can't the rook do? @Kenneth_Walker9 pic.twitter.com/ai9V2BPUNT
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2022
Smith, Woolen and Walker will look to continue their hot play when the Seahawks face the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday. You can listen to the action live on both Seattle Sports 710 AM and KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.
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