Seahawks Observations: What stood out in overtime win over Patriots

Jason Myers hit a game-tying field goal in the final minute of regulation and a game-winning field goal in overtime as the Seattle Seahawks rallied for a 23-20 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Seahawks win | Stacy’s column | Instant Reaction | Stats

The victory moved Seattle to 2-0 for the first time since 2020 and gave Mike Macdonald his first road victory as the Seahawks’ head coach.

Here are six observations that stood out from Seattle’s win:

• Another fourth-quarter comeback for Geno: Seattle quarterback Geno Smith came through in the clutch time and time again last season, leading the NFL with five game-winning drives and tying for the NFL lead with four fourth-quarter comebacks. The 33-year-old veteran added another comeback win to his resume Sunday, leading the Seahawks 42 yards for a game-tying field goal in the final minute of regulation and then 71 yards for the game-winning field goal in overtime. Smith was brilliant on both drives, completing 11 of 13 passes for 81 yards while connecting with four different pass catchers. One of his best plays came on an improvisation when he rolled right and then worked back to his left to find trusted veteran Tyler Lockett for a 16-yard completion that moved Seattle into field-goal range for the game-winner.

FIRST DOWN. pic.twitter.com/zkvg6FOkbK

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 15, 2024

• DK and JSN make their mark: DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had quiet performances in last week’s season opener against Denver, totaling just five catches for 48 yards. Both bounced back to make a major impact on Sunday. Metcalf had 10 catches for 129 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown that came on a blown coverage. Smith-Njigba had a career day with 12 catches for 117 yards, nearly doubling his previous career high of 63 yards as a rookie last year. There seemed to be a clear emphasis to get Smith-Njigba the ball early and often, with former first-round pick hauling in four receptions on Seattle’s first two drives. Both receivers were a big part of Seattle’s final two drives, with Metcalf hauling in a combined three catches for 33 yards and Smith-Njigba catching three passes for 16 yards.

• Macdonald’s fourth-down decision-making: One of the intriguing storylines to follow for new head coaches is how aggressive they are in fourth-down situations. On Sunday, Macdonald faced three fourth-and-1 situations in which he had to decide whether to go for it or attempt a field goal. On a fourth-and-1 at the New England 36-yard line midway through the second quarter, Macdonald elected to keep Seattle’s offense on the field. The move paid off, as Smith converted a quarterback sneak to extend what ended up being an 11-play, 70-yard TD drive. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the New England 23 on the opening drive of the second half, Macdonald again decided to bypass a field-goal attempt. The gamble didn’t pay off that time, as running back Zach Charbonnet was stuffed for a 1-yard loss up the middle. Macdonald’s biggest decision came in the closing moments of regulation. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the New England 15 with 58 seconds remaining, the Seahawks twice tried to draw the defense offside. But after the Patriots didn’t jump either time, Macdonald sent out the field-goal unit and Myers hit a 44-yarder that ultimately forced overtime.

• Hunter Henry burns Seattle’s defense: Among the many positives from the Seahawks’ stellar season-opening defensive performance against Denver was their ability to keep the tight ends in check. Opposing tight ends have long been an Achilles heel for Seattle, but Denver’s tight ends mustered just two catches for 12 yards on four targets last week. It was a much different story on Sunday. New England tight end Hunter Henry had seven catches for 98 yards in the first half, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the Patriots’ first-half total yardage. The ninth-year veteran had three catches for 37 yards on the Pats’ first-half TD drive, three catches for 26 yards on the ensuing field-goal drive and then took a tight end screen 35 yards to key another field-goal drive. The good news is that Seattle clearly made an adjustment at halftime, holding Henry to just one catch for 11 yards the rest of the way.

.@JBrissett12 and @Hunter_Henry84 making things happen.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/yPHlgiEx6n

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 15, 2024

• Seattle couldn’t get run game untracked: The Seahawks’ rushing attack was key to their season-opening win over Denver, with Kenneth Walker III running for 103 yards and a TD to help ignite the offense after an ugly first half. However, Walker suffered an oblique injury in the fourth quarter last week, which sidelined him for Sunday’s game. With Walker out, Seattle couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Patriots, with Charbonnet rushing for just 38 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Charbonnet did make an impact in the passing game though, totaling five catches for 31 yards – including a key third-down reception in overtime that helped set up the game-winning field goal.

• Seattle’s run defense struggles: Stopping the run was no doubt a major point of emphasis heading into the game, given that bruising New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a TD on 25 carries against Cincinnati last week. The Seahawks did a decent job in the first half, limiting Stevenson and fellow running back Antonio Gibson to 56 yards on 14 carries. But the Patriots’ run game came alive in the second half, with the two backs finishing the game with a combined 177 yards on 32 carries for an average of 5.5 yards per attempt. Gibson ran for 96 yards on 11 carries, including a 45-yard gain that came after multiple missed tackles. Stevenson, meanwhile, added 81 yards and a TD on 21 carries. But as much as the Seahawks struggled against the run in the second half, they came through in overtime by stuffing Stevenson on third-and-1 to give the ball back to Geno & Co. for the game-winning drive.

Watch: Seahawks’ DK Metcalf burns Patriots with long TD catch

Follow @CameronVanTil