Rost: 4 surprises from Seahawks and rest of NFL through 2 weeks

It’s been two weeks full of surprises to begin the NFL season, but at 2-0, it’s nothing the Seattle Seahawks or their fans will complain about.

Seahawks’ defense looks to grow from ‘step back’ in Week 2

Seattle’s record itself shouldn’t be one of those surprises. They’ve be a nine-win team for two seasons and aren’t entering a rebuild so much as they’re looking for a refresher under new coach Mike Macdonald. They faced a rookie passer and a disjointed Denver offense in Week 1, then another struggling team starting a career backup in the Patriots in Week 2. Those games weren’t without their challenges, but Seattle’s roster isn’t one incapable of overcoming those.

Here’s what is surprising us in Seattle and from around the league.

Seattle Seahawks’ linebacker play has been solid

The single most popular question I saw from fans ahead of the season was whether the inside linebacker additions were going to be a liability or a boon for the defense. Moving on from Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks was a risk the Seahawks were willing to take, particularly after choosing to make investments instead on their defensive line (you can’t win everywhere, right?). They added Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker, both of whom dealt with injuries during training camp and missed a notable portion of the summer.

Both have made impressive plays so far. Baker recovered a fumble forced by K’Von Wallace in Week 1, and he was sticky in coverage in the end zone on running back Rhamondre Stevenson for what could’ve been a touchdown in Week 2. Meanwhile, Dodson made a pivotal third-and-1 stop in overtime Sunday to force a Patriots punt.

This defense will continue to run through the playmakers up front and on the back end, but neither new linebacker addition has been the costly venture that a worst-case scenario dreamer might’ve feared.

Tomlinson hasn’t been the reliable addition Seattle was hoping for

Not every surprise is a good one. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Seattle has seen some questionable play at both guard positions, but it felt fair for fans to hope that veteran Laken Tomlinson would bring some stability that second-year pro Anthony Bradford or rookie Christian Haynes couldn’t. Neither spot has felt especially stable, though.

More from Stacy Rost: Seahawks’ 2-0 start comes with lingering concerns

Tomlinson, who’s missed a single game in his career, at least has a track record of durability so I’d hardly write off that signing just yet. Whether it’s Tomlinson improving, Bradford stepping up or Haynes seeing more reps, Seattle needs to figure out how to bolster its protection, and fast. Week 4 brings a matchup against the Detroit Lions, whose defense led the league in pressures last season.

The Saints are … really, really good?

Ask any analyst to bet on their NFC South leader in the preseason and they would’ve told you it would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who, in their defense, are also 2-0 to start the season.

But the Saints have been good. Like really, really good. Tip of the cap to new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. They’ve scored on 16 of 21 possessions and have punted just three times, including only once last week. Dropping 47 points on the Panthers was one thing, but dropping 44 the next week to the Cowboys is another. They’re third in total offense and Derek Carr leads the league in passer rating.

It feels inevitable that the offenses we know to be stellar, like San Francisco and Dallas and Detroit, will eventually sit atop the league again, and that New Orleans will have some regression to the mean. But it’s nice to see a fresh face to start the season.

None of the top-drafted passers have thrown a TD

Three of the top six drafted quarterbacks – the only three starting games for their teams – have gone through two weeks without throwing a single touchdown between them.

Denver’s Bo Nix has thrown four interceptions while rushing for a score, Chicago’s Caleb Williams has two picks, and Washington’s Jayden Daniels had two rushing touchdowns in Week 1 but still awaits his first passing TD.

This speaks less to the overall talent pool of this group and serves more as a reminder than the average rookie quarterback’s season looks more like a jumble of trial and error than it does C.J. Stroud’s 2023 campaign.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seahawks plan to keep competition open at RG
• 10 Seahawks stats that tell the story after Week 2
• Mike Macdonald goes inside Seahawks’ decisions on fourth down
• Huard: A telling decision the Seahawks made Sunday
• Like best QBs, Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith finding ways to win

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