Seahawks safety delivers critical plays in ‘familiar’ setting

Julian Love found himself in a familiar setting on Sunday and made the type of plays Seattle Seahawks fans have gotten familiar with him making.

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Playing on the field he used to call home with the New York Giants, Love made two critical defensive plays in the second half to help the Seahawks overcome a sloppy first two quarters and outlast the New York Jets 26-21 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

“We definitely have talked this week and just getting in town … it was just a different energy for sure,” Love said of conversations with teammate Leonard Williams, who previously played for both New York teams. “It’s familiar. We still have a lot of friends out here. … We were used to the sights and sounds and it allows us to play fast and just try to be there for our team.”

Williams had the biggest day among Seahawks defenders, rumbling for a record-setting pick-six in the second quarter and providing two key sacks down the stretch. The always-steady Love, a teammate of Williams with the Giants, made it an impactful day for both former members of New York teams on Seattle’s starting defense.

The sixth-year safety’s first key defensive play came with Seattle trailing 21-16 late in the third quarter. Standout Jets running back Breece Hall took a handoff up the middle past both linebackers on the second level and Love met him with a well-placed hit to knock the ball loose for a fumble recovered by Tyrice Knight. The turnover set up a 43-yard Jason Myers field goal to pull within 21-19 early in the fourth quarter.

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Love said he was a “last resort type of player” from his safety spot on the play.

“It was a good play. Obviously that’s a really good running back,” Love said. “He’s elusive, he’s strong, and I was able to square him up and get, I think, my helmet on the ball and jar it loose. Big play and, yeah, I’m happy I can make it.”

The forced fumble was Love’s fourth since arriving in Seattle last season.

The Notre Dame product showed his awareness on another standout play that helped the Seahawks seal the game. New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers dumped off a screen pass to running back Isaiah Davis on second-and-10 from Seattle’s 29 yard line just inside the two-minute warning, and Love flew up to make a tackle for no gain. Williams had a sack on the next play and the Jets turned the ball over on downs with an incompletion on fourth-and-long.

“That was a great play,” head coach Mike Macdonald said. “… To be able to see that play and make it was awesome. We weren’t able to create a lot of third-and-longs, so it was great to get them in that situation finally.”

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