The 5 craziest things that happened in Seahawks’ bonkers win over Jets

Dec 1, 2024, 1:52 PM | Updated: 6:26 pm

Seattle Seahawks Jets New York Zach Charbonnet...

Zach Charbonnet of the Seattle Seahawks scores a touchdown against the New York Jets. (Elsa/Getty Images)

(Elsa/Getty Images)

Editor, Seattle Sports

What on earth did we just watch? The Seattle Seahawks’ 26-21 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium was as crazy as it gets, which is saying something when you consider the two teams involved.

Seahawks beat Jets | Observations | Stacy’s column | Stats

The Seahawks have “literally never played in a normal game,” as ESPN’s Kevin Clark famously said on social media five years ago in a post that reappears in Seattle fans’ newsfeeds almost weekly during the football season (because it’s true).

The Jets, meanwhile… well, they’re the Jets. Their team history is also full of things out of the ordinary, but they’ve tended to do so in a more glass half-empty way than the Hawks, at least in recent years.

So yeah, nobody could have expected the craziness that was the Week 13 contest, only except that when you put the Seahawks and Jets together, what happened Sunday was kind of exactly what you’d expect.

Race for NFC West: Seahawks alone in the lead, but for how long?

What was it about the game that had everybody on social media shouting from the rooftops about its weirdness? Here are five most eye-popping things that happened.

Leonard Williams’ pick-six

Ever see a 300-pound man return an interception 92 yards for a touchdown in an NFL game before Sunday? No, you haven’t, because Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams made history with his improbably pick-six in the second quarter. According to CBS Sports Research, it was the longest interception return for a score by a player weighing at least 300 pounds on record.

Watch: Seahawks DL Leonard Williams rumbles for 92-yard pick-six

Williams is on fire right now, too. A week after a monster game against the Arizona Cardinals, he made quite the bid to be the second straight Seahawks player to win NFC Player of the Week, adding two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed to his pick-six on the stat sheet against his former team.

Big Cat wreaking havoc…again. pic.twitter.com/Pee3ms8xcz

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024

Butterfingers for Seattle Seahawks’ return men

When you’re a return man, you’re probably going to muff a kick every once in a while. Luckily you usually have time to corral the ball before the coverage team makes its way to you, though.

Unless you’re the Seahawks’ return men on Sunday. And yes, you read that correctly – that was plural. Both Laviska Shenault Jr. and Dee Williams coughed one up at MetLife Stadium.

FOOTBALL IS FUN 👏

📺 #SEAvsNYJ on FOX pic.twitter.com/67USN91uZf

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 1, 2024

On two separate kick returns after touchdowns in the first half, each of Seattle’s returners not only muffed the kick from Jets kicker Anders Carlson, but lost the ball to New York. Ouch. That means the Jets twice started with the ball inside Seattle’s 40-yard line. One resulted in a New York touchdown drive, but the other – because boy were the Seahawks lucky on Sunday – resulted in a Seattle touchdown (Williams’ pick-six).

Oh, and about that luck? That’s about the only thing you can call it when you win on a day where you fumble away the ball on not one but two kickoffs.

Special teams woes nearly derail Seahawks’ win over Jets

Full meal deal on special teams

We’re not done talking about special teams.

How often have you seen a game where each team had a point-after try blocked, and then one team had a kickoff returned 99 yards for a touchdown for good measure? That’s what you got Sunday.

The Jets’ first touchdown was followed by a blocked PAT for Seattle. The PAT after Williams’ touchdown return was blocked by the Jets. And in between all of that, Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 99 yards for the last of New York’s three TDs on the day.

YOU GOTTA WATCH THIS!!!!

📺 #SEAvsNYJ on FOX pic.twitter.com/pclb8ThICP

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 1, 2024

If you like special teams play, this was the game for you. If you like good special teams play, well… maybe not.

Seattle Seahawks can’t punt – which is apparently a good thing

Michael Dickson is a really good punter, and his play regularly helps the Seahawks win game.

On Sunday, he helped the Seahawks win in a different way.

Dickson flat out couldn’t punt in the second half, as he was shown on the sideline getting treatment on his back. That meant the Seahawks had to go for it on fourth down time and time again, and somehow that worked out.

Seattle climbed back from a 21-16 halftime deficit by scoring a field goal and a touchdown in the second half. On each of those drives, the Hawks faced fourth down and were able to continue their drive. The first was a fourth-and-1 that turned into a fourth-and-six play from New York’s 44 following a false start, with quarterback Geno Smith hitting Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 24-yard reception that helped set up a 43-yard Jason Myers field goal.

JSN keeps the drive alive. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qPtEqKHnB7

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024

As for the second, that gets its own section next.

Five defensive penalties by Jets on game-winning drive

On Seattle’s ultimate game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, they faced fourth down on three separates occasions. They kept driving after each of them because of Jets penalties.

On fourth-and-6 at the Seattle 33, the Jets thought the Seahawks were punting, but because of Dickson’s injury, Seattle wasn’t. That resulted in a flag for too many men on the field, because New York had a full defense out plus a return man. Whoops.

That wasn’t enough to give the Hawks a first down, however, so they had a fourth-and-1 play next. Smith targeted wide receiver DK Metcalf, who was interfered with, giving Seattle a first down at the Jets’ 42. Whoops Pt. Deux.

On the next set of downs, the Seahawks ended up with a fourth-and-1 at the New York 33, and this time the Jets stopped running back Zach Charbonnet… but were called for a horse collar tackle that moved Seattle up to the 17. Whoops 33 1/3.

Four plays later, Charbonnet was in the end zone on an eight-yard run, putting the Seahawks ahead for the first time all day, and for good.

Charbonnet for the lead!! pic.twitter.com/Fc5TQiPpuN

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024

By the way, there were a grand total of five Jets penalties on that drive, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call after the touchdown (that offset with a flag on the Seahawks for the same thing).

Yeah, some stuff happened. Did we cover it all?