The Seattle Seahawks struggled to get their offense going after returning from their week-five bye, losing 17-13 to the Cincinnati Bengals in a defensive battle.
Fresh off of their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks were back in action against the resurged Cincinnati Bengals.
This was not just an average regular season game, it was the preview of my Super Bowl matchup in which the Bengals topped the Seahawks 17-13 in a defensive battle.
A week-five bye is never ideal, but it gave the Seahawks a chance to rest and regroup early in the season. Nonetheless, Seattle took the road and handled business early with a Kenneth Walker III touchdown in Seattle’s opening drive — his fourth straight game with a touchdown.
It was also great to see Jamal Adams get a second chance at a return to the gridiron after an early exit in his week four season debut.
In the week leading up to the game, media antics were exchanged between DK Metcalf and Ja’Marr Chase, highlighting the matchup between Chase and Seattle’s young corners, Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.
Earlier in the season, Chase had referred to himself as “7-Eleven,” emphasizing that he was always open. But, against Witherspoon, Chase was more reminiscent of Chick-fil-A: closed on Sundays. The rookie corner held Chase to zero catches and finished the day with a career-high three pass breakups.
Seattle’s secondary did its job of “containing” Chase, a task most fail to do. Regardless, Chase ended the day with six receptions and 80 yards on 13 targets, ultimately having a fair matchup against the Seahawks.
Though Woolen and Witherspoon had a couple of coverage plays on Chase, Tre Brown was the one to come down with an interception. Brown’s second interception of the season was off of a 50/50 ball thrown toward Chase; but, the opportunity was to no avail as Geno Smith gifted the Bengals two interceptions later in the game.
Another recurring theme that we see in Seattle football is costly penalties. Metcalf is also no stranger to penalties himself, letting his frustration out on defenders, leading to 15-yard personal foul calls. When he releases his emotions in the way that he does, it not only costs his team yards, but it throws him off of his own game. The Seahawks entered week six second in the league for most penalties in a game with eight.
I’ve been an advocate for getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba the ball more often. Early in the game, it looked like that was going to be the case, but there seemed to be too many mouths to feed. Fellow rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo, who emerged in the preseason, has been optimizing the opportunities he gets on the field, adding more competition for Smith-Njigba for the number three receiver role.
It was overall an ugly game to watch. Too many penalties and bad decisions by the offense made the game much harder to play in. The defense looked sharp, containing the explosive Bengals offense, especially in the second half.
As good as the defense looked, the offense was the polar opposite. Outside of the first drive, Seattle failed to return to the end zone, despite reaching the red zone five times.
The pressure from the Bengals’ front seven reached Seattle’s backfield and Smith was not able to handle any of it. It sparked the beginning of the end for Seattle.
With two possessions to score a touchdown and seal the game, the offense folded, leading to one of the more disappointing losses to witness.
There is a lot for Smith and his offense to improve on heading into week seven. The offensive line must be better and Smith cannot be playing like his Jets days.
The Seahawks move to 3-2 as they return home to Seattle for an NFC West showdown against the Arizona Cardinals. With a San Francisco 49ers loss, the NFC West title remains hopeful for Seattle as they near the midseason mark. I look for the Seahawks not to play down to the level of their opponents as they have always been known to do. Unleash the offense and hold no mercy!
Contact Eric Hayrapetian at Eric.hayrapetian@gmail.com
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