NEW YORK — “Man, what a crazy game.”
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s first press conference words following a 26-21 win over the New York Jets likely encompassed the thoughts of most people who watched Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium.
The Seahawks (7-5) overcame, turnovers, a New York kickoff return for a touchdown and deficits of 14-0 and 21-7 to win their third in a row.
“That first half was definitely crazy, but I thought we did a great job of weathering the storm,” said Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who completed 20 of 31 passes and threw a touchdown against the team that drafted him in 2013. “… When things were going haywire, I thought the guys pulled together, and there was great leadership on the sideline.”
When the dust settled, the Seahawks found themselves all alone atop the NFC West as they prepare to face 6-6 Arizona for the second time in 15 days.
Some of the highlights — or lowlights — depending on your vantage point.
Dee Williams and Laviska Shenault Jr. each fumbled away a kickoff returns, and the Jets turned one of them into a 14-0 lead with 3:25 to go in the first quarter.
Jets returner Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD and a 21-7 Jets lead with 12:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Shenault then muffed the ensuing kickoff, picked it up, tripped on the turf and lost the ball again. The Jets, poised to extend their lead, then watched 310-pound defensive lineman Leonard Williams return an interception 92 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, because, why not?
In the third quarter, the Seahawks ran eight plays inside the Jets 5-yard-line trailing 21-16 and came away with no points.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson, suffering from back spasms, was unable to punt in the second half, which led to the Seahawks going for it on fourth-and-6 from their own 33. The Jets were surprised enough to 12 men on the field for a penalty, and the Seahawks picked up a first down on fourth-and-1 when Jets cornerback Quan’tez Stiggers tackled DK Metcalf before the ball arrived and was penalized.
In the end, though, the Seahawks made the plays they needed to make to beat a struggling Jets team in their building. The offensive line, playing with rookie sixth-round pick Sataoa Laumea at right guard in place of injured starter Anthony Bradford, found enough footing for Seattle’s nine-play, 71-yard drive capped by running back Zach Charbonnet’s 8-yard TD for the game’s final score with 5:31 to go in the game.
After allowing 19 straight points to Seattle, the Jets moved the ball to the Seahawks 29 with 1:22 to go, but Leonard Williams sacked Aaron Rodgers on third-and-10 to give him 4 1/2 sacks in the past two games. Rodgers, rushed by safety Coby Bryant on fourth down, heaved an incomplete pass toward Garrett Wilson on New York’s final chance. A day before his 41st birthday, the controversial quarterback finished the game 21-for-39 with 185 yards and two TD passes.
It’s been quite a run for Leonard Williams, who dominated Arizona a week earlier, but lost out on NFC defensive player of the week honors that went to teammate Coby Bryant. Williams, drafted sixth overall by the Jets in 2015, finished with two sacks and three tackles for loss to go along with his pick-6. On the inception play, the big defensive lineman dropped back into pass coverage, tipped the ball up, gathered it in and started running. While he didn’t get up enough speed to receive a traffic ticket in a school zone, he managed to reach 17.8 miles per hour according to NextGen Stats.
I didn’t expect to get that far with it, to be honest,” said Williams who scored a touchdown for the first time in his 10-year career. “… Once I crossed the 50, I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. But, I saw (Devon Wither)Spoon and my whole defense, the whole cavalry, pretty much running down the field. They were pretty much more excited for me to get that touchdown than myself.”
Though any sort of road win is a good win in the NFL, the Seahawks know they have some things to work on before heading to Arizona. The kickoff returners and kickoff coverage teams struggled. The offensive line again had issues getting a push in the red zone. Kenneth Walker III managed just 49 yards on 16 carries as the team finished with 84 rushing yards.
“We’ve got to be better in the short yardage area,” Smith said. “And, that’s all of us. Those are the situations where you can really punch it in and dominate a game.”
In the end, despite the wild plays, mistakes and sloppy play in the first half, it was a December road victory.
You’ve got to play a certain brand of football to win in December,” Macdonald said. “This is all you can ask for — a chance to take it home down the stretch. We’re right in it, and off to Arizona we go.”
The game’s box score can be found here.
This story originally appeared in seattlesportsnow.com, of which Aaron Coe is a co-founder. Follow Coe on X: @Coe_Aaron
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