Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks defended their home field brilliantly, beating the Texans 27-19. The game was controlled by the Seahawks’ terrific defense and the heroics of Smith-Njigba. He has been having a breakout year. JSN is producing, but was also helped by the Texans’ flaws.
How the Seahawks Got the Job Done
From when they scored the opening touchdown of the game, the Seahawks had the game fully under control. This was in large part due to Smith-Njigba having 123 of Sam Darnold’s 213 passing yards. When the Seahawks were able to drive, they were led by Darnold and Smith-Njigba.
“That was very spontaneous,” Smith Njigba said. “Definitely saw a lot of my favorites do it (growing up), but that was really on the spot right there.” A large part of why the Seahawks dominated, other than Smith-Njigba, was their defense. The unit kept CJ Stroud and the rest of the Texans‘ offense at bay.
Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu was also a big part of the win. He made a crucial 18-yard sack on Stroud that pinned Houston back. “It’s amazing to see him play like this right now,” Defensive End Leonard Williams III said of Nwosu. Another crucial play by the Seahawks D was when Jones picked off Stroud, which led to a field goal.
When the Seahawks got to the red zone, the Texans’ defense was able to keep them from using their passing game. That is when Zach Charbonnet came in, rushing for a pair of touchdowns to silence his critics and clinch a crucial win for the Seahawks in front of the “12th Man.”
The Texans Had Many Ups and Downs!
Last night was an ugly game for the Texans. That is something that Stroud acknowledged in his post-game interview. “Our defense kept us in the whole game,” Stroud said. “Got to help those guys out and score some points somehow, some way.” The defense’s highlight play was a forced fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Edge Rusher Will Anderson Jr. Darnold blamed himself for the turnover. “At the end of the day, I got to get the ball out of my hands,” Darnold said.
The Texans’ O-line, which came into the year with the worst-ranked O-line, hasn’t proven its haters wrong. Stroud has spent much of this game running for his life as proof. If a young quarterback cannot get adequate protection, disaster will follow. Andrew Luck’s early retirement and Joe Burrow’s injury struggles with Cincinnati are examples of that.
