- REWATCH: Texans-Seahawks on NFL+ Premium
- Seahawks defense leads way to first play. Defensively on Monday night, the Seahawks were birds of prey, and they feasted on C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The Seahawks exploited a porous Texans offensive line from the first quarter to the last, pressuring Stroud on 31.5% of his dropbacks (though it felt like far more) and keeping Houston without a touchdown until the final period. The Seahawks were stellar at every level with linebacker Ernest Jones tallying a game-high 12 tackles and an interception -- Seattle’s only takeaway. Safety Ty Okada (nine tackles, sack and pass breakup), rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, linebacker Drake Thomas (three pass breakups) and on and on were extraordinary. All the more impressive was the Seahawks played with Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love inactive. This was an ugly game, there is no way around that. And the Seahawks’ offensive approach was puzzling at times. Regardless, Seattle is in a three-way tie for first in an NFC West battle royal and a dastardly defense has led it there.
- Stroud, Texans offense back to strugglesville. Having posted 44 points against a struggling Ravens defense in Week 5 ahead of their Week 6 bye, C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense, ranked 21st in total yards prior to Monday, were back on the field and back to dismal form. Stroud was obliterated all game, taking seven QB hits and three sacks. Pressured or not, Stroud struggled, completing 23 of 49 passes for 4.7 yards per attempt, a touchdown and an interception. Of course, he’s hardly the whole problem and unlikely the chief one. The running game was non-existent (56 yards) and top wideout Nico Collins had a big drop in the first half and then left the game in the second half after his head slammed on the turf on an incompletion. Stroud scrambled free in the first half and dumped off a pass to Nick Chubb only for it to be dropped in a play symbolic of the night -- and season. Even when Stroud can conjure up something positive, he’s getting let down. Post-bye, the offensive struggles are still a glaring issue for the back-to-back AFC South champions.
- JSN shines while Seahawks offense can’t close door. Through disappointing drives aplenty by the Seattle offense, Jaxon Smith-Njigba still managed to flourish. The Seahawks simply couldn’t turn this into a blowout, even though the defense served one up for them. Nonetheless, one of the NFL’s brightest young stars was his weekly wonderful self, putting up eight receptions for 123 yards and an 11-yard touchdown that propelled the Seahawks to a 14-0 lead. The Seahawks dominated much of Monday but let the Texans hang around until the end. Cooper Kupp threw an interception when the Seahawks got fancy in the first half for no reason. Seattle had a field goal blocked. Sam Darnold gave up a hat trick to the Texans’ Will Anderson Jr., who earned a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery for a touchdown in one play. Puzzlingly, Seattle continued to throw the ball late rather than milk the clock. Seattle’s running game continues to be a question mark with neither Kenneth Walker III (17 carries for 66 yards) and Zach Charbonnet (12 carries for 49 yards, two touchdowns) able to find a rhythm this year. While Darnold has generally been good, he’s still good for a few turnovers, offering up two on Monday. As the offense continues to be a puzzlement, JSN is not. He’s a third-year standout who leads the league with 819 receiving yards on 50 catches with four TDs. And he’s a burgeoning star who shined on a night when nobody else was doing the same offensively.
- Texans defense did enough to win. A tip of the helmet at the very least should go to the Texans defense. Along with Will Anderson’s defensive score, Azeez Al-Shaair recovered a fumble and Derek Stingley Jr. and Calen Bullock had INTs. The Seahawks offense’s 316 yards were hardly a great showing and its 2-for-14 performance on third downs was abysmal. Houston was solid on D. Since 2000, teams penalized 10 or more times (the Seahawks were penalized 12 times for 93 yards), have a turnover margin of negative-three or worse and convert under 25 percent of third downs were 0-31, including the playoffs, according to NFL Research. After Monday, said teams are 1-31. Houston’s calling card under DeMeco Ryans has been its defense. In Week 7, it became abundantly clear that’s not just going to be good enough.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Texans-Seahawks (via NFL Pro): C.J. Stroud was 4 of 14 for 55 yards, a touchdown and an interception under pressure. On his TD pass to Woody Marks, he had eight seconds to throw.
NFL Research: Through seven games, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has five 100-yard receiving yards, which is just one shy of the franchise season record, held by Hall of Famer Steve Largent (1979).
