Another week, another Seahawks win. And in the aftermath of a 27-13 win over the Giants that only further stamped the Seahawks as a legitimate playoff contender and threat to win the NFC West, we have mostly happy questions in our weekly Four Downs feature with beat reporters Bob Condotta and Adam Jude.
Is Geno Smith really an MVP candidate? Should Seattle make a move at the trade deadline?
Let’s get to it.
1. Where does Geno Smith stand in the MVP race? Is he a legitimate contender?
Condotta: To make it plain as mud — yes, and no. Smith certainly deserves to be in the conversation with a litany of impressive numbers that includes ranking third in the NFL in passer rating at 107.2. But it’s worth remembering how NFL MVP voting works — the 50 voters simply select one and that’s it. There is no 1-10 or something, like in other sports. That’s why Russell Wilson never got a vote. Usually by the end of the year there was one really clear-cut favorite, and if a voter didn’t vote for that guy, a lot of criticism was coming his way.
There are a few candidates who will be equally hard to ignore — Buffalo QB Josh Allen, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and perennial favorite Patrick Mahomes, to name three. But that Smith is even on anyone’s list — venerable NFL writer Peter King of NBCsports.com had Smith fourth on his list Monday behind Allen, Hurts and Mahomes, in that order — feels like victory enough for now.
Jude: Geno is one of the best stories in the NFL. How could he not be? But here’s the (real) deal: He is legitimately playing like one of the league’s best quarterbacks too, and that naturally puts him in the MVP conversation. Who would have predicted we’d be saying that about Geno Smith on Halloween in 2022? (Answer: Absolutely no one.) He’s not just managing games for a stuck-in-the-mud Pete Carroll offense, as many assumed. Geno is the reason the Seahawks are winning right now, and he’s operating Shane Waldron’s offense so masterfully that it’s completely reasonable for this team to start to dream big.
2. What’s the most important thing the Seahawks defense has done over the past month?
Jude: It’s pretty simple: They’re tackling. They’re tackling better … and, just as important, they’re tackling the quarterback more often. Sacks can sometimes be an overrated statistic. Defensive coaches will tell you consistent pressure on the quarterback is even more significant — don’t let the QB get comfortable, really — but sacks are obviously great too. And the Seahawks have had a lot of them during their three-game winning streak: 14 in all, after registering just eight sacks in the first five games of the season. Uchenna Nwosu is a big reason for that — he had two more sacks and a pressure Sunday, earning one of the highest grades (90.0) of anyone over the weekend from Pro Football Focus.
Condotta: Allow the players to be themselves. Seattle began the season with a defensive philosophy based on reading-and-reacting as it instituted more 3-4 looks in overhauling the defense after the firing of coordinator Ken Norton Jr., following last season. But that simply proved to be a bad fit for the players up front, who prefer a more aggressive one-gap style, which is what many of them have done for most of their careers anyway.
Coaches told the players they’d take the reins off as long as they proved they could be trusted to make the right decisions. Along with fitting their skill sets better, it also appears to have given them a sense of empowerment that they appreciated, and have thrived with the last three games.
Said defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson last week: “I like playing aggressive and I know the guys that I’m playing with like playing aggressive and like making plays. If you can make it with the guys up front, why not? With that comes a lot of responsibility and we have to be where we are supposed to be and make the plays when they come to us. If I don’t make the play and it goes for 20, maybe you do need to read so the linebackers can make it. We have to take advantage of our opportunities.”
3. Are we sure DK Metcalf is human?
Jude: Superman probably dresses up as DK Metcalf on Halloween. The dude is so tough it feels as if we’re starting to become desensitized to his ability to play through — well, to play through just about anything, it seems. He played through a significant foot injury for the final 13 games of the 2021 season, and last week it appeared he would likely miss at least a few games with a knee injury — only to return to practice Friday, suit up Sunday and play a starring role in another Seahawks’ victory. Ho-hum.
Condotta: At this point we should never be surprised by anything Metcalf does. It sure looked bad when he was carted off the field in Los Angeles and didn’t practice until Friday. But then Sunday rolled around and Metcalf was in the starting lineup, as usual. And while the team “took care of him” some, to use a favored Pete Carroll phrase, and he played just 62% of the snaps instead of his usual 80% or more, Metcalf was as big of a factor as ever with an early TD and two catches on the pivotal fourth-quarter drive that put the Seahawks ahead for good. And for anyone who wondered how he might react to the big new contract he signed before the season …
4. Should the Seahawks make a move before Tuesday’s trade deadline?
Jude: The Seahawks should be looking for upgrades where they can. They should have been active in the Roquan Smith sweepstakes — imagine Smith paired with Jordyn Brooks in the middle of the Seahawks defense — before Smith was traded Monday to Baltimore. They could pivot and add another playmaker at wide receiver — Brandin Cooks, Kendrick Bourne and KJ Hamler are thought to be on the market. The Seahawks have put themselves in a great position in a winnable NFC West, and they might only be one move away from being serious Super Bowl contender. And if that’s the case, they ought to give serious thought to making an impactful move to put them over the top.
Condotta: That all sounds tempting. Here’s the problem — Seattle has little salary cap space available, just $3.4 million, which it’s going to need to get through the season — and while cap space can always be created, there don’t appear to be a lot of simple ways for the Seahawks to do that this year. I’m also not sure Seattle wants to push much more money into the future — they already have restructured the contracts of Shelby Harris and Gabe Jackson to create the space to get through this season — especially now that the prospect of wanting to re-sign Smith to what will be a pretty significant contract this offseason seems pretty realistic.
In other words, all that cap space they seem to have in 2023 may be more spoken for than it appears, assuming the Seahawks want to keep Smith, which you’d think they do. I also think Seattle really likes the way the team is playing right now. Just not sure all that adds up to Seattle making a big move this year.