Uchenna Nwosu and the rest of the Seahawks pass rush came into Monday night’s game against the Denver Broncos with something to prove.
The pass-rush was one of the Seahawks’ biggest question marks heading into 2022, and following the performance of Nwosu, Shelby Harris and others in the pass-rush unit in the 17-16 win, the Seahawks are probably feeling better about the big guys up front.
After finishing near the bottom of the league in pass-rush rankings each of the last two seasons, the Seahawks shored up the problem in the offseason with the free-agent addition of Nwosu and acquiring Harris via trade.
Those additions paid off for the Seahawks as they battered Russell Wilson to the tune of eight quarterback hits, two sacks, a pair of forced fumbles inside the 5-yard line and six tackles for loss.
Nwosu finished with two of those quarterback hits, along with a sack, a forced fumble and a defended pass.
“He was physical and tough and making stuff happen,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “(He) had the sack, had the big hit and forcing a fumble, and he was a problem. He played great. He really did. Thrilled that he was able to be that impacting.”
The Seahawks made three goal-line stands against the Broncos, and managed to put pressure on Wilson by anticipating his run to the right side. While Wilson still managed to throw for 340 yards, he was dodging Seahawks tacklers for much of the night.
For a defense that came into the season doubted by many, Monday night was a statement game.
“It was part of the game plan, you know,” Nwosu said. “Russell’s electric, a dynamic quarterback, especially when he’s rolling to his right. So going to the game plan, we have to limit him in that circumstance. … We’ve got some special guys that get after the quarterback, and that’s what we displayed tonight.”
In the first half, the Seahawks defense hit Wilson three times. In the first quarter, Jamal Adams blitzed and managed to make contact against the Denver quarterback, only to injure his quad and come out of the game.
The Seahawks continued to pressure Wilson throughout the second half as well, with five more quarterback hits against their old signal caller. Arguably the biggest quarterback hit of the game came courtesy of Harris, who was acquired in the Wilson trade.
On third down at the 8-yard line, with 6:21 remaining in the game, Harris clobbered Wilson as he threw an end-zone pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
Harris’ hit led to an incomplete pass, and held the Broncos to a field goal to put the score at 17-16, the eventual final. In his first game against a Broncos team with whom he spent the past five seasons, Harris finished with three tackles, one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss.
“That’s what happens when you trade one of your D-lineman to the other team,” Harris told NFL Network after the game. “We sit here and make plays, all of us, and that is what happens when you make two goal-line stops. Right there, a win. You can’t draw it up any better than that.”
Wilson was sacked twice in the second quarter by Nwosu and Cody Barton, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Six different players managed at least one quarterback hit, in Barton, Nwosu, Harris, Adams, defensive end Quinton Jefferson and outside linebacker Darrell Taylor.
For the leader of this year’s Seahawks’ defense, which came into the season ranked as the 30th-best pass rushing unit in the league by Yardbarker, it was a welcome sight.
“Awesome, man,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. “Coach (Clint) Hurtt, he’s been talking about that since he got the job, when to get pressure on the quarterback. I thought the D-line did a great job. We had Cody (Barton), Jamal (Adams) coming in and getting sacks with blitzes. It was a great night as far as getting pressure on the QB.”
According to Brooks, the difference between this year’s pass rush and last year’s all comes down to its team chemistry.
“We had a great offseason together,” Brooks said. “And it was a lot of great communication going out there today, which I think it helped us play fast, play smart not give up too many explosives, and hold them to 16 points. So I would say the chemistry of the team is letting guys get free.”