3 Up, 3 Down: Tyler Lockett Eclipses 1,000-Yard Mark, Rashaad Penny Breaks Out in Seahawks' 33-13 Win Over Texans
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The Seahawks will live to fight another day, securing their first winning streak of the 2021 season and improving to 5-8 with a 33-13 win over the Texans. For a while, this game was a lot closer than the final score will indicate, though Seattle's offense managed to pull away in the fourth quarter while the defense held Houston scoreless for the entire second half.
Let's go over the three best and worst performances from the afternoon.
3 Up
RB Rashaad Penny and the Seahawks' offensive line
Over the past two weeks, Penny has become something of a later-bloomer. Finally healthy, the fourth-year running back went down to Houston and put together the best game of his rocky career on Sunday. He accounted for 137 of the team's 193 rushing yards on the day, averaging a whopping 8.6 yards per carry while breaking off 32- and 47-yard touchdown runs in the process. Those explosives—and his day as a whole—were greatly assisted by some fantastic run blocking up front from Seattle's offensive line, particularly on behalf of left guard Damien Lewis and first-time starting right tackle Jake Curhan. Everyone involved deserves a pat on the back for orchestrating the team's most complete game on the ground this year.
WR Tyler Lockett
History was made on Sunday as Lockett became just the second receiver in Seahawks' history to record three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He did it in a big way as well, tallying 142 yards, a two-point conversion and a touchdown on a beautiful 55-yard bomb from quarterback Russell Wilson. But aside from his lone score, two of his five catches came on acrobatic, highlight-worthy plays. He was magnificent in this one, continuing what has arguably been his most impressive season considering the circumstances.
DT Al Woods
Woods was flagged for a roughing the snapper peantly that extended a scoring drive for Houston, but it didn't influence the outcome of this game or the result of the possession in the end. Other than that, he was—as he's been all season—an absolute game-wrecker up the middle, eating up the Texans' interior offensive line. He dictated the run game with five combined tackles and was also a presence in rushing the quarterback, generating fairly consistent pressure on his way to sharing a sack with fellow defensive lineman Rasheem Green. Once again, Woods staked his claim as the Seahawks' most unsung hero of the 2021 campaign.
3 Down
RB Alex Collins
Back in Seattle's running back rotation after missing Week 13 with an abdomen injury, Collins failed to share in the team's success on the ground. He ran the ball seven times for just 16 yards (2.3 YPC) and reeled in one target for a single yard through the air. Now that it's clear Collins has been supplanted by Penny as the Seahawks' headline back, the regression he's suffered since his Week 6 breakout has come to a head.
WR DK Metcalf
It wasn't a bad day by any means for Metcalf, but he lands on this list simplbecause he could have come away with a far better outing—for reasons that were mostly out of his hands. After he registered just one catch for eight yards through the first half of action, Wilson looked his way more often but just couldn't seem to get on the same page. During the third quarter, the star quarterback forced a ball into the end zone for his 6-foot-4 receiver, who was unable to shed double coverage to make the catch and appeared to hurt his lower back in the process. Metcalf remained in the game and managed to add a 22-yard gain to his afternoon on a nice catch-and run. However, he was robbed of his first touchdown since Halloween on two separate occasions: once when he was grossly interfered with by Lonnie Johnson after burning the Houston cornerback, and again when Wilson threw a ball behind him on a wide-open slant the very next play. Metcalf is finding ways to contribute to his team still, but given his upside and game-breaking ability, this was yet another week in which he severely underachieved.
K Jason Myers
Thanks to the Seahawks' 20-point win, Myers' unideal day at the office will ultimately be a non-story. He knocked down a pair of 38-yard field goals, but whiffed on two of his three extra point attempts, which partly kept Seattle's lead to six points for most of the game. On a day in which Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbair set the record for the longest field goal in NRG Stadium history (61 yards), Myers was simply bested by his Houston counterpart. At the very least, Wilson and company were rolling well enough to limit his opportunities in this one.
