3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers From Seahawks Week 6 Victory
There's no sugar-coating it. The Seahawks 32-28 victory over the Browns will definitely be remembered as one of the craziest and most bizarre games of the 2019 season.
After the first 15 minutes, with the Seahawks down 14-6 and eventually they fell behind by 14, giving up three straight touchdowns to open the contest. Thankfully for the Seahawks, turnovers became a major factor and allowed them to crawl back into the game in the second half.
The Seahawks’ defense was able to force four turnovers along with a blocked punt from receiver David Moore. With a record of now 5-1, the Seahawks will either maintain their second-place position in the division or overtake the 49ers for the lead in the NFC West heading into Week 7.
Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from Seattle's Week 6 win in Cleveland.
Three Up
Russell Wilson
If not for four turnovers produced by Seattle's defense, Wilson may not have been given the opportunity to bring his team back from an early deficit. But with the game on the line in the second half, he made his chances count and then some, continuing to look like an MVP front-runner.
While the eight-year quarterback was affected by the gusty winds a few times in Cleveland, Wilson was still able to complete 23 of his 33 pass attempts for 295 yards along with a pair of touchdowns to receiver Jaron Brown. He also scored a rushing touchdown to put Seattle on the board early in the first quarter.
Shaquill Griffin
While most the Seahawks’ secondary struggled during the early portion of this game, Griffin was one of the few players on defense who excelled against the Browns. With only recording four solo tackles, the third-year pro created a pair of critical pass deflections.
Griffin’s largest contribution came late in the second quarter when he undercut and deflected a red zone throw intended for receiver Jarvis Landry. Safety Tedric Thompson dove for the batted ball and intercepted it, getting up to his feet and returning it 18 yards. Following that turnover, Wilson and the offense were able to march down the field to score a touchdown prior to halftime.
Jaron Brown
Despite only producing a trio of receptions, Brown emerged as Wilson's favorite target in their Week 6 victory. Following the potentially season-ending Achilles injury to tight end Will Dissly in the second quarter, Wilson turned to Brown frequently in the red zone, hitting the seventh-year receiver out of Clemson for a pair of touchdowns.
Brown’s most impressive touchdown came during the third quarter, as he improvised his route in the end zone as Wilson bought time in the pocket and found him for a six-yard score. If Dissly is sidelined for a significant amount of time as expected, then expect Brown to have a much larger role in Seattle's passing game moving forward.
Three Down
Jason Myers/Michael Dickson
Special teams have been a chronic issue for Seattle all year long to this point and Sunday wasn't any better. Dickson hasn't looked like the All Pro punter he was a year ago and though coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks should've taken a safety instead, his short punt that went out of bounds at Seattle's 25-yard line early in the fourth quarter set up the Browns for a quick touchdown drive to retake the lead.
As for Myers, he continued his odd career-long struggles connecting on extra points, which could've come back to hurt the Seahawks late in the game. Luckily, they weren't in another one-point encounter like they were last Thursday and could work around the mistake.
Tackling on Nick Chubb
Last week against the Rams, the Seahawks game planned to prevent running back Todd Gurley from having a game-changing performance as a runner. This week, the Seahawks defense was unable to duplicate the same success against Browns running back Nick Chubb. The second-year back from Georgia ran 20 times for a total of 122 yards along with two rushing touchdowns.
After breaking through the defensive line, Chubb was able to take advantage of multiple missed tackles by the Seahawks throughout the game. Those errors not only resulted in a pair of touchdowns, but also a handful of 10-plus yard rushes, including a 52-yard rush by Chubb in the first half.
Jadeveon Clowney/Pass Rush
It was certainly a tale of two halves for the Seahawks defensive line. During the first half, the Seahawks pass rush failed to apply any significant pressure on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. In the second half, the Seahawks were able to flush Mayfield out of the pocket several times, but were unable to even record a single hit against the second-year quarterback.
For Clowney, it was very surprising to witness the six-year pro produce only three tackles. Aside from drawing a holding penalty, the former No. 1 overall pick was largely taken out of the game by the Browns offensive line. Heading into next week against the Ravens, the Seahawks will need Clowney to bounce back and apply a ton of pressure on dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson.
