Young Seahawks WRs Come of Age in OT Win vs. Rams
RENTON, Wash. - On an afternoon where the Seattle Seahawks were starting at playoff elimination and the offense wasn't close to clicking on all cylinders, the team needed to find a spark to come back from a 13-6 halftime deficit against a motivated Los Angeles Rams squad looking to play the role of spoiler at Lumen Field.
But while star receiver Tyler Lockett provided the much-needed fireworks in the second half courtesy of a 36-yard touchdown reception from Geno Smith, Seattle may not have eked out a thrilling 19-16 overtime victory without key contributions coming from unlikely sources on offense in the second half.
Specifically, receivers Dareke Young and Cade Johnson could not have picked a better time to snag their first career NFL receptions with the season on the line. Producing in the clutch in a high stakes season finale, the two former small school standouts combined to catch four passes for 45 yards, including reeling in three first down catches from Smith in the final two quarters of play.
"It was dope just to be able to see Cade and Dareke," Lockett told reporters after the game concluded. "They both made great plays in the game, both made first downs. I think they're two talented receivers. I think they're gonna do great within their careers. And it was just super cool man."
More than willing to lend a helping hand to younger players on the roster, Lockett has watched Young and Johnson grind on the practice field as they waited for their chance to make an impact on game day. Those efforts at the VMAC finally yielded fruit when least expected, helping propel the Seahawks to the postseason.
Selected in the seventh round out of Lenoir Rhyne, Young has quietly earned the trust of coach Pete Carroll and Seattle's coaching staff as the season progressed. For most of the season, his playing time has come primarily on special teams, where he's emerged as a key cog on kick and punt coverage teams with five tackles and two downed punts.
But with Dee Eskridge and Marquise Goodwin both currently on injured reserve, Young has seen an expanded role on offense in recent weeks. Along with moonlighting as a hybrid fullback on a handful of plays, he's seen more action out wide as a receiver with the Seahawks subbing him in often on run plays to take advantage of his blocking ability on the perimeter.
After missing out on his first catch against the 49ers in Week 15 due to a holding penalty, Young finally got his hands on the football for the first time on Sunday and didn't squander either opportunity. In the third quarter, Smith shoveled a pass to him out of fly motion and as he bolted outside, he made a defender miss before finally being tackled on a 12-yard gain that moved the chains.
"He's been doing what you've seen all year," Lockett said of Young. "He had that phenomenal catch, I think against San Fran. And they called a flag on us, but I mean Dareke can make plays man and and you see it. He's a big receiver but we give him a little tip tap and he almost took it the distance, was able to make a move and all that stuff."
Unfortunately, Young's efforts didn't lead to points, as Smith threw an ugly interception to Jalen Ramsey two plays later to bring the drive to an abrupt end. But the rising rookie came through again in the fourth quarter, catching a quick curl route from Smith and slipping past Ramsey for 12 yards and another first down, helping lead to a game-tying field goal by Jason Myers.
Then in overtime, Young made a tremendous tackle on return specialist Brandon Powell, limiting him to a six-yard return. Two plays later, quarterback Baker Mayfield was intercepted by Quandre Diggs, setting the stage for a game winning drive.
Given his recent offerings on offense and special teams, Young's emergence catching key passes in the finale for the Seahawks may not have been much of a surprise. But the same wouldn't be said for Johnson, who had only dressed for two regular season games with a lone target thrown his way prior to Sunday.
Johnson, who originally joined Seattle as a priority undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State after the 2021 NFL Draft, spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad without being elevated for a game. Re-signed to a future/reserve deal in January, he failed to make the roster out of training camp and found himself in the same position for most of this season.
However, with Eskridge and Goodwin sidelined, Johnson finally received the chance to prove what he could on game day he had been working so diligently for and awarded the coaching staff for their faith in him against the Rams.
"He's been playing this role for a long time for us and been really backing up Tyler [Lockett}. He's the most like Tyler," Carroll explained. "And he's been around here for a couple of years and all. He's just been growing in the trust that we talk about, the trust of the coaches, they really know that he knows what he's doing. So we believe in him. He's been available; we just haven't needed him. And for him to make a couple of big catches, that was a really big deal. And he did beautifully yesterday."
Deadlocked in a 6-6 tie early in the second quarter, Johnson came open on a seven-yard hitch and Smith delivered a strike. After hauling in the catch, he turned up field and dove forward past the marker, gaining 11 yards and turning his first reception into a new set of downs to get Seattle out of the shadow of its own goal post.
Then in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Johnson came through for the Seahawks again, bringing in another 10-yard reception for a first down to jump start what looked to be a game-winning drive. After a 25-yard scamper by Smith with 15 extra yards added on an unnecessary roughness penalty against Ramsey, Myers came on for a 46-yard field goal, but the kick sailed right and struck the right crossbar.
Nonetheless, like Young, Johnson delivered with his two targets, moving the chains both times and playing a key role in a well-engineered two-minute drill at the end of regulation. When asked about Johnson seizing his opportunity, Lockett smiled, almost reacting like a father would basking in the success of a son after taking him under his wing the past two seasons.
"Cade's been working his butt off and he's gotten the opportunity to get put up to where he was able to be our slot receiver going in this game. He just does everything right. He's been taking advantage of his opportunities and it was just really cool that he was able to get his first catch."
With a rematch against the 49ers looming in the wild card round on Saturday, the Seahawks will need all hands on deck to pull the upset at Levis Stadium. As always, Lockett and DK Metcalf will be Smith's go-to targets after posting 1,000-yard seasons, while tight ends Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson should also factor in heavily to coordinator Shane Waldron's game plan.
But in the postseason, unsung heroes often are needed, if not required, to survive and advance, particularly for 10-point underdogs such as Seattle. While neither would have been viewed as X-factors as recently as a week ago with no catches on their respective resumes, with Goodwin out and Eskridge unlikely to return to game action this week, Young and Johnson likely will have another chance to make a difference on the biggest stage.
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