The Seattle Seahawks did their part to help the city Monday night after a heartbreak for fans watching on the sidelines. It just wasn’t pretty.
The Seahawks, despite four turnovers, held on to earn a 27-19 victory over CJ Stroud and the Texans at Lumen Field in the second game of a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader. That pushed them to 5-2 on the season and kept them tied atop the already loaded NFC West standings.
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The victory also came just hours after the Seattle Mariners lost 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ACLS. Even though the game was in Toronto, fans gathered at T-Mobile Park across the street to watch their team attempt to make the franchise’s first trip to the World Series. But that will have to wait.
On the football side of things, Seattle took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on Monday, thanks to a 1-yard run by Zach Charbonnet on his second drive of the evening, then a perfect 11-yard slant to Jaxon Smith-Njigba – which sparked an incredible celebration at the goal post that will surely lead to a fine in the coming days.
They should have taken a three-point lead in the first half, but the Seahawks got a little lax and committed a bad turnover while trying to make a trap play before halftime. Receiver Cooper Kupp went to throw to Smith-Njigba from the backfield, but completely overthrew him for the easy pick. That led to Houston’s first points of the night and its first of two field goals before the break.
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Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. scored Houston’s first touchdown of the night in the third quarter. He engulfed quarterback Sam Darnold in the backfield, forced an easy fumble then landed the ball to suddenly make it a five-point game.
But the Seahawks immediately went down and scored a field goal a few minutes later to make it an eight-point game again, then Charbonnet scored his second touchdown of the night on a quick drive after a fourth-down stop to give the Seahawks full control of the game again.
Although Seattle committed two more turnovers in the second half, the Texans were unable to take advantage. They even got to the one yard line, then got stuffed twice at the line of scrimmage, then failed to convert on fourth down in a very bad offensive sequence. Although the Texans finally scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, it came too late. The Seahawks held on to win by eight points.
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Stroud was 23 of 49 for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Texans’ loss. They had just 56 rushing yards as a group, led by Stroud, and Dalton Schultz led them with 85 yards on eight catches. The Texans failed to put together a drive of more than five plays in the third quarter, converted only twice on third down in 15 tries, and simply couldn’t get much going offensively despite a pretty good defensive performance.
Darnold was 17 of 31 for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Seahawks. Kenneth Walker III had 66 yards on 17 carries and Smith-Njigba had 123 yards and a score on eight catches. Even if they still got the win, a night of four turnovers probably won’t lead to victory very often. Luckily for them, the Seahawks are entering their bye week – which should give them a little more time to clean house.
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The Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-9 in the first game of the “Monday Night Football” doubleheader. Jahmyr Gibbs had two touchdowns in his 136-yard outing for Detroit, which also holds a 5-2 record. The Buccaneers lost Mike Evans, likely for most of the rest of the season, with a broken collarbone in that loss.
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Seattle looked incredibly sloppy and committed four ridiculous turnovers, but the Seahawks leave Lumen Field with the victory.
They are now 5-2 this season.
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Hey, they finally did it! The Texans got back into the red zone, then CJ Stroud found Marks for a touchdown after a scramble in the backfield.
Seattle now leads 27-19 with 2:04 left.
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It’s just brutal. The Texans got to the 1-yard line, but somehow they just couldn’t get into the end zone. They got stuck on the goal line twice, got pushed back on a false start, then CJ Stroud overthrew his receiver in the end zone on fourth down.
They scored a first goal at 3, and they left empty…
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The Seahawks continue to give the ball away. Sam Darnold was just intercepted by Derek Stingley Jr., and that started a little fight on the sidelines.
It was the one from Seattle fourth turnover of the night. Somehow the Seahawks still lead by 15.
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They didn’t take advantage of it. A blind block doomed this drive early, then CJ Stroud simply threw back-to-back incompletions as the Seahawks forced another turnover on downs. Not great for Houston.
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The Texans must take advantage of this. They just forced their third turnover of the night after Arroyo lost the ball on a short catch up the middle.
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Nico Collins’ head returned awkwardly to the turf, and he returned to the locker room. The Texans said he was questionable to return while he was evaluated for a concussion.
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That’s now three straight games for the Texans. They have nothing to do offensively, and CJ Stroud just made back-to-back deep shots that didn’t have much of a chance. There’s still over 12 minutes left here, but this one seems almost over…
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JSN called a pass interference penalty near the goal line, then Zach Charbonnet strolled into the end zone without any problems a few plays later. It’s his second score of the evening.
Seattle leads 27-12 now late in the third.
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Marks couldn’t convert on a short run on third down, then the Seahawks simply put them on the line on fourth down easily. What a huge turnover for Seattle.
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It didn’t take long. After a great 26-yard throw to JSN early, the Seahawks just scored an easy field goal to cut their lead to eight late in the third. Although a touchdown would have been better, it’s a start after the fumble on their previous drive.
Now the Texas offense must respond here…
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Well, the Texans are suddenly back at this thing. Will Anderson just sacked Darnold in the end zone and easily knocked the ball out of his hands for Houston’s first touchdown of the night!
They went for the two-point conversion, but were unable to make it. Seattle’s lead is down to five.
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Sam Darnold found his favorite target in Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a fourth-and-1 conversion. The connection resulted in an 18-yard gain. But Seattle couldn’t get into the end zone and settled for a 26-yard Jason Myers FG.
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Not an ideal start to the second half for Houston. In the meantime, it’s perfect for Seattle:
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Before we get back to Texans-Seahawks, we feel your pain, Seattle. If you’re disappointed by the conclusion of the ALCS, take comfort here:
The journey is just as important as the outcome.
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Houston quarterback CJ Stroud completed a 29-yard pass to rookie Jaylin Noel and the Texans got within 3 on a 46-yard FG from Ka’imi Fairbairn on the final play of the half. A six-point swing in favor of Houston in a game that feels like Seattle should be further ahead.
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The Texans tipped Mutombo to the Seahawks on Jason Myers’ 53-yard FG attempt. The score remains 14-3.
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There’s about 1 minute left in the half and the Seahawks are operating on the Texans’ side, looking for points before halftime.
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They had to settle for a field goal, but it was by far their best drive of the game so far. CJ Stroud made a couple of big passes to Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz to get them there, then Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled it from 36 yards out. It’s a start.
The Seahawks lead 14-3 at the end of the second quarter.
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The Seahawks tried to make a trap play, but Cooper Kupp completely missed the throw intended for Jaxson Smith-Njigba and was recovered by Calen Bullock.
Instead of going up three scores at halftime, the Seahawks have just given new life to the Texans. If they want to take advantage, they’ll need a touchdown here, and quickly.
