MNF Doubleheader Finale Recap: Defenses Dominate in Lions-Bucs and Seahawks-Texans

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31:16So that we're going to be honking late into the night. Let's go to Seattle.

31:20Nick Shook:First and 10 inside the 15. Looks, throws, fired to the end zone. Ball is caught. Touchdown Seahawks. Dunking it over the bar is Jackson Smith and Jigba. And flags go down because you can't do that as he grabbed the bar. and that can make the whole goalpost wiggle and get out of alignment. But the touchdown stands. The fourth touchdown of the year for JSN from 11 yards out. It was a journey that that call. And, yes, it's been a journey for Jackson Smith and Jigba to go from the supposedly safe, solid wide receiver draft pick taken in the middle of the first round to a guy on Monday Night Football that I think said to America, I have been the best wide receiver in the NFL this year.

32:15That got them to a 14-0 lead, Shook, and they should have won by so much more than 27-19. But you got to give the Texans' defense a lot of credit. I think we saw four really good defenses tonight. The Bucs' defense played great, too. Ultimately, the Seahawks offense did enough to win 27 to 19. And yeah, what the heck? Let's start with Jackson Smith in Jigba because he finishes tonight, not only with that touchdown, but with eight catches, 123 yards. And no one's played better than him this year. And he's playing the best secondary in the league. And he is getting wide open and making just terrific hands catch.

32:58Every type of catch you would want to see. What do you love when you're watching JSN do work?

33:03Nick Shook:Well, I actually just went and checked the stats real quick because I don't routinely check the leaders week by week. So those of you who think I just scanned the stats for QB Index, you're wrong. I wasn't even aware that Jackson Smith and Jiggle was leading the league in receiving, but I'm aware now. And I'm aware after the performance that he had tonight, it's no surprise to me. He has been Sam Darnold's favorite target. They have produced touchdown connections like that one multiple times. That Buccaneers shootout a few weeks ago, you saw that happen. It happened again tonight. A big stones throw from Sam Darnold fitting it down the seam there to find Jackson Smith and Jigba.

33:35Nick Shook:He can trust him because Smith and Jigba came to the NFL with a complete route tree, with plenty of experience gained and plenty of opportunity, playing alongside the likes of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr. at Ohio State. He was ready. And yes, he didn't get going right away when he was sharing the receiving room with DK Metcalf. But guess what? You know why the Seahawks traded DK Metcalf? Because they knew what they had in JSN. And now he's proven it in his first year without him. and Sam Darnold loves him. I could sit here and talk about him for days, but what I really love about this team more than anything is the courage that they had to deviate from the roadmap that most people thought was laid for them with Geno Smith, with the old regime that they had.

34:15Nick Shook:They get Mike McDonald in there in the first year. He makes an offensive coordinator change. He goes to Clint Kubiak, and they decide, you know what? Blow it up. Let's get the quarterback that fits our offense best. Let's take the swing and the big risk on Sam Darnold. and it is paying off. He is a perfect fit for how they want to run their offense, not just JSN, but also how they like to build out of the run, how they like to have the quarterback with his back to the line of scrimmage. Darnold's owning it. And yes, they only won by eight points tonight, but the offense's potential and their production continues to be visible on a week-by-week basis.

34:46Nick Shook:It's just that they ran into a defense that managed to keep the Texans in the game when they didn't deserve to be in the game, and they get another win that they deserved. Seahawks are one of my favorite teams to watch in the NFL right now, and it's for reasons like that. But I totally agree. And it's these teams that are surprisingly dominant so far this year. Seattle entered this game number one in DVOA. I don't know if the Colts, you know, pass them after this week potentially, but they're the number one offense. The thing I love about surprise teams like this is, OK, you get to this point in the season.

35:19You're like, these teams are going to be around. They're going to be a big part of the season. And they're now elevated to if the Seahawks are in prime time, if the Colts are in prime time, although they're not much, but they'll be in some big 425 spots because they're playing so well. Now that feels like a big game. And can they start passing these new tests? And the Texans are not a complete team. They're a mess on offense. But this was a test for the Seahawks often. And I think they, you know, I'd give them a B minus C plus in terms of their offense. But they turned the ball over four times.

35:55Like we can't go too crazy about them in this game. But they also were facing an incredible Texans defense. And it's a reminder, like all these teams that are built around defenses, like you better have at the very least like an explosive offense to complement it. The Broncos, I know they're 5-2, but they really don't. The Vikings certainly don't. The Browns obviously don't. The Texans obviously don't. So a lot of these defense-first teams don't have the type of playmaker that JSN and, yes, Sam Darnold is. And you're right, I'll wear it. I can't remember being more wrong about a take I was very confident in than the move from Geno to Darnold being a downgrade.

36:51And I'm glad you brought up the scheme because he does fit this scheme really well. And he's taken everything that Kevin O 'Connell taught him in Minnesota and everything that he learned there. And I think you have to give him more of the credit because he's taken it to another level. that some of the throws he made tonight early in the game, I know he made a couple mistakes late, were awesome. You don't need him to be perfect, kind of like Daniel Jones doesn't need to be perfect. You just need him to make enough difference-making plays, and these are not easy completions that Darnold's pulling off.

37:23Nick Shook:Yeah, but what really warms my heart watching Darnold succeed with the Seahawks this year is you go all the way back to his days at USC, and I think about that Rose Bowl performance against Penn State, and that was like his breakout game in college, and he made some spectacular throws in that game. I mean, it's a memorable one for USC fans, whether you're a Sam Darnold fan or not. And we didn't really get to see that in his NFL career until moments last year, but he was throwing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He was playing behind a rock solid offensive line. They had a good running game.

37:51Nick Shook:You could blame it on all those other things and not give him the credit. He's earning the credit now. Like he, that touchdown pass to JSM was one, but he also dropped one perfectly in the bucket to him down the sideline later. he makes these throws routinely from week to week he's making throws like this this is the talent that always existed in sam donald that he needed the right situation for it to fully show and it makes them such an enjoyable watch like i said and it also just makes me happy that somebody who has been around the nfl for a while now was at some very low points in new york and carolina was a backup in san francisco only got the job in minnesota because jj mccarthy got hurt is now finally getting a real opportunity, the real faith from an organization and coming through.

38:36Nick Shook:And yes, I know he made some mistakes. He fumbled in the end zone. He threw a pick down the middle. It was a great play by Derek Stingley. They turned the ball over four times. I don't care because he's still making the plays and propelling this team forward. And combined with the defense that Mike McDonald's overseeing, they lack consistency in the run game. They're still one of the most consistent and one of the teams that I believe in the most through seven weeks now. And I've been on this train for about a month now because I don't think they're going away anytime soon and a lot of it's because of Sam Darnold a lot of it it's Sam Darnold supported it's it's Darnold it's the system it's Jackson Smith and Jigba who I think is just so subtle such a good route runner just is so complete and is more talented than people realize it's a really good tackle combination uh in the running game and in the passing game uh helping him out although you know the running game has been a little inconsistent and more than anything It's the defense supporting it all.

39:29This is a top five defense I expected it to be, and it absolutely is. And we saw it tonight. Before we get to that, though, you mentioned that great throw, the hole shot to JSN over Kamari Lassiter in this game. And he also had a throw to Cooper Cup in the first half, where what I loved was what he's done really well this year, just the subtle pocket movement to move to his left because the Texans pass rushers did win quite a bit tonight, and they pressure him almost right away, and he shuffles up and to his left. It's not an easy throw to make, and he just does it very naturally before hitting Cup down the field for a throw.

40:08There was a throw in the red zone early where he gets it to Elijah Arroyo, and Aikman pointed this out. I was thinking the same thing, too, where he gets to his third read so fast, and that's what he's doing. He's generally processing really quickly. Now, there were exceptions on this day, and one of the exceptions was the sack he took in the end zone. Yeah, let's give some love to the Texans' defense and Will Anderson. Let's take a listen.

40:36Nick Shook:Darnold in the gun, calling for the ball. Here's the snap. Darnold at the goal line, pumping. Darnold in trouble. And Will Anderson has him down. The ball is out. And Will Anderson has it for a touchdown! touchdown. Houston scores the Terminator. That was midway through the third quarter. It was 17-6 at the time. That was Mark Vandermeer on KILT. And this game just felt like it should have been over. So to go over it there, okay, the Texans defense scores a touchdown way before the Texans offense scores a touchdown. The Seahawks are going in for points in the first half and they let Cooper Cup throw a pass.

41:17Cooper Cup is now 0 for 5 as a quarterback, Shooky, in his career with one interception. I don't think they should continue that. And, you know, then they played pretty well for the most part on offense otherwise in the game. But then in the fourth quarter, yeah, had another interception with about like five or five, you know, eight minutes to go, rather that stingly play that you mentioned. And so they just kept like giving the ball away. There was another fumble in there mixed in that I'm forgetting off the top of my head. But it was just like they kept, you know, just shooting themselves in the foot on a night where they almost had like a safety in the first half that should have been called.

42:00And they almost had a defensive touchdown until they fumbled the ball. That was the other one that I was thinking of, like where they fumbled the ball going in for a defensive touchdown. So like this game could have been like 41 to nine in another world yeah it was a catch followed by uh elijah arroyo that

42:15Nick Shook:was uh recovered by aziz al shire but yeah that's what made the fourth quarter so painful and maybe this is the natural like transition point talking about the texans and how disgusted i am with them because oh my god you forced four turnovers you gave your offense so many opportunities an offense mind you that put you behind the eight ball multiple times in the first half by turning the ball over on downs in plus territory for the Seahawks. Like you're, you're asking your defense to carry the entire organization on its back on the road in Seattle. And they're doing it. They're largely doing it throughout this game.

42:51Nick Shook:And you get down to the one yard line and you can't punch it in. And I would not be shocked. I'm not a fan of people losing their jobs, but I would not be shocked if they made a change at offensive coordinator because the way that they handled the goal to go situation in the fourth quarter, the way that they needed a heroic throw from CJ Stroud to Woody Marks to even get in the end zone in the fourth quarter later, which at that point you're like, God, I wish they would have converted the first and goal from the one situation, but they didn't. And the way that they handled fourth and short earlier in the game by going away from CJ Stroud and when Nico Collins was out on the field at that time before he left the game by pounding it into a brick wall twice with an offensive line that we've known is bad, that you've had it proven to you multiple times over last year and the first part of this season is bad.

43:33Nick Shook:it is indefensible it is disgusting it is criminal to allow a team with a defense this good that is that opportunistic to not cash in basically at all in a game that is very winnable solely because of your defense it drives me insane the thing that kills me is they're coming off the bye week and i know it's a tough matchup coming off the bye to go to seattle but your offensive coordinator had two weeks to prepare for this Nick Haley. They were trying to build off some positivity they had in the last five quarters before the bye. And they got their pants pulled down like right away. There's just free rushers all over the place.

44:15Right away. They're throwing screen passes to Nick Chubb and it's going nowhere. Like right away, even when CJ Stroud would make a nice play in the pocket. Nico Collins, of all people, is dropping a good pass that could have gone for a long play. Nick Chubb dropped a pass. Nico Collins, unfortunately, left late in the game to have a concussion check. So that's concerning for them. But the coaching was so brutal. And you mentioned this short yardage situation late in the game. They only scored a touchdown in this game because they got 14 drives, Nick. I mean, that is a preposterous number of drives.

44:56including, what, eight in the second half. So it just took their defense getting the ball back to them over and over and over again. And finally, they barely got one in in what wasn't quite garbage time, but it was two minutes left when they scored. And it was basically over then. And that wasn't even the beginning of the short yardage struggles. They had a drive stop in the first half because they couldn't get a third and one. And then earlier in the, I think it was the third quarter, They go back to back trying to pick up one yard and the broadcast booth is just praying and they're telling them, don't just run it.

45:34Don't just run the same running play again. They're loading up the left side. They got seven blockers for eight defenders. And what do they do? Shooki, let's take a listen. Fourth down and a yard.

45:46Nick Shook:Hand off Woody, left side, and he's not going to make it. He's going to lose yardage inside the 40 yard line. It blows up and the Texans on third and fourth and short can't get there and move the sticks. So they turn it over on down. You're the emphasis in that call that can't get there. It's like almost guttural. That's frustration coming out because they've watched this offense week by week. And they know that they just can't. And it boggles the mind that you would think that, oh, just because it's a short yard situation, we're going to default to handing it off. They did this in the goal line later, too, where you're like, you're a yard away.

46:21Nick Shook:QB sneak. I don't care how much you value your quarterback's health. And I understand he is absolutely essential to your hopes of being a competitive offense, but you're obviously not supporting him in any other situation. You have one yard to get short in the distance between you and the line to gain. Please just make it simple because right now it, it was miserable. I tweeted during the fourth quarter. I was like the misery I'm feeling. I have no dog in this fight. I can't imagine how Texans feel Texans fans feel watching this offense. It's terrible. They had a 20 % success rate, by the way, on design runs.

46:54So as bad as the passing game is, I get why they go so pass heavy, because the running game just feels stillborn. It's brutal. The offensive line strategy, which I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt in the offseason, in Aronte Erisserie, the rookie, is really struggling. It's tough. but when you watch those plays one one thing that you see shook and and you saw this on the near safety of cj stroud on what was that their first drive of the game actually where he's running backwards but there's four seahawks converging on him yeah there's like no texans blockers in in the field and that's my takeaway if you haven't watched the seahawks defense enough look the But the Bucs got him.

47:43That'll happen to great defenses sometimes. They had a bad day. But what really gets me is just the depth. There's just so many different types of players. DeMarcus Lawrence had a big game. He's great. Boye Mafé is a terror off the edge. Byron Murphy, like, blowing up screens is a very athletic defensive tackle. You know, they're still missing guys. Devin Witherspoon wasn't out there tonight. Julian Love in the back end wasn't out there tonight. Like they just have different levels to Ernest Jones has been great at linebacker. Like I haven't mentioned Uchenna Nwosu, who's one of their they just on any given play, two guys, three guys can win.

48:21And what a great way to play team defense.

48:23Nick Shook:Yeah. Plus, there's the potential of rookie safety. Nick, Nick Emanwari, who's starting to come around and is starting to make some plays. He looked a little lost in the first month of the season, but I think he's starting to get his feet underneath him. He made some plays tonight as well. and like there was a play where leonard williams drops in coverage and they throw a check down to i think it was braxton barrios they had lined up back there and he chases him down in the flat look i know leonard williams is a freak athlete he has been since his days at usc but to watch a guy of that size move with that quickness and he was so light on his feet laterally and make a play like that it was still blew my mind and i know he's got that potential and has had it for years that's the strength of their defense and it's not when i complain about the texans offense it has nothing to do with how I feel about the Seahawks defense because again both things can be true you can have terrible offensive strategy and also be playing against a good defense this defense is just getting better by the week and they're another big reason why I think again this Seahawks team is not going anywhere they're going to be hanging around they're going to be a player in the NFC all year long yep they they had six different Seahawks with run stuffs in this game so that's like stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage like I was trying to say it's just it's a spread the wealth type of defense.

49:32It's impressive. They're number one in DVOA. I don't know what power rankings is supposed to judge. Are they the most likely team to make the Super Bowl? No, because the NFC is so deep. I think on balance, if I had to choose a team that's played the best, most complete brand of ball through seven weeks in the NFC, my choice would be the Seahawks. Now they're in a really tough division. They're tied three-way tie with the 49ers and the Rams at five and two. It's obviously a really good conference with other contenders, two of whom played tonight. And you have the defending champs. It's wide open, but they're in that mix.

50:15And hopefully that can be some solace to Seahawks fans on a night that will go down in Seattle sports infamy, really. And it'll always be this footnote that the Seahawks played last night. If you were watching the Monday night football broadcast, it was crazy to see the crowd shots of all the Mariners fans that were at the Seahawks game. And just the heartbreak kind of wash over them as they realize what happened in the ALCS. Yes, if you're no overseas listeners and have no idea what we're talking about, the Seahawks, you know, played tonight at the same time as the Seattle Mariners who lost game seven, trying to make the World Series for the first time in their franchise history.

51:06And they gave up a three run homer in the seventh and ended up losing a great baseball game.

51:11Nick Shook:Yeah, four to three. And look, as somebody who grew up in Northeast Ohio and lives in Cleveland, I understand the torture of watching your team lose on the doorstep of the World Series. I understand the torture of watching your team blow a 3-1 lead in the World Series. But Deox fans, Mariners fans, you're a loyal bunch. You got a big win on the NFL field tonight. I know it doesn't matter as much as Game 7 of the ALCS did, but you're a good group. You'll be back next year, hopefully, for the Mariners. You do feel for, like, real deal fans because it's just one of those things. Greg, I watched. They've been around for a while.

51:46They've never got there. I know, and I get it. If the Lions lost, which they did, in the NFC Championship, it's a lot like that loss. You had a big lead. You're so close. And they have the idea that if they can just make it once, even that might be enough. That would be one great thing to celebrate, and you can't even have that.

52:05Nick Shook:I watched the Cleveland Guardians get eliminated at home in the playoffs in person each of the last two years. And I also have one triumph in my life as a sports fan. It was when the Cavaliers came back from 3-1 in 2016. I understand your pain, guys. I do. You had to watch Troy O 'Leary bash like eight RBIs in a Game 5 Cleveland Red Sox in like 2002. Why would you do that to me when I was a kid? Why would you do that to me? Sorry. Sorry. That was, at the time, one of my favorite memories. Pour one out for a big dumper in the Great Mariner season. Okay. I want to bring up something crazy, which is that our great producer, Chris Bivona, put a poll up of everyone crazy enough to be watching.

52:53If you're on the East Coast, it's 218. Good job by you, Shucky. And we'll let you go to sleep.

52:59Nick Shook:We're digging deep. We put a poll up. Who would you start your team with at wide receiver? Now, I said that JSN has been the best wide receiver in the league so far this season. the fact that more people voted for him over Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson to start a team with is absolutely outrageous. And the biggest example of recency bias I've ever seen, or maybe, you know, it's just Seahawks fans. Time zone bias. Yeah, because what is it? 11, 11, 18 and Pacific time zone. So we get more Seahawks fans in here. That's what's going on. You guys are nuts. I would definitely play Jamar Chase over him, but he's having a great year.

53:41Nick Shook:You got your game recognizes game. I think if I was starting a franchise, he is definitely in the top five now among receivers. The thing is to be a great like Chase and Jefferson is, and they're having great seasons, by the way, too. You have to do it year after year. Those guys are first ballot Hall of Famers in the middle of their primes. And so you just got to see it more for Jason. But if he stays at this level for two more years, sure. Yeah, he's going to be right there. We will be right back on this show sooner than you can even imagine. Colleen Wolfe and I will be in the studio. Really looking forward to that on Tuesday.

54:26And in the meantime, we appreciate everyone who stayed up with us. And everyone just can say goodbye to doubleheaders, Nick Shook. Maybe forever. This could be it. How will you celebrate the end of doubleheaders in the NFL?

54:41Nick Shook:by watching one more game from this week and going to bed. And I actually understand why they're going away tonight, I think is the perfect example of why they're going away. Yeah, that was a tough game to end on if it is over. And they say it's going to be over if that NFL Network ESPN deal goes through. All right, that's too much. We'll go into the night and we will see you on Tuesday.

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