The Seahawks moved to a solid 3-1 record on Sunday, holding off the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Lumen Field after jumping out to a three-touchdown lead in the third quarter. Emanuel Wilson was an absolute beast with the rock, seeing the bulk of the work at running back and making every snap count.
Wilson Explodes, O-Line Struggles Under Pressure
Wilson was everywhere, playing 60 percent of the offensive snaps and turning that into a monster day. He racked up 21 carries for 81 yards and punched in a rushing touchdown. Not content with just that, he added three receptions for 39 yards and hauled in a receiving touchdown too! That’s a two-score game, folks! This marks the fourth time in his career he has broken the 75-yard rushing mark, including an impressive second time in the last three weeks. George Holani saw 37 percent of the snaps, while Velus Jones got his first two offensive snaps of the season.
But while Wilson was electrifying, we gotta talk about the big men up front. The rotation at right guard between Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens continued with roughly a 60/40 split, and it was a mixed bag. Stephens has flashed some good moments, but he has also looked like a rookie fifth-round pick at times. What’s truly concerning is that out of the eight pressures credited to Seattle offensive linemen on Sunday, Christian Haynes was responsible for allowing four of them. Whether it was a bad matchup, opponents figuring out his pass-blocking weaknesses, or something else, those struggles are real. With Anthony Bradford out for at least two more weeks, that right guard spot is definitely one to keep a close eye on.
Horton’s Snap Count Drops, Secondary Gets a Boost
Meanwhile, fans are clamoring for more Tory Horton, but the coaching staff seems to be going in a different direction. After missing the season opener, Horton’s snap counts and percentage of offensive snaps played have steadily decreased over the last two weeks: 22 snaps (31.4%) in Week 2, 15 snaps (22.4%) in Week 3, and just 10 snaps (16.7%) in Week 4. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but wide receiver development in the NFL is notoriously slow due to the complex route trees compared to college systems. Whether this is the sole reason for Horton’s reduced role is a question the 12s will be watching closely in the coming weeks.
On the defensive side, the secondary looked revitalized with Julian Love back in action, playing every single snap. That’s a huge boost for our defense. Trevon Diggs also saw his first regular season action of the season after getting elevated from the practice squad. Nehemiah Pritchett, however, played less than he had in any game so far this season. Even with limited playing time against the Chargers, he just needs five more snaps over the remaining 13 regular season games to reach a certain threshold.
The Hawks are 3-1, heading into what promises to be an intense next matchup. We are going to need that O-line to solidify and keep Sam Darnold clean, while Wilson continues to cook. Let’s see if the secondary can maintain its momentum and if Horton can get back into the offensive game plan!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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