On Monday night on their home turf against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks were 6-7, and looking the near-end of their season in a competitive sense. If they wanted to save their season, the Seahawks would have to drive 92 yards, down 17-13, with 1:52 left in the game. And they’d have to do it with backup quarterback Drew Lock, who was subbing for the injured Geno Smith.
No big deal, right?
Turns out it wasn’t. Against an Eagles defense that had been struggling to the point where head coach Nick Sirianni elevated Matt Patricia to the defensive play-caller position at the expense of defensive coordinator Sean Desai, Seattle marched right down the field. And with 33 seconds left in the game, Lock took a deep shot to rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for all the Tostitos. A 29-yard touchdown was the result.
Drew Lock to Jaxson Smith-Njigba. pic.twitter.com/o3FlJyCaik
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2023
Did that save Seattle’s season, at least for now? I’d say so, and NextGen Stats would agree.
NFL NextGen Stats says the #Seahawks ‘ probability of making the playoffs went from 21% when they were down to the Eagles 17-13 with 1:52 left at their own 8 Monday night to 49% now, after Drew Lock led the 92-yard drive to Seattle’s 20-17 win.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 20, 2023
An inside look at the play shows not only the mistakes Philly’s defense made, but how Seattle understood what this play could mean.
The killer for the Eagles here was that they were rushing just four, and because safety Sydney Brown dropped down to the box, Philly’s defense was short a safety to the boundary side. Because the Eagles were in Cover-1, Brown most likely had running back Zach Charbonnet out of the backfield, and there was no help up top for deep safety Reed Blankenship. Moreover, because the Eagles had to man up on Seattle’s trips receivers to the back side. Furthermore, linebacker Nick Morrow moved to bracket D.K. Metcalf at No. 2 to the trips side. Blankenship was on the opposite hash at the start of the play, and with all due respect, he’s not Ed Reed in his prime. So, Bradberry wasn’t going to have any help. Basically, this was a 2-Man disguise that turned into Cover-0 without a blitz. Add that to cornerback James Bradberry squatting at the sticks, and it was pitch-and-catch.
Less than ideal.
Philly’s coverage issues notwithstanding, how did the Seahawks know that this play would work? Because they had run the same play earlier in the game, and things went differently. But Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron told Lock to be alert for something else the second time around.
“It was actually sweet,” Lock said of the two plays. “Shane came back to that call. We ran that call on the first third down, first drive. We didn’t use the element of one-on-one go ball to Jax on that. We had man that first time. My plan going into it was we’re going to work the concept side first, first third down I get this call. I’m breaking the huddle. Shane gives me the reminder in the headset, don’t forget Jax is one on one if you got him. All right, turn around, hey, you’re getting the ball if you get one on one here.
“We already played that frontside. Who knows how they’re going to play that concept that they’ve kind of seen and felt the same thing earlier in the game. Sure enough, they gave us one on one. Kind of a perfect look. We had an off corner, Jax kind of tempoed it off the ball, hit the jets, put that thing in the back corner.”
This was third-and-9 with 5:19 left in the first quarter, and the ball at the Seattle 26-yard line. This time, Smith-Njigba had cornerback Kelee Ringo pressed right up on him, The Eagles rushed four here as well — Morrow faked a rush pre-snap, but dropped out to defend Charbonnet in the flat. So, when Brown dropped down this time, we can assume he was a robber, because he was all over the backside slant to D.K. Metcalf. The Seahawks got eight yards on that third-and-9 play, so it wasn’t a success, but they saw something they might be able to boomerang at a later point.
“I knew just by preparing all week that if it was man-to-man, I was the go-to on that play,” Smith-Njigba said. “We ran it before and they did play man, but you know, stuff happens. The next play we were able to get it down, so I’m happy I got the same look.”
As for Bradberry, all he could do was to look back with regret.
“He just ran past me because I was sitting at the sticks.”
Alas.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys go deep into both plays, and what the result means for both teams.
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