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Now here's your host, Gen Mueller.
We are broadcasting from the Seahawks Podcast Studio presented by Sony, the official headphones partner of the Seattle Seahawks. Gen Mueller alongside John Boyle and I have a I don't know if sobering is the realization that I came up with John. But I was so proud of myself, Yeah, for doing Christmas shopping early this year, Like I'm talking about, I bought presents back in September.
Is that even Christmas shop?
I know it was. It was I had the best, Like I was so dialed in to this. You want to know where those Christmas presents are still sitting in my guest room, not wrapped. And I realized I did it so early that I have forgotten. They still need to be sent out.
Oh see, I thought you were gonna forget who they were for No, I have that list written down.
I knew.
You lost them.
Nope, nope. They're taking up space in the guest room closet and the guest room bed, and so now I have to get those in the mail so that they make them on time.
Excellent.
Are you in the same boat or no? I mean I might have time or might not. I might keep forgetting who knows.
Yeah, we're still working on it. We're getting there.
Okay, so you haven't forgotten anything. You are still working up to.
I've got an Amazon cart full of things. I just need to hit the button on That takes a.
Lot more discipline than I have because if it goes in the cart, I'm also just gonna hit by Well, you know, two different approaches. I say this and you're going, how does this relate to football?
This is a great open.
How many people do you think forgot about Zach Sharbonay until they saw him run? How many people forgot how good this team could be? Come on, John, that thing so hard to reach. No, it's not. It's a perfect segue in the holiday season.
You do. I'm just not sure that was your best one.
Okay, we're not starting off in a great foot today. I do think you forget Zach Sharbonay could take over a game. I think you might have forgotten what Kenny McIntosh could do in the running game, because we really haven't seen him that significant or be able to contribute in a meaningful way since the preseason. I know nobody's forgetting about JSN, but you might be forgetting about DK and Tyler given how many opportunities JSN has had. And I just think the Seahawks are positioned well and Arizona showed us a lot.
Yeah.
No, I totally agree, And I think you so often we hear the coaches we've got two backs we really like. You know, they talk about both like starters. But unless you are running the ball incredibly well and running it forty times a game, you're just not going to get your backup a ton of touches.
So we haven't seen it he did.
You know, Sharbonay did start a couple games earlier in the year, but for him to break out like that and have that big a game, break off a long run, get some tough physical yards, I mean it really did show how good a hands this running game is in that if a guy goes down, they've got and even as you said, Kenny McIntosh, you know, limited touches, but I think he averaged over five yards of carry. He looked really good. So you got to like what they're seeing in the backfield.
I wonder how much of that was truly a few scheme changes up front, because when you talk to Abe Lucas and a couple of those offensive linemen, yes, I know they changed the scheme and they did a little bit more gap instead of zone. How much of that was because it was Zach Sharbonay versus that was always in the game plan, regardless of who your top back was.
Yeah, you know, I don't want to say it's like, oh, Zach Scharboney made the difference and ken Walker couldn't have done that, because I think that's not fair to ken Walker. I just think this is a case of, you know, both backs are really good and they it up better than they had and ken Walker would had a big game as well. So you know, they've they've struggled to be consistent up front all year, and now that I think we're just starting to see and this goes to the pass protection too in those sacks when you have the same five guys out there for a while, and obviously Abe Lucas being back helps a lot, but you're starting to get a.
Little bit of that continuity.
And you know, the toe all Aumeya is really added a nice element to that group as well. But some of it's you know, they've got three new guys from where they were what it was at five six weeks ago. Three the five starters are different, and I think they're just kind of coming together as a unit really well.
Well, and you mentioned Stoolamea and not only did he have back to back starts, he got all the first team reps last week. It wasn't a competition between him and Anthony Bradford. That makes a difference too, as well as just having real live reps in a game. And Mike McDonald saw a difference in him from his first start to a second.
I think I think just confidence and like consistent just like consistent performance and execution. So you know, as a rookie, the first time you see things are the first time you see things, so being able to be exposed to all the things you need to be able to react to and the calls and the footwork and all that type of stuff, and then just keep hammering away on the improvements. Again, it wasn't just like it's not with these guys, it's never going to be this okay now I'm ready. It's just this constant effort, everybody on everybody on board, huff, you know, the coaches, all the rookies going through all the reps, taking them, you know, keep moving forward. There's many bumps in the road, but every time this guy took a rep, he just you know, is getting he was maximizing his opportunity.
That's all you can ask for, you know, as Mike McDonald just said that, like, the first game is always going to be a little tough, and and you know you talked to me after that first game and he's like, yeah, it was a little nervous at first. Took took him a little bit to get settled down. So you get past those nerves and then you also, as you said, get that full week of reps. I just think that you know, week over weak growth is going to be really big for him, you know, early on in his first time starting, and it's you know, again, get if you can keep all five of those guys together, you know, and keep them healthy, that that could go a long way to this line playing a lot better than a stretch.
And whatever their difference and whatever the reason, it all led to a season high in rushing yards for the team, career highs for Zach Sharbonay and it sets up a true strength on strength matchup against the Green Bay Packers. I mean truly across the board on this one. And it doesn't matter who's running the ball. You know that Seattle wants to establish the run, and you know that on the other side of this matchup, Green Bay has one of the best running backs in the league. In fact, you would probably hear more about Josh Jacobs if it wasn't for a couple of other backs who were doing some pretty impressive things in Saquon and Derrick Henry. But third most rushing yards in the league. And he's a tough one to bring down. Man.
It's just a physical runner. He breaks a ton of tackles. I think is yards after contact numbers are pre dag high. It's kind of a relentless runner, you know, and then yards after contact are tough. But they do a great job of block and form as well, and he just has a really good feel for like what the blocking scheme is, kind of where the soft spot is in the defense, and then he's going to hit it with a full head of steam. So he's a really good back.
Yeah.
I mean, they've been playing a physical running game all year long. Seahawks fans probably unfortunately do not need any reminders about Josh Shacobs. When he was here with the Raiders, and I believe was twenty twenty two, he had a pretty good game, including a walkoff long touchdown run. So yeah, tough back to deal with. Seahawks have been playing run defense really well since really before the buy against the Rams.
But this will be a big test when you.
Talk about Josh Shacobs and the number of yards after contact, more than half of his total yards. Remember he's got the third most yards in the league. More than half have come after contacts, so you're gonna have to get a lot of guys to him to bring him down. In addition, when it comes to broken tackles, I believe he has the second most in the league, So you were going to have to get everybody to the ball. And really, Seattle has been able to do that. It's interesting because I was reading some of the opponent viewpoints of this game and saying, look, Seattle struggled to get it's the run, and they pointed to last week where you give up one hundred and twenty one and James Connor has some yards. But John, I'm looking at that and I'm thinking about how that game felt on the sideline. That's another one of those Hey, you can torture the numbers all you want, That's not what it felt like during the game.
It did not feel like they were getting gashed or run on a huge wee. He did. You know, obviously it wasn't.
You weren't going to hold the eight yards every time you play him like you did in week twelve. But yeah, I mean they that did not ever feel like a huge issue. He did, you know, he broke off some nice runds. He's a really good running back. They've run the ball well all year. But you know, I still look at that game and I feel like they're playing good run defense and just kind of the bigger body of work. It's also easy for people who haven't been pay attention to look at the season long rushing numbers and say, oh, well, here's where the Seahawks average, because you're factoring a lot of games that was almost an entirely different defense from where they are now exactly.
And if you look at this four game winning streak, the Seahawks defense has allowed just fifteen and a half points per game, that is tops in the league. Another example of strength on strength against the Packers. During the same period, they are averaging almost thirty points a game, that is fifth best in the league. Do you like this matchup overall? I mean, I love what's on the line, But do you like the overall matchup?
I mean I like it as like a football fan who thinks it's going to be a very compelling game. If you're a Seahawks fan who's just your main goal is for the sex to win, it's you don't love it because they're a really tough team, Like this isn't one of those where you look at all the matchups and like, oh, the sea Ks are going to dominate this game. I think they got a great chance to win it, and they're going to be competitive, But it's I mean, the way these teams match up, I think it's going to be how I mean, like you said earlier. Both teams have been running the ball well lately. Both teams defend their run well. Both teams have been getting a lot of takeaways this season. You know Seahawks more so lately, but there's a lot. Both these teams are doing a lot well lately.
Well, and I want to talk about that in just a second, but if you stick with a Packers offense and what Seattle has to do, it has to be stopping the run because you don't have a true not just because of Josh Jacobs, but for as good as Jordan Love has been, you don't have a true number one receiver out there, and so those receiving yards have been down quite a bit. In fact, Jordan loves not attempting the same number of passes that he was earlier in the year.
Yeah, well, you know, ideally, if you have a good running game, he doesn't need to. But yeah, for sure. I mean every game, every coaching player is going to tell you it starts with stopping the run. But it really feels that way this week to the point you just made, and as this defense has shown in this stretch, when you can stop the run and get teams into these more obvious passing situations. That's where Mike McDonald can you know, as Devin Weatherspoon would say he can cook.
No, he said, get in his bag. I'm sorry, not cook. Get in his bag. Yeah, and then that way they could cook.
I I personally, I would love.
To wait the person who has a cooking show.
I know, I have a cooking show on what's called Yeah, I Cook, You measured. Leonard Williams is out. We've got episodes with Derek hall Boye, Mafey JSN and Julian Long.
Now that's a j That is the segue.
Way to set me up for that one. You know who can actually cook quite a bit is Jordan Love, at least on the field. I have no idea if he can cook off the field, you.
Should invite him on your show.
We can tell I'm gonna it's an open invitation, Jordan, if you'd like to come and cook with me and I cook you measure. Look, even though they're not trying to get the ball down the field, when you look at the overall numbers, and keep in mind Jordan Love has missed a couple of games this season with injuries, the seventh in the league with twenty one touchdown passes thrown and he leads a top ten offense. And while we focus on Josh Jacobs, Jordan loves quite the playmaker too.
Deep Aarryer accuracy is really impressive. It's arm talent's really good. It's got a really really good control of their system, operates their offense really well, plays decisive think how extends plays and still gets the ball down the field even when pressured is pretty dang good as well. So it's first time really being exposed to him on like multiple games and stuff.
So's he's a really good.
Player, and he seems to be getting clean, getting healthier and playing cleaner than earlier season. The one, you know, as well as he was playing, the one sort of knock on him was he's thrown a lot of interceptions. For a lot of the first half the season, he was either at or the top of the league interceptions. Now he's gone three straight games without throwing one. And you know, I was talking to one of their writers that covers them, and he said, it's mostly just he's healthy. He's been banged out for a lot of season. He's finally getting healthy. So tough, tough challenge all around this offense well, he's got.
A clean pocket though too. I mean, look at the total number of sacks allowed by that offensive line. It's sixteen sacks. Are you kidding me? Yeah, that's the second fust in the league. And I was asking a few of the Seahawks defensive players this week, is that because he can scramble and like avoid trouble or is it truly just that clean? And they said, no, you know he's going to step up in the pocket. He's not going to be Kyler Murray that tries to escape. But they really are doing a good job protecting. I would say the other side of this, and I was talking to Ad, the defensive coordinator last week, about the way those guys are rushing, particularly on the interior, and why that looks so different, and he said, nobody has the same intent that these guys are playing with right now. Look across the league and yeah, there's good defensive lines, but these guys have taken it up a notch, to which Jonathan Hankins says, Yeah, that's exactly what Ad preaches all the time. You got to finish plays, and you have got to finish those blocks this week and make sure that there's no escape routes for Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, any of those guys.
Yeah, and I love the way Siaks have been rushing up front, So I think it's good. Good again another case of kind of strength on strength. They've protected all Shawks, have gotten outter the passer really well. And how about Jonathan Hankins first.
Sack last week? How bad that for a sack of the season for the big guy cleaning up. Yeah, and he is.
Playing his former team this week in the Packers, and he just has a smile on his face all the time. I just love it.
He's having fun out there.
He has had a love just kind of the grizzled old vet who's just out there enjoying himself.
Each and the young guys the game.
I do think that that is an underrated part of the game, right Like you talk about, yeah, you got to have a deep rotation to keep these guys healthy, or you talk about the emergence of JSN, Well, somebody has to get less touches, less yards, less reps less, all of that when all these other guys start stepping up, and it is you have to be unselfish. This is a special group right now. Maybe special is too Strong award. This is a group who totally understands that and buys in. That's how I would say that.
Yeah, it's and you can throw the edgereshers into that with the d line getting Channa back you and talk more about that layer. But like what that's going to do for them down the stretches. He you know, he kind of eased in played twenty snaps last week, but as he builds up and you have that group gets deeper. It's I mean, in terms of just overall talent and depth more than anything. I love that group up for That's really good.
Okay, you said down the stretch and I'm going to pose a question to you in just a minute. But I know that Luminfield is going to be rocking on Sunday, which is why my noise canceling headphones are going to be of the utmost importance because I literally can't hear myself think this NFL season, feel every play, every hit, every moment. With the Sony one thousand XM five noise canceling headphones, the official headphones of the Seattle Seahawks. With premium noise cancelation, you were in the zone, no distractions, just pure football. Whether you're in your living room or on the go, you'll never miss a beat with Sony headphones. And while I'm thinking about it, I think we need to get a little bit of insight from our fantasy insider, Scott Engel.
Thanks Jenn and John.
Here we are in the fantasy playoffs. Don't let the pressure get to you. Don't overthink things. Go with the starters that brought you here. You've gotten this far. Don't obsess over certain lineup decisions. Make the best informed decisions and just go with them. Don't worry about who the other team has. You can't control that. Hopefully, Zach Charbonnet boosted you into the fantasy playoffs. The number one fantasy running back of Week fourteen with thirty eight point four Fantasy points. If he is pressing into an expanded role again this week, you have to start him. Keep checking Seahawks dot com to see what the running back injury situation is. Other running backs to strongly consider for this week. Rico' dadell is a must start two consecutive one hundred yard games, and the Dallas Cowboys have a top five offensive line pass blocking matchup grade on Pro Football Focus. This week against the Carolina Panthers. Also, if you need a flex top twenty five guy to stream, Sincere McCormick of the Raiders will now be the lead running back for Las Vegas and he has a good matchup this week as well. At wide receiver, you want a piece fantasy wise of that Buffalo Detroit game, you have to go with Khalil Shakira as a must start fantasy wide receiver three. He has an excellent wide receiver quarterback matchup grade against Buffalo on Pro Football Focus for this week. Also, you've got to go back to Darnell Moony. He's got a great matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders coming off a career a high one hundred and forty two receiving yards, and he has over eighty five as in four of his last six games. At quarterback, you want to go with Tua Tongue of Viola. The Houston Texans have allowed the most passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks with twenty six. Go to Seahawks dot Com News Fantasy Insiders, we have more recommended starters for you. Your top twelve fantasy insurance running backs that you need to pick up for the fantasy playoffs defensive streamers for Week fifteen and sixteen a lot more, and also check out my lineup rankings at rotoballer dot com. Back to you, Jen and John for Week fifteen Packers versus Seahawks.
All right, thank you, Scott. Okay, I know everybody has their own measures of what makes a good playoff team or a good team down the stretch. Again, in reading about this matchup and you go strength on strength, there's a lot of people that are saying, look at what Jordan Love is doing for the second straight year late in the year, it's the quarterback who makes the biggest difference during this point of the year and in the playoffs. And I say, I don't know about that, Like, you need a good quarterback. But back to what you were saying about the defensive line, John, wouldn't you rank a solid defense or solid run game ahead of the quarterback?
Yeah, I mean depends on degrees of how good is this defensive line? Where's the quarterback at? Still, no matter how good you are in a run game and defense, you still need good quarterback play to be successful because that position, just the nature of it, you're controlling so much.
The quarterback's got to do his job.
But yes, if you can run the game like run the ball like the Seawks did last game, if you have a defense playing like the way the s X is, you sure can ease that burden on the quarterback and you're not asking him to do nearly as much, which we saw that Gino Smith played great against Arizona, but there is way less on his plate of Like you don't have to throw forty times throw for three hund and fifty yards.
Well, I would also say, especially in the case of the Packers, I just want my quarterback to have good decision making skills, right because you're playing in crappy weather for most of the time in that conference. At this time, I don't need you to be the superstar. What I need is for my run game to be going and my defense to be right where the Seahawks defense.
Yes, I mean, it's what every coach will tell you when they talk about complimentary football, like it is really hard to win consistently when you have to lean incredibly hard on one aspect of your game, whether it's the quarterback playing out of his mind or the defense just completely shutting the team out. Like that's you can't win consistently that way, or you rarely can win consistently that way in the NFL. So it's when you're getting all those things working together, that's how you'd be a really good, dangerous football team.
Speaking of complimentary football, that's the way I always thought the Ravens looked right the last couple of years. There's no let up, and I think we saw a great example of that in Arizona. Defense forces the turnover, offense comes, it's quick change, you score, defense forces another turnover, and then the offense gets points off of that too. It's one of those where the opponent doesn't have any room to catch their breath like it is going back and forth, and we saw that with Baltimore, and now I think that's kind of where we are. And to me, like that's part of complimentary football. It shows up in time of possession, but it's also what's that overall feeling and intensity during the course of the game.
Yeah, for sure, I'm greeting. I really wanted to just bury him there. Last week when had that.
Position at the end of the half and then they got the ball to start the second half, was like, man, they could have really blown that up. But Hey, they did more than enough to win that game. I know, you beat a good team by double digits on the road, that's a great win.
Well, look, here's the other thing. It is a division opponent. These teams know each other very well. It was very fluky. I think with the Packers, you have some idea of what to expect, and we know that there have been some I'm just going to say, fluky games and plays against the Packers at bloomen Field.
I know, totally normal football.
It's just totally normal. It's just some of the best highlights in Seahawks history that you are ever going to see. I kind of hope that we're not leaning that direction. I do know though, it's not just the Packers, but upcoming on the schedule, it's the Packers, the Vikings, the Bears. There's a very similar style of football that gets played and it's going to be on display with the pack They play a.
Great brand of football. They play winning football. They've been doing it throughout their entire franchise history and especially since since Matt's got there and doing his things. So we got a lot of respect for them and how they play. They're a physical football team. They play really hard. They attack the football, they take care of it on offense. They do all the things necessary that you need to do to be a to be a really good football team.
They do those things.
Mike McDonald talking about the Packers. We are broadcasting from the Seahawks Podcast Studio presented by Sony, the official headphones partner of the Seattle Seahawks. Okay, so the Packers, they can clinch a playoff spot this weekend. Yes, there's a lot of talk about how they've had no bad losses. Yeah, why does it matter, because I'm going to tell you this, they haven't necessarily had great wins either, if we're going to count it that way.
But yeah, people want to look at here's the teams they've lost to the record. I think the teams they've lost to have a combined five losses. So the thought is they've only lost to the best teams in the league and otherwise they're right up there, which you can make argument, but I don't think that makes them unbeatable.
Well, I'm going to say this. They beat Chicago by one point. They beat Jacksonville by three points, and that was a high scoring game for a Jacksonville team that hasn't been able to do a whole lot, and against Indy, granted it was early in the year, they scored just sixteen points. I would say they have some wins that are not good. Also, I'm not interested in going like down the row like it doesn't work in the NFL. It it doesn't, and I'm not interested in doing that on either side. I just I'm really curious to see how this matchup plays out.
Can I take us on a slight detour from something I heard from Mike McDonald, Yes, he talked about they've done it forever in their history. I'm going to use that as a moment to plug Mike Holmgren's Hall of Fame candiasy because he was just named the finalists.
Yes, the Packers have a rich history.
Go look at their history between the sixties and when Mike Holmgren got there, it was not very good. He turned them around. I mean they were like a super Bowl. You know, the early NFL champions in the sixties didn't do much of anything till Home Ring got there. Over a twenty plus your span, it was really came to Seattle turned that franchise around.
So I'm just saying for the Hall of Fame voters, Yep, get him in.
Yep.
He deserves it.
He does. Indeed, he was around the practice facility.
Saw locker room watching everyone kind of flock to him as Gino Smith comes up to him.
Yeah, and I was going to say, and he has a presence when he walks into the room, like you know that coach Holmgren is in the room. Let me also say this kind of on that same vein. We have heard references to the Seahawks past so many times in the last four or five weeks. Whether it's bringing back the Legion of Boom style of practices and accountability, whether it's the run game and what they did for with Marshawn who also was at the practice facility this week, or kind of the lessons learned. I do want to point out that culture is still ingrained, right. It hasn't gone away because there was a fear, I think, or maybe a concern or questions about what happens to the Seahawks history and do they still care about what happened under previous coaches. Yeah, it hasn't gone away, whether it was Kobe Bryant Payne tribute to Marshaan or like any number of things, like it is still very much ingrained what Seahawks football looks like.
Yeah, I mean you can go back to the introductory press commerce for Mike McDonald and he and John Schneider talked about that, like, this is not a coaching change where you need to come in and make a culture change, Like the culture was great here. You still have the same front office, You have a lot of the same business office people like the building. The culture in the building is a lot like what Pete Carroll and John Schneider and through them Paul Allen as well built here. And I mean, really you can go back to the Homegrren now too. It could start with him, but it's Yeah, this was Mike McDonald came in to help get some football things cleaned up, but this was not a total overhaul of the program, and you can feel that connection to it. Mike, Mike McDonald's still embraces that because he understands like that's important. These guys are a big part of this team's history. So yeah, we're gonna see marshaull nch out there. We saw Cam, we saw sum out there during training camp. So's that's still going to be there for this organization.
Well, Mike McDonald's also a football junkie. Yeah, and he appreciates good football. And I'm sure he's chancer was here.
And was training out the way he talked about like he was just like a fan, like, oh man, that's Cam Chancellor.
Yeah, Oh gosh, it is cool to have all of that. And again, some of the greatest moments in Seahawks history have come against the Packers. We need to talk about JSN, We need to talk about what the Seahawks need to do for a win. But first let's pause for a word from our presenting sponsor.
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Of the Seattle Seahawks' broadcasting from the Seahawks podcast Studio presented by Sony, the official headphones partner of the Seattle Seahawks. And we probably waited too long to talk to about JSN, but I'm gonna say this is another strength on strength John, the way that Jackson Smith and Jigba has been playing the leading receiver for six straight games for the Seahawks. But when you look at the Packers, while they are giving up a fair amount of yards in the air, that secondary is really good at taking the ball away. Their turnover differential is among the best in the league. Second most interceptions and most points off of takeovers. Takeovers, I'd like to take over. That's really what I would like for being called takeaways and or turnovers or the new stat that I just takeovers.
Yead is taking to put that in a story this week.
Well, you can take over a game, John, So I don't think I'm that far off. Yes, And we have seen Jasen essentially take over a game with some of these jaw dropping plays.
Well, I think it starts with just his competitiveness. And the guy's really, you know, just a great competitor, so he's kind of relentless in that matter. But like skill set, well, I was we talked about in the offseason. He's got great hands and then like the lower body, like power and flexibility of getting in and out of breaks. It's tough to stick with him. And then, like I said earlier, as he's starting to get Mike more catches and stuff, you know, I think he's generating a chemistry with with with Geno, like lay and downs and stuff, finding open windows and zones, and Gino's finding them.
As you mentioned, six straight games leading the team in receiving, He's got five hundred and ninety two yards four touchdowns over that span. He's up to six in the entire NFL and receiving. You he's he's crazy because DK was like DK was like top three before he is injured. Yeah, and it's good segue mentioned DK. One thing that Mike McDonald talked about a little bit, and Jays I would be the first says too, like the way teams defend DK Metcalf very much plays into what Jasn is doing. That's not to take away from and Jig, but like he had one hundred and eight yards with DK Metcalf injured, So that's saying that's the only reason.
But if you watch the way teams.
Even when DK Metcalf is not getting the most targets currently, it's teams are putting so much effort into taking the deep ball away from him because he's such a downfield threat that it's creating other opportunities and Gino Smith and Jackson Smith and Jigbar are really taking advantage well.
And DK is not just like taking on the double teams and just letting them take him out of the game. He's he's making guys pay like he is a physical, physical wide receiver. Yeah.
I tweeted this during the game. I was like, I don't know if I've ever seen a like Pro Bowl caliber receiver who just seems to really enjoy run blocking quite like, like he gets into it.
He does well.
His dad was an offensive line so that's part like.
Where does that come from? Well, my dad was an NFL lineman. Yeah, I kind of inherit that mentality a little bit.
Well.
And he loved Sean Merriman, like he wanted to be able to hit like Sean Merriman. That's one of the things that he said before the season started. And I'm like, well, that is different for a wide receiver. They're usually trying to avoid those sorts of things. He's looking for that contact. And I also want to go back to the point we made. DK's fine with Jason getting the touches. Yeah, Tyler Lockett. I would love to see Lockett get a little bit more involved, but you know he's there as a threats.
Yeah and yeah, I mean he hasn't been getting the targets lately, but teams still have to respect him. And it's still you know, when those three guys are on the field together, that's really hard for defenses to decide how they want to do it well.
And if you're going to like scoop the ball up off the turf with like a grass blade, like a blade of grass in between. I was like, oh my gosh. Yeah, he's gotten some not quite circus catches, but like degree of difficult.
Many receivers just go to the ground there to make sure they catch it, but he's like, no, I can scoop it and go I can do that, yeah, and go run ten more yards after the catches.
He's a complete package. He is a great receiver.
He has been really fun to watch and the Seahawks are going to need all of that playmaking this week against the Packers. They're probably going to need a few more things. John Woody got what are the two things you need to see from the Seahawks.
I want to end Jordan Love's interceptionless streak. The Sacks have been taking the ball away at a pretty high rate seven straight games.
I think.
I think so sounds about right. I'll go with that.
Yeah, let's get another interception or two. Okay, get the takeaways and then I just want to see their un game.
Keep doing with so. And you gave me a hard time for being greedy when I said that about it.
I actually thought about that on the side side joke.
Like, let's make it one hundred and forty and you're laughing. No, one seventy six. No, but we don't need one hundred and seventy six. I'll take it if we can get it. But just have that that threat of a run game that you know, help the offensive line out, help Geno out, and just be able to move.
The ball on the ground. Yeah.
I would say this, and this might sound really basic, but I want the Seahawks to score first because Green Bay has been really good at jumping out to an early lead, not just in the game, but scoring on the opening drive of the second half. When they do that, they are in control. They're seven and one when they get out to an early lead, I think, is that number. I shouldn't have said that because now you're gonna quote me on it, and I actually need to go back and look that one up. But I want the early lead against the Packers. Do not let them get comfortable. And I could say I want red zone defense, keep like maintaining the level they're at, because during this five game stretch they are twelve at converting touchdowns in the red zone. But I'm actually gonna say, Jalen Darden, yeah, let's get some good return yards.
Yeah.
He's a fun, little like kind of quiet, kind of understated. Was literally meeting teammates and coaches on the sidelines during the game.
We asked him yesterday, like, yeah, could you have named everybody who blocked for you on Sunday? He's like no, No, He's like, I'm working on that, but yeah, yeah, he got here late Friday, din't even practice Friday. He got here after practice Friday, got I'm playing with the team Saturday, and go return punts and kicks the next day.
So yeah, and he's like, yeah, it's just fuck, just tell me what you want me to do. And also I was like, I love doing it. Not everybody can do it. There's a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. Good with it. It's like, okay, well how about if we break a return in front of the twelves?
Love it?
That's what I got, another big play. I am sure that this is gonna be another one for the highlight reel, maybe even record books. It is a primetime matchup on Sunday. There'll be plenty to talk about next week, which is when we will be back with a brand new episode of the Seahawks Insiders podcast.
