The Seattle Seahawks escaped with an 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in a close-fought battle on Sunday. Jason Myers made sure to emphasize that victory, setting a franchise record with six field goals in the game. He capped the comeback with a game-winning 56 yarder with less than a minute to play. This performance keeps the Seahawks level with the Los Angeles Rams in the competitive NFC West as they prepare for an important matchup on Thursday night.
In a match where goals were at a premium, Myers’ goal became immediately essential to the outcome. He drilled field goals from all distances, hitting the marks with precision and distance. His final boot was a beautiful 56-yarder. It sealed the victory by delivering the game-winning points after the Seahawks’ offense was a no-show for most of the evening.
For reference, the Seahawks’ offense is currently sixth in the NFL, averaging 25.9 points per game. They too have failed to set out with all guns blazing. For the fourth time in five weeks they couldn’t manage more than 10 points in the first half. Coach Mike Macdonald stressed the need for improvement, stating, “We’ve got to improve, be better, start faster.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold had an efficient day, completing 22 of 36 passes for just 217 yards against the Aggie defense. Most impressively, he was able to avoid turnovers — an incredible feat when you realize he’s averaged the most turnovers in the league this season (16). Darnold found Rashid Shaheed for two passes in the waning seconds, putting Myers in position for the game-winning field goal.
“We’ve just got to start faster as an offense,” – Sam Darnold
“We’ve got to finish in the red zone. I feel like it’s becoming a theme now these [past] few weeks and we’ve got to get it figured out,” – Sam Darnold
This matchup against the Colts marked only the second time this season that the Seahawks won after scoring go-ahead points with under ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. While Coach Macdonald was pleased with his side’s determination to grind wins out, he was clear in stating that they needed to take advantage of their chances.
“It’s great to win by multiple scores and put games away in the fourth quarter,” – Mike Macdonald
Looking forward, the Seahawks will have a big-time division rivalry showdown against their opponents the LA Rams, both with impressive 11 and 3 records. That means this upcoming game—Seattle at San Francisco on Thanksgiving night—will determine who takes sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Neither has its importance for playoff hopes!
Yet as Seattle looks ahead to this crucial battle, they will have to improve their lack of firepower on the attack. The deep-ball-heavy passing attack must find its groove from the outset. At the same time, special teams continues to be a driving force behind their success.
As both clubs aim to assert themselves as the team to beat in the AFC North, fans should be in for an absolute dogfight come Thursday night. Either way, the result will have huge ramifications on playoff positioning. Each team is hungry to cement their place in what has been a highly competitive NFC gauntlet.
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