John Boyle, Seahawks.com Senior Reporter
(Photo Courtesy Seattle Seahawks)
JACKSONVILLE—The Seattle Seahawks (4-2) won their ninth consecutive road game on Sunday, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) 20-12 at EverBank Stadium.
The Seahawks defensive front produced seven sacks while also keeping the run game in check, as well as an explosive passing game.
The visitors came into Sunday’s game without three of their starting defensive backs, safety Julian Love and cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. Seattle’s defensive front was outstanding on Sunday, making life difficult on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence throughout the game.
Lawrence completed 27-of-42 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. recorded eight receptions for 90 yards and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, marking the 11th of his career. Thomas Jr.’s 11 touchdown receptions and 1,616 receiving yards are the most among the 2024 draft class.
Tim Patrick caught a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking the second longest of his career and his first as a Jaguar.
Seattle’s Byron Murphy II had 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hits, and DeMarcus Lawrence, who was back after missing one game due to injury and had 2.5 sacks, his first as a Seahawk, as well as five quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.
And the Seahawks front wasn’t just getting the job done on passing plays, their run defense, which has been good all season, showed up again against a Jaguars team that came into the game ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards (137.0) and sixth in rushing yards per carry (4.9).
On Sunday the Jaguars were held well below those numbers, with Jacksonville rushing for just 59 yards on 19 attempts for a 3.1 yards-per-carry average. Leading running back Travis Etienne, who came into the game averaging 5.2 yards per carry, was held to just 2.3 yards per carry on 12 rushes.
With the Seahawks trailing early and looking to get their offense going, QB Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave them the spark they needed, as those two have done so often this season.
On the first play of Seattle’s third possession, Smith-Njigba ran past new Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome, and Darnold hit him in stride with a perfect throw for a 61-yard touchdown.
With that catch, Smith-Njigba, who finished with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown, had his fourth 100-yard game in six weeks, and his yardage total Sunday was the second-highest of his career after his 180-yard game against the Rams last season.
Darnold, meanwhile, enjoyed another efficient and explosive day, completing 16 of 27 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a passer rating of 121.7, his fourth straight game with a rating over 111. T
The Jaguars defense made it tough on Darnold and the Seahawks to sustain drives throughout the game.
Arik Armstead registered a nine-yard sack of Darnold on third down in the fourth quarter, forcing a punt. The sack gave Armstead at least a partial sack in four of his last five games. Foye Oluokun registered his 29th tackle for loss since joining the Jaguars in 2022. He moved into ninth place in
But Darnold was money throwing downfield, as he has so often been this season. In addition to his 61-yard touchdown to Smith-Njigba, Darnold also hit tight end AJ Barner for a 61-yard gain late in the game, all but putting the game on ice.
The Jaguars came into the game leading the NFL with 14 takeaways, including a 99-yard pick-six last week, and prior to that they had at least three takeaways in each of their first four games. On Sunday the Jaguars had a zero in that category for the first time all season, as the Seahawks were able to play turnover-free football, a critical part of their success in a close, low-scoring game.
The Jaguars held the Seahawks to just 60 yards rushing. It marks the second time this season that Jacksonville has held its opponent to 60 rushing yards or less for an entire game (48 rushing yards in Week 2 at CIN). That is currently tied for the most such games this season.
