In the most important game of Week 17, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Jets 23-6, officially ending New York’s playoff hopes. Meanwhile, the win kept Seattle’s playoff hopes alive heading into Week 18.
The Seahawks started the game with a bang, as Kenneth Walker III beat one of the NFL’s best defenses on a 60-yard run, then Geno Smith followed and found tight end Colby Parkinson scored a touchdown. Walker finished with 133 yards on the ground and none. 2. Linebacker Deejay Dallas added 43 yards on seven catches and led the Seahawks with 55 receiving yards on three of his catches.
Smith threw his second touchdown pass to his other tight end, rookie Tyler Marbury, who found the end zone on his first NFL catch. Against the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013, Smith completed 18 of 29 passes for 182 yards and scored both, while also leading by three.
His eighth win of the season in Seattle allowed him to match the number of victories he racked up in his rookie season in New York. Smith, though, played in just 14 games as New York’s starter and spent the past few years bouncing around the league as a backup before being named a starter for Seattle this season. Now, surprisingly, his team is heading into its own potential playoff berth.
New York, meanwhile, turned to Mike White to revive the offense after struggling under Zach Wilson at the helm. But White was out of rhythm almost the entire game, going 22-for-44 for 240 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.
New York handled the ball pretty well (especially in the first half), but that didn’t matter in the end. Turnovers — three turnovers and a missed field goal, plus a couple of free throws — and a lack of passing game kept the Jets from making the game more competitive. Their failure to win also means that the NFL’s longest active playoff drought will continue for another year. New York hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. Seattle, on the other hand, has a chance to return to the playoffs in the first year of the post-Russell Wilson era.
why the seahawks won
They played some explosive play and took advantage of several red zone opportunities, while their defense kept Mike White off balance and rhythm all afternoon. Walker’s 60-yard run and DeeJay Dallas’ big catch-and-run on Geno Smith’s flip pass both established red-zone possessions, and the Seahawks turned them both into touchdowns. They had turnovers at other times, but the Jets didn’t score any red-zone touchdowns, so that was ultimately enough to secure Seattle’s win. In addition, Quandre Diggs and Mike Jackson both selected White, and their secondary made it difficult for him to find an open spot throughout the game.
why the jets lost
Their offense couldn’t make any headway. New York actually ran well in the first half (5.8 yards per carry), but White failed to find contact with any of his receivers and ended the game with only TK or TK for yards and two picks. He also missed. By the end of the game, only Tyler Conklin had more than 24 receiving yards, and Braxton Berrios was the team’s second-leading receiver. All of this against a defense that hasn’t been so stingy all season.
turning point
The Seahawks started with a very quick touchdown. They rushed for 73 yards and found their way into the end zone in just three plays and 1:35. The Jets also looked to be moving quickly on their opening possessions. Mike White found Ty Conklin for a 17-yard pass, Ty Johnson interrupted a 17-yard run…then on third-and-7 from Seattle’s 33-yard line, White did:
Under pressure, White made a poor decision to force the ball into coverage, and he paid the price. The Jets haven’t really challenged the Seahawks since then, even if the game stayed somewhat close for a while.
Highlights
It’s hard to pick just one, so we pick two. First, Walker took the game’s opening fast break, completing a 60-yard run with a cut past the line of scrimmage and almost all the way home. The drive ended with a touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson.
Geno Smith then stepped up to the pressure and drove to the empty pocket, but in the final seconds, Option flipped the ball to DeeJay Dallas, who then broke through on second down to create a big move. The kickoff ended with a touchdown pass to Tyler Marbury.
what’s next
The Seahawks still need some help to make the playoffs thanks to the Giants’ win on Sunday. They finish the season with a home game against the division rival Rams (5-11) and will keep an eye on the Lions-Packers game, as the Seahawks need a win from the Lions to have a chance at No. 1 in the league. NFC No. 7 seed.
The Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention. They play the Dolphins (8-8) next week and could deal a similar blow to division rivals’ playoff chances. With their playoff hopes dashed, the Jets will likely shift their offseason focus to figuring out the quarterback situation so they don’t waste a ton of skill position players and an elite defense next year. .