After taking an extensive look at the game film from his team’s 26-0 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Mike Macdonald saw mostly good things. In the team’s dominant defensive play, Macdonald was pleased with the play of DeMarcus Lawrence and rookie Nick Emmanwori.
PIVOTAL PLAYS THAT TURNED THE GAME.
Lawrence had two quarterback hits that resulted in turnovers for the Seahawks. The first hit on Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer forced the rookie to throw an errant pass into the waiting hands of Ernest Jones IV, who raced 85 yards for a pick-six. Lawrence’s second hit on Brosmer caused a fumble that was recovered by Ty Oakad in the third quarter.
“A lot of great things, but make two plays like that, that probably won us the game. If we don’t create that fourth down stop, we’re looking at a 13-point swing. It would have been a whole new different ball game if he hadn’t done the things he did, said Macdonald.
EMMANWORI CONTINUES TO AMAZE
The play of rookie safety Nick Emmanwori has caused a welcome problem for Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde. After a slow start to the season due to an ankle injury, Emmanwori has started the last three games and recorded 15 tackles, 11 of which were solo, and one pass defense. In Sunday’s game against the Vikings Emmanwori matched up against the Vikings’ best receiver, Justin Jefferson, and nearly had his first interception of the season.
“That’s a great play. I know he’s disappointed not to have come down with it, but you’ve got to be able to move on. You’ve got to be able to say, ‘Hey, that was a missed opp. That’s okay. I’m going to reload and play the next play.’ and he’s going to learn from that. There are a lot of great plays he put out there. And again, we’re asking him to do a lot, ‘ said Macdonald.”
He helped us win that football game with some of the things we’re asking him to do, skill-wise. And he’s still understanding that they’re going to make plays too. It’s just about reloading and playing our style of ball one play at a time, all the time. He’ll get there, but he’s doing some really great things as well.”
Because of his ability to quickly grasp defensive concepts, Emmanwori is playing multiple positions on defense.
“ Part of my message to him is that ‘You’ve got a lot on your plate and there’s a lot of expectations, and rightfully so. He’s earned that and those opportunities, so go prepare your tail off to the best of your ability, so you can go play the type of brand of ball that you want to play and then go let it rip.’ If something happens throughout the game, we’ll put you out of that situation, then go to the next one and keep rolling, said Macdonald.
As for what the future holds for Emmanwori, Macdonald was unsure.
“There are ways for us to move him around, and we’re working through that. We’ve never really had a player like him. We are making it up as we go to a certain extent. I hate to admit that, but we kind of are.”
INJURED PLAYERS CLOSE TO RETURNING
Guard Anthony Bradford and cornerback Josh Jobe sustained minor injuries in Sunday’s game, and according to Macdonald, both are set to practice this week.
AB (Anthony Bradford) should be good to go on Wednesday. Josh, to my knowledge, cleared the concussion protocol during the game, so we expect him to be good to go,’ said Macdonald.
The uncertainty for the Seahawks is when Jalen Sundell and Julian Love will return. Sundell suffered a knee injury in the November 9th game against the Cardinals and is eligible to return this week after missing the mandatory four games. Love was placed on the injured reserve list on November 1st and has missed five games, so he is also eligible to come off the injured reserve list. The first step in the players’ return to the 53-man roster is for the team to open the 21-day practice window. By NFL rules, each team can open a 21-day practice window to assess a player’s recovery from IR and place him on the active roster or rule him out for the season.
- Mariners complete strong road trip but Matt Brash causes concern
- Key Takeaways from Seattle Storm’s Thrilling Preseason Match
- FIFA Empowers Afghan Women Footballers with Historic Regulation Change
- Seahawks 2026 Draft: Analysis of Key Picks and Strategies
- Key Stats from Seattle Storm vs Golden State Valkyries Preseason Clash
Discover more from Cascadiasports.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
