2023 NFL Power Rankings: Seattle Seahawks

Biggest issue on defense: Third down

Stopping the run has been the only thing Seattle's defense has done consistently well. Everything else has been either up-and-down or downright poor, with the Seahawks' third-down defense standing out as the most glaring of several issues so far. Heading into Monday night's game, the Seahawks ranked second-to-last in third-down percentage, allowing opponents to convert more than 57% of the time. However, the defense did better Monday night, allowing the Giants to convert on only 6 of 16 third-down tries. -- Brady Henderson

This probably wasn't how Geno Smith and Jamal Adams envisioned their New York homecomings. Adams, the former Jet, was making his presence felt early but left with a concussion after nine snaps. Smith, the former Jet and Giant, left with a knee injury in the second quarter but returned after halftime to help finish off the win, albeit in an uneven second half. Drew Lock made a few plays in relief, leading the offense on a TD drive. It's not often a team can win on the road using four different battery combinations (two QBs and two centers), but that's what happened. It's easier when your defense can rack up 11 sacks, a 97-yard pick-six, another INT and a fumble recovery taken inside the opponent's 10-yard line. It wasn't pretty, but it was a gutsy win.

They've won three straight games to put the opening-day loss way behind them. They beat up the Giants on Monday night.

They're now 29-12 all-time on Monday nights, best ever. It helps when you get 11 sacks in a building (MetLife Stadium) where you've never lost.

The only scare of the night for the Seahawks came when quarterback Geno Smith suffered a knee injury while being tackled after catching his own batted pass. Smith missed a series, in which backup Drew Lock led a Seattle touchdown drive, but returned to get a taunting flag because he was still mad at the Giants' Isaiah Simmons for the tackle. The Seahawks defense racked up a franchise-record 11 sacks, one short of the most ever recorded in an NFL game.

Monday featured a largely forgettable night on offense against the Giants, but who cares when the defense looked like that? The Seahawks rolled up 11 sacks and three takeaways and allowed just a field goal. Devon Witherspoon officially had his coming-out party and looked like one of the most exciting rookies in this draft class. An easy win against an overmatched opponent.

Pete Carroll must love having rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon. He can scheme up a lot of things with his versatile corner. Witherspoon turned out the Giants' lights on Monday night with a huge 97-yard interception return for a touchdown. Before that, Witherspoon became the first rookie to have multiple sacks in a game this season, ESPN said. Witherspoon was all over the place making plays. A game like Monday night will put him on the map for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Legion of Boom is back.

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