SEATTLE — DeMarcus Lawrence scooped up the free ball in stride along with his proper hand and by no means touched it along with his left on his approach to the top zone for a 22-yard fumble return for a landing.
If it appeared just like the veteran exterior linebacker had performed it earlier than, it is as a result of he had — solely minutes earlier, and on an nearly equivalent play.
Among the many many highlights for the Seattle Seahawks of their 44-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lumen Subject have been two return touchdowns by Lawrence within the first half, each of which got here on fumbles compelled by blitzing inside linebacker Tyrice Knight.
Per ESPN Analysis, Lawrence grew to become the fourth participant in NFL historical past with a number of fumble return touchdowns in the identical sport, and the primary since Jeremy Chinn had two for the Carolina Panthers in 2020. The Seahawks used these two scores to leap out to a 38-7 halftime lead on their approach to their fourth straight win, which retains Mike Macdonald’s group tied atop the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams, their opponent subsequent week at SoFi Stadium.
“You possibly can’t draw that up,” stated Lawrence, who had two defensive touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons coming into Sunday. “T-Knight did an excellent job, working the play precisely how Coach Macdonald drew it up, and I used to be the fortunate recipient of the 2 compelled fumbles. I am going to take it day-after-day.”
Lawrence’s first landing got here on a 34-yard return halfway by way of the primary quarter. As with the second — which got here early within the second quarter — officers reviewed the play and upheld the on-field ruling that the ball was not transferring ahead when Knight knocked it out of quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s hand.
Including to the strangeness of the performs was that the Seahawks entered Week 10 having but to power a fumble on protection regardless of being tied for fourth within the league in fewest factors allowed per sport at 18.0.
“I could not consider that D-Regulation received the second,” Macdonald stated. “I used to be like, ‘Holy crap, it is him once more.’ However the way in which that he attacked the ball, T-Knight, is simply superior. We hadn’t compelled any fumbles but all this 12 months on protection and we received two at present. It is consciousness. Simply profiting from these alternatives was superior.”
The Seahawks had the NFL’s third-lowest blitz fee over the primary 9 weeks, as Macdonald principally has relied on his entrance 4 to get strain lest he additional tax a secondary that has been compelled to play backups at a number of spots as a consequence of accidents. The 2 blitzes on which Knight compelled Brissett to fumble had been in Seattle’s playbook, however Macdonald had but to name them this season earlier than Sunday.
“That was like déjà vu,” stated receiver Cooper Kupp. “It was loopy.”
Kupp (two catches, 74 yards) and Lawrence have been the Seahawks’ two huge veteran additions amid what was in any other case an offseason youth motion. Seattle signed the longtime Dallas Cowboys defensive finish to a three-year, $32.5 million contract, and to date it is gotten its cash’s value.
With a half sack towards Arizona, Lawrence has 4.0 sacks and 11 QB hits in eight video games (he missed one with a quad harm). His rugged edge-setting has been a consider Seattle’s stingy run protection, and Macdonald has raved concerning the tone he units with youthful gamers by way of his follow habits.
“I am simply grateful DeMarcus Lawrence is on my group, truthfully,” stated receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a Dallas-area native. “I grew up watching him on the Cowboys, so to have him, it is an honor, and I nonetheless cannot actually consider that he is on my group. However simply grateful for lots of nice gamers that we’ve got.”
Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s main receiver, caught 5 passes for 93 yards and a landing to surpass 1,000 receiving yards on the season. The Seahawks received their struggling run sport going, too, topping 200 dashing yards earlier than late kneel-downs dropped them to a season-high 198.
Macdonald gave sport balls to Lawrence, Knight and working backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, a mirrored image of how the sport was gained by Seattle’s protection and run sport. The Cardinals’ two touchdowns each got here after they took over with brief fields following Seattle turnovers — a botched trade between Sam Darnold and fill-in heart Olu Oluwatimi and a Darnold interception that deflected off a teammate’s helmet. Darnold misplaced one other fumble later within the sport.
Lawrence, Knight and the protection picked up the slack.
Knight began at center linebacker instead of Ernest Jones IV, who was out with a knee harm he suffered final week in a win over the Washington Commanders. Knight changed him in that sport and led the group with 10 tackles. He made eight extra Sunday to go together with his two strip-sacks.
“You have to keep prepared … and he is enjoying nice soccer,” Macdonald stated. “Clearly we would like Ernest again as quickly as potential, however he is displaying that he can go in and play nice ball for us an execute. Each of these have been pressures that we have not ran earlier than, so to have the ability to go in and execute these issues having not gotten all of the reps was some high-powered stuff.”
The Seahawks had 5 sacks of Brissett, who once more began instead of Kyler Murray. That they had 10 QB hits, together with a team-high three by Lawrence.
“We knew he wasn’t going to get out the pocket that a lot,” Lawrence stated of Brissett, “so we may pin our ears again and go hunt.”
Based on ESPN Analysis, the Seahawks completed with 22 quarterback pressures towards Arizona. They now have 146, probably the most by a group by way of 9 video games since ESPN started monitoring duress in 2009.
The Seahawks on Saturday put veteran defensive sort out Jarran Reed on injured reserve due to a wrist fracture. Macdonald stated he is anticipated to return, however Seattle should overcome the absence of one other key defensive participant for at the least the following 4 video games.
“I consider it is a testomony of what we in-built coaching camp,” Lawrence stated. ‘We have been going at this for some time, and our younger guys are stepping up, enjoying good ball … We have an excellent factor going.”