Monday night was a Seattle Seahawks sack social at MetLife Stadium in a 24-3 win over the New York Giants.
The Seahawks tied a franchise record for most sacks in a game with 11 -- also a mark made in Week 14, 1986, against the Los Angeles Raiders.
"This was a great night for (defensive coordinator) Clint (Hurtt) and the guys on defense," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said after the game, via team transcript. "The mixes and the changeups, the variety of ways that we came after them, we used everybody on the field just about, hitting the calls at the right time so the guys could create some explosive plays out of it. You've got to give Clint a ton of credit. Pass rush isn't just the guys up front; everybody contributes to it. Coverage, and that's where the backers play a role as well, and it was a great illustration of that tonight."
Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Devon Witherspoon, and Uchenna Nwosu each had two sacks. Four players with two-plus sacks is the most in a game in franchise history. Seven Seattle players had at least one sack, second-most in club history.
Add in Witherspoon's game-sealing, 97-yard pick-six, and the Seahawks became the second team in the Super Bowl era to have 11-plus sacks and a pick-six in the same game (Oakland Raiders in Week 7, 1977 at Buffalo -- also 11 sacks and one pick-six).
"I think we needed it," Wagner said of the 11-sack performance. "I think each game defensively we've been getting better. We've been doing a good job stopping (the) run, but the one thing was just applying pressure. I think the last game, we had a lot of pressures but not as many sacks. I felt like this game, we turned those pressures into sacks."
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, the recipient of 10 of those sacks (the 11th came on a blown-up swing pass of Parris Campbell as the wide receiver looked to throw), was under siege all night from a relentless Seahawks attack.
After losing Week 1 at home by 17 points to the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks head into their bye week on a three-game winning streak, including a road win in Detroit and back-to-back double-digit victories.
The Seahawks have started 3-1 or better for the third time in the last five seasons. The club has made playoffs in each of the previous 10 seasons they started 3-1 or better.
