SEATTLE — You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone before the 2022 season began who would have predicted the Week 8 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants would feature two squads with winning records, but that was the case Sunday at Lumen Field.
On a cloudy afternoon in the Emerald City, both teams struggled to get anything going consistently on offense. Ultimately, it was the Seahawks who came away with a 27-13 victory.
Here are three takeaways from a physical game in Seattle.
Run defense reversal
With two of the NFL's worst run defenses taking the field Sunday, many expected starting tailbacks Saquon Barkley of the Giants and Kenneth Walker III of the Seahawks to each rack up the yards. Instead, the NFL's third-worst (Seahawks) and fourth-worst (Giants) run defenses held two of the league's most prolific running backs to fewer than 100 yards.
The Seahawks allowed more than 140 yards on the ground in each game from Week 2 through Week 6. They seem to have turned a corner, as each of their most recent two games has ended with their opponent having fewer than 100 yards rushing.
Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt appears to have found the right formula to slow opposing offenses down in the run game, which will be integral to keeping Seattle's winning ways alive as the season wears on.
Special teams improvement
There have been a handful of miscues from the Seahawks' punt unit that have been covered in these weekly takeaways, but the group produced a positive big play for a change on Sunday.
Tight end Will Dissly looked more like a defensive end as he rocked New York punt returner Richie James and forced a fumble, which Joey Blount managed to dive on for the recovery.
In the fourth quarter, James fumbled once again on a punt return and helped the Seahawks seal up the victory.
Bruce Irvin bringing energy
A midseason addition courtesy of the Seahawks' practice squad, Irvin was all over the field Sunday.
He had a sack waived off due to his being a bit too eager to get off the line, but he later made one of the plays of the day when he grabbed hold of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and threw him into Saquon Barkley to blow up a run play in the backfield.
Irvin wasn't perfect, but brings both veteran leadership and a lot of energy to the Seattle defensive line each and every week.