Getty Seahawks safety Jamal Adams at MetLife Stadium on October 02, 2023.
The Seattle Seahawks put up a good fight against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, October 15, but offensive struggles in the red zone ultimately led to a 17-13 loss.
While the Seahawks defense kept Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to completing just 68.6% of his passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and his No. 1 wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, to 6 catches for 80 yards, safety Jamal Adams believes he could’ve done more to shut them down.
That is, if he was allowed.
Adams, who signed a four-year, $70.5 million contract with Seattle in 2021, told reporters after the game that while he’s “grateful” to be back out on the field, being held to a pitch count was “killing” him.
“I was just taking it one quarter at a time. Obviously, I was on a little rep count, that was killing me to be on the sideline, but I understood,” Adams said. “I understood the plan.”
Jamal Adams has been great today
#Seahawks
“Joe was getting the ball out quick obviously, we figured that out early on,” Adams continued. “Obviously, we were trying to get him from different angles, come up the middle, whatever the case may be. But he was doing a great job getting the ball out. We were trying to rally and do our best to get him, but it wasn’t happening as much as we needed to.”
Adams called the defense’s seven stops “phenomenal,” but lamented their slow start in the first half. “We put ourselves in a hole with penalties… But I feel like we finished the game strong. We came out there with swagger and juice, but that’s just Seattle. That’s what we do.”
Jamal Adams Made His Season Debut in Week 4, But Suffered a Concussion Early in the Game
After suffering a devastating quadriceps tear in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, Adams was able to return to action for the first time against the New York Giants on October 2.
While he was raring to go, the 27-year-old got kneed in the head early in the first quarter while tackling Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. However, the veteran initially refused to leave the field for further evaluation.
A video of his sideline outburst toward the independent concussion doctor, who’s appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, quickly went viral.
Jamal Adams being separated from the NFL red-cap concussion advisor by #Seahawks team staff. Adams yelled and pointed. Eventually led to the Seattle locker room without his helmet
Injured on the 10th play of his return, Giants QB Daniel Jones’ knee to Adams’ helmet
ESPN reported the league was considering disciplining Adams for his unruly behavior, but Adams got ahead of the situation and issued a formal apology for his actions. Adams posted, “First and foremost, I want to apologize to the OG.”
“You did everything right when you realized I was concussed, I apologize for any negative energy I brought your way. Watching the replay, I am thankful for your patience knowing I wasn’t myself in that moment. You’re a real one and you serve a great purpose that benefits the NFL and so many players. Prioritizing a player’s health is essential. Much respect to you!”
Seahawks QB Geno Smith Put the Bengals Loss on His Shoulders
On the final play, Geno Smith was looking for Colby Parkinson in that 1on1 situation.
“He did a great job getting open and I just didn’t get it to him in time.”
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who completed 65.9% of his passes for 323 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, had several chances to put this game away, but couldn’t get it done. The Seahawks offense made it into the red zone four times in the second half but came away with a total of three points.
Smith told reporters after the game, “The guys deserved to win today and obviously I didn’t do my best job today… those are things I put on myself and lay right on my shoulders.”
“I know that I can be a lot better, so I need to look in the mirror and figure those things out.”