The Seattle Seahawks just about survived to beat the Indianapolis Colts and returning 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers in Week 15, and head coach Mike Macdonald knew who deserved most credit for the win.
It wasn’t star QB Sam Darnold, prolific wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, nor a smothering defense. Seattle’s hero wasn’t even kicker Jason Myers, who booted six field goals, including the 56-yard game winner with two seconds on the clock to make franchise history.
Instead, Macdonald reserved special praise for an unlikely hero, head research analyst Brian Eayrs. Macdonald revealed to reporters, including the Tacoma News Tribune’s Gregg Bell, Eayrs “did a phenomenal job managing” the clock during the Colts’ penultimate drive, a march that ended with what appeared to be the decisive three points, courtesy of a 60-yard field goal by Blake Grupe.
Yet, the Seahawks still had 47 seconds left to work with because Eayrs “was really decisive” in convincing Macdonald to use all of his timeouts on the Colts’ possession. That decision gave Darnold and Co. one last chance, however slight, to win the game.
Eayrs’ foresight to see the possibility of Seattle’s offense getting the ball back with enough time to score is why Macdonald “gave him a lot of credit and got (him) a game ball in the locker room because he really put us in position to go, still have a chance to win the game.”
I had him walk us through his thinking. He credits his main-man analyst Brian Eayrs. Gave him game ball in the locker room for convincing him why to use all 3 of the #Seahawks’ time outs on defense to leave :47 left.
Clever use of the clock ultimately saved the Seahawks from the embarrassment of losing to Rivers and the banged-up Colts at home. The last-ditch victory has kept Macdonald’s team in a strong position ahead of Week 16’s tussle for the NFC West crown with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, but the Seahawks will need to fix some flaws on a short week.
Seahawks’ Smarts Saved Faltering Offense
Eayrs proved his worth with some smart game management that positioned Myers to save the day for a sputtering offense. The misfiring unit had also been bailed out by a defense that eventually adjusted to Rivers.
There was an inevitable surprise factor since the veteran signal-caller was playing in his first game since the playoffs following the 2020 season. Macdonald’s defense was able to roll down the shutters on the Colts’ attempts to play small ball, with tight end Tyler Warren, a go-to target and potential matchup problem before the game, limited to just three catches for 19 yards.
The D’ rose to the occasion, but Seattle’s offense needed Myers to be an efficient outlet. He met the challenge, and the 34-year-old likely appreciated Eayrs, who’s been a useful voice and source of information for the Seahawks since 2013, giving the offense enough time to position him for a kick from under 60 yards.
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Darnold and his supporting cast needed all the help they could get during a rough outing.
Seattle Offense Has a Lot to Fix Before Rams Rematch
It’s no longer an option for Darnold to ignore some worrying trends about the Seahawks’ offense. Perhaps the most concerning are problems converting red zone trips into touchdowns.
One way to solve this issue would be to muster a more credible running game. The Seahawks generated a mere 50 yards on the ground against the Colts, leaving Darnold at the mercy of a clever pass rush too often.
He was only sacked once, but Darnold took his share of hits from a defense running sophisticated pressure packages designed by creative coordinator Lou Anarumo. His schemes also forced Darnold into 14 incompletions and a mediocre 43.9 quarterback rating, per ESPN.
Macdonald knows his QB1 will need better protection and support after Darnold threw four interceptions during the first meeting with the Rams. Darnold was also called out for being shaky under pressure during the 21-19 defeat on the road in Week 11.
Making home advantage count on Thursday will require the Seahawks having a more balanced offense with enough productive running to slow pass-rushers and make coverage obvious.
Eayrs can help again with some research into which running plays work best out of what personnel groupings against the Seahawks’ toughest division opponent.
Mike Macdonald Names Unlikely Hero After Seahawks Beat Colts