Snap Reactions: Seahawks victorious while playing almost exclusively nickel

The Seattle Seahawks were able to move up in the NFC standings in their Week 13 win over the Los Angeles Rams, climbing into the seventh seed in the conference, which would put them in the playoffs if the season were to end today. There is, of course, another month of games left to be played, though, and the snap counts on both the offense and defense may shed some light on where some members of the Hawks rookie class stand going forward.

On the offensive side of the ball the bookend rookie tackles Abe Lucas and Charles Cross again played every snap, just as they have done all season, while Ken Walker was limited to just 14 snaps before leaving the game due to injury. Dareke Young continued to be a significant contributor on special teams.

However, there is no greater clue regarding where Young’s development as an offensive weapon stands than the fact that in the absence of Dee Eskridge and losing Marquise Goodwin for a stretch, the team turned to Laquon Treadwell for 18 offensive snaps to just a single offensive snap for Young. That is not to say he will not develop, simply that more often than not it takes a long time for receivers to develop upon entering the NFL, and given how raw he was, it’s not a surprise that the team would opt for more experienced options in crucial situations.

Phil Haynes and Gabe Jackson continued the rotation they have used in recent weeks at right guard, while Noah Fant interestingly saw more snaps than Will Dissly.

On the defensive side of things, the defense rotated Mike Jackson and Tre Brown, while Teez Tabor played two dozen snaps, which is the highest snap total he has logged since 2018. Interestingly, Boye Mafe and Quinton Jefferson combined for just 22 snaps, while for the first time since the Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos, Seattle won while Cody Barton played more than 50 snaps.

Interestingly, against the Rams the Hawks averaged just over 5 defensive backs on the field per play, but they achieved that by playing with fewer bodies on the defensive line than at linebacker. They averaged just 2.1 defensive lineman per play, compared to 3.9 linebackers on the field per snap.

On special teams it was once again Nick Bellore leading the way with 22 snaps and Tanner Muse seeing the field for 20.

And now it’s on to Week 14 and the Carolina Panthers.