Through three weeks, Earl Thomas III and the Seattle Seahawks were facing continuous questions about their inability to create turnovers—all the while insisting that when they come, they’ll come in bunches. On Sunday, the turnovers came, and they came in bunches just as Earl and Co. predicted.
After forcing one turnover through the first three weeks of the 2016 season, the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense forced three in Week 4’s 27-17 win over the New York Jets. Earl had the second of Seattle’s three picks, all of which came in the second half as the Hawks slammed the door shut on the home team’s comeback hopes at MetLife Stadium.
“We’ve been working really, really hard in practice. The first couple of games it didn’t really go our way as far as turnovers,” Earl said. “But today, there’s something about this stadium, something about New York, we always play good here.”
ET III racked up three tackles to go along with the pick in his best game of the season to this point. The defensive unit as a whole followed the game plan when it came to stopping the run and No. 29 said that it played a big role in allowing the secondary to do what they do best.
“Once you got a plan you got to stick to your plan and we did a great job of that,” Earl said. “Our D-line did great against the run and that’s what sets the tempo. Without our front us in the back end can’t do anything, so credit to them, they did a good job of containing these guys…just feels good for the ball to be bouncing our way.”
The game started with a lengthy opening drive by the Jets that chewed more than eight minutes off the clock. The 14-play drive resulted in a 34-yard Nick Folk field goal that put New York ahead by three.
Seattle and New York both traded punts before the Hawks offense got things going on their first scoring drive of the day. With 11:34 to go in the second quarter, Russell Wilson connected with C.J. Spiller for an eight-yard score to put the Seahawks up 7-3 after Steven Hauschka’s successful extra point.
The Hawks D forced another Jets punt on the ensuing possession and Seattle’s offense kept the momentum rolling. Wilson found Tanner McEvoy for a 42-yard touchdown reception to cap off the seven-play scoring drive. The reception was the first of McEvoy’s NFL career.
Richard Sherman nearly recorded an interception on the folloiwng Jets possession, but after review the call was reversed. A few plays later, Ryan Fitzpatrick found Marshall for a 17-yard touchdown to make it a four point game at the end of the first half.
The Seahawks and Jets both traded punts to open the third quarter but Seattle broke through with a 33-yard Hauschka field goal to make it a 17-10 game with 4:16 to play in the quarter. The game was quiet from there until the Hawks forced their first of three interceptions when Sherman picked off a Fitzpatrick pass intended for Marshall.
“[Sherman’s] the best corner in the league. Anytime you have a tough task of holding Brandon Marshall…just how he did it today,” No. 29 said. “It didn’t all go his way but this dude’s got so much heart. He overcame adversity and had two big [interceptions].”
Four plays later Seattle found the end zone on a short Christine Michael touchdown reception that extended the lead to 24-10 after the extra point. A couple possessions later, with the Jets starting a series they hoped to used to pull back within a single score, Earl made his biggest play of the game.
Fitzpatrick was looking for Robby Anderson on first down, but the pass was deflected and ended up in Earl’s hands after a sprawling catch for his first pick of the season. The diving interception set up a 53-yard boot from Hauschka to make it a 27-10 game.
“Our defense played lights-out. The turnovers that they had, the interceptions, Richard Sherman had two. Earl Thomas had one but he should have had a couple others too,” Wilson explained. “That’s a tribute to those guys and how they prepare.”
Later in the fourth, in an unusual play, Fitzpatrick was sacked by Cliff Avril which forced a fumble. The football was then scooped up by Charone Peake of the Jets who ran 42-yards for the score. Earl vouched that the Jets quarterback’s hand was going forward, and in a comical twist his plea was picked up by one of the referees microphones and broadcast to the entire stadium as well as the national television viewing audience. However, the touchdown was upheld upon review as the referees confirmed it was a fumble.
Now a 27-17 game, the Jets tried to make things interesting in the final few minutes but Sherman picked off Fitzpatrick for the second time on a deep ball intended for Marshall. The interception sealed the deal and the Seahawks were once again victorious at MetLife, site of their Super Bowl XLVIII.
Earl explained after the game what the solid performance meant for his defense.
“It just makes us more powerful. Of course we made some mistakes…just got to finish better,” Earl said. “A situation like that is just going to make us stronger.”
NEXT UP
Earl and the Seahawks (3-1) enter their bye week on a high note and will be tasked with facing the high-flying Atlanta Falcons (3-1) at home in Week 6 when they return to action.
ET III and the L.O.B. will have their hands full when the red-hot Julio Jones and Matt Ryan come to town. Jones is coming off an outstanding 300-receiving yard effort and Ryan has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league so far this season, leading the NFL in passing yards.
The game will kick off on Oct. 16 at 1:25 PDT from CenturyLink Field and will be aired on FOX.
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