One talking head has lost his mind about Seattle Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon

Jason McIntyre said Witherspoon hasn’t been good in the last five games.

Comparing anything else Devon Witherspoon does (or any other cornerback, to be fair) to his Monday Night Football Week 4 performance and thinking Witherspoon has not played as well since he did not have 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a 97-yard pick-six is, well…dumb. The Seattle Seahawks rookie had one of the best games by a defensive back ever, let alone in 2023. Those numbers are not going to be replicated maybe ever as a 2-sack, pick-six performance had not been done before.

But Jason McIntyre, co-host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, apparently wanted to be talked about this week (and since I am writing this article I guess he is getting his wish), as McIntyre said a very silly bit about Witherspoon. According to McIntyre, Witherspoon “just hasn’t shown up” since the Week 4 game. Goodness, I guess McIntyre clearly talks about things he has no idea about.

Partly, McIntyre was making his argument based on how well Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell did against the Seahawks. Washington scored 17 second-half points against the Seahawks, and Howell overall completed 29 of 44 passes for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. Howell was good, but he also wasn’t simply throwing the ball toward Witherspoon.

Jason McIntyre says a ridiculous thing about Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon allowed 4 completions on 7 targets for 61 yards against Washington. Not great numbers, but that completion percentage is also only 57.1. Witherspoon was credited with allowing a touchdown against Washington, too. Witherspoon also had a forced fumble and 2 passes broken up as well, however.

Since Week 4, Witherspoon has allowed 11 completions on 24 targets. On those 11 completions, Witherspoon has given up a total of 118 yards. That is 10.7 yards per completion (that’s pretty good), and only 4.9 yards per target (that is great). Witherspoon has missed four of his 24 tackle attempts (16.7 percent and that’s bad).

Witherspoon does have 2 quarterback hurries and 2 batted balls in the last five games. That isn’t normal production for cornerbacks. That is because Witherspoon’s unique skills and versatility allow the Seahawks to move him around in coverage alignments and blitzes.

For Jason McIntyre to say Witherspoon hasn’t shown up in the last five games is simply hyperbole designed to draw a reaction. He clearly doesn’t watch Witherspoon and how the rookie corner gives Seattle freedom to be a bit more creative in what they are trying to do. I would suggest McIntyre think before he speaks on his radio show, but then he obviously only gets paid to speak and not think.

Seattle Seahawks: 5 more pressing questions on the lips of the 12s

At 6-3, the Seattle Seahawks are in good shape at mid-season. Or are they? We have more than a few questions about what’s brought them this far, and how much further they can go. We’ll review what’s happened so far, make some semi-educated guesses at what’s in store over the next eight games, and take a sneak at 2024.

The Seahawks have looked unstoppable at times this season. Unfortunately for those 12s with heart conditions, those times are never within one game. They may open fast as they did against the Browns and throw 17 on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Or they may score a pair of touchdowns in the fourth, as they did versus the Lions. It’s all those dead times in between that have their fans reaching for the antacids.

So what are the answers? To figure that out, we need to decide exactly what we’re asking. We’ve already discussed some pressing issues with an eye toward 2024. This time, let’s focus a bit more on what’s happened so far, and how the rest of this season may play out.

Is the Seattle Seahawks defense good, bad, or…?

Has the defense regressed, or did they only look that good against the Giants, the Bengals before Joe Burrow got right, and the Cards?

I think the defense is still who we thought they were. In 2022, the defense had a good run too…for four games between Weeks 6 and 9. Oddly, those games included the Giants and Cardinals as well. I do think overall the defense is better than in 2022. They allow 5.2 yards per play in 2023 – tied for 14th in the league – and last year was 5.5, 20th in the NFL. Last year they were 25th in points allowed per game (23.6) and this year they are 20th at 22.3.

So they aren’t great, of course, but they do seem somewhat better. There is no question they have some very talented players as well, such as Devon Witherspoon and Bobby Wagner. But communication is still an issue at times. Add to that Quandre Diggs is not playing anywhere near the level he was the last few years and the defense is still underperforming.

Seattle Seahawks playoff hopes die in Week 11 loss to Rams: Quick takeaways

The Seattle Seahawks season is likely done. They are now 6-4 with a very real chance of being 6-8 after Week 15. Losing to the Rams twice in a season doesn’t bode well for playing the San Francisco 49ers twice, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle winning any of those games.

Honestly, Seattle wasn’t going to come close to the Super Bowl anyway. Making the playoffs would be great, but the games are fairly hopeless once there. On the bright side, at least Seattle will get a decent draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Or maybe I am just being pessimistic, though watching Seattle over the course of the year the above outcome seems logical. Let’s hope for 8-9 at this point. Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks 17-16 loss to the Rams in Week 11.

Drew Lock is not the answer for the Seattle Seahawks

How bad was Drew Lock in Week 11? So bad that Seattle had to put an injured Geno Smith – Smith had hurt his throwing arm near the end of the third quarter – back on the field. Smith actually was able to get Seattle closer to making a field goal, but Jason Myers missed a 55-yard try with 8 seconds left. Smith wasn’t overly good either, but he was under constant pressure and finished 22 of 34 for 233 yards and a touchdown.

Drew Lock, though, finished 2 of 6 for 3 yards and threw an interception. I know some Lockers out in 12 Land are going to find reasons for Lock not being productive, but just remember he had the same blocking as Smith. Lock isn’t good, and Seattle needs to find a new quarterback in 2024.

The defense is nowhere near being a playoff contender

Seattle’s defense has been a tale of two halves in almost every game recently. After halftime against the Washington Commanders in Week 10, the Seahawks had shut down the Washington offense pretty well. The same happened against the Rams in Week 11. Los Angeles had 94 total yards and 7 first downs at the half. By the end of the game, LA had 269 total yards and 20 first downs. The Rams got five of those on penalties.

So is the issue the players or the scheme? If other teams go into halftime and adjust and get better and Seattle stays the same, that means pregame preparation is better than in-game adjustments. A good defensive coaching staff can do drive-by-drive adjustments, and the Seahawks are not capable of that.

The officiating was awful but did not affect the outcome

Oh, I can already hear some disagree with me on this. The fact is that while the officiating was horrible – any time 21 flags are accepted in a game part of that problem is the officials being too picky – Seattle’s defense could still have gotten stops. Devon Witherspoon was called for a false pass interference, but Seattle’s defense could have still stopped the Rams from scoring a touchdown.

Seattle Seahawks inactives versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11

The Seattle Seahawks have been relatively lucky with injuries so far in 2023. They did lose their best edge rusher, Uchenna Nwosu, to a season-ending pec injury, and the team has played without right tackle Abraham Lucas (knee) ever since Week 1, but every team goes through some kind of attrition. Seattle’s hardest-hit unit has been the offensive line, but even that group is beginning to get a little healthier.

Still, Jamal Adams is a surprise inactive in Week 11 and that is not good. Maybe Seattle just didn’t want to risk playing the safety in two games in the same week. One would assume Seattle is going to be a lot less aggressive, however.

While Abe Lucas was cleared to start practicing this week, he was always doubtful to play against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Plus, as Seattle has two games this week (Sunday and Thursday) playing Lucas on Sunday likely means he wouldn’t be available in Week 12 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams are good, but the 49ers are better and Lucas is likely more needed against San Francisco than LA.

Of course, that was part of the problem for the Seahawks heading into Week 11. They might have risked playing all the guys who were on the injury report this week, but with two upcoming games so close together, they needed to weigh the risk with the long-term plan. For instance, special teamer Dareke Young has been struggling with an abdomen injury, but why play him against the Rams if it meant he could not play against the 49ers on Thanksgiving Day?

Who is inactive for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams?

Receiver Tyler Lockett missed a couple of days of practice this week with a hamstring injury, but he has missed practice a number of times in previous weeks and always played. Lockett doesn’t really need the practice. Just resting him during the week makes more sense.

The only other player who was a question was tight end Colby Parkinson who has been dealing with a biceps injury. But like Lockett, he has missed practices and still played.