Seattle Seahawks Overcome Inconsistent Offense in Win vs. Cleveland Browns

After scoring on each of their first three drives, the Seattle Seahawks looked like they could blow out the Cleveland Browns. However, things quickly changed, forcing the Seahawks to show resiliency in a comeback effort in the fourth quarter.

The Seattle Seahawks picked up their fifth win of the season on Sunday, defeating the visiting Cleveland Browns 24-20 in a game that looked one-side early but quickly changed. 

The Seahawks offense came out of the gate firing against one of the best defenses in the NFL, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives while managing a field goal on their third. 

The early 17-7 lead was engineered by an explosive start from quarterback Geno Smith and the passing game, as he had completed eight of his 11 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. The Seahawks offense was rolling thanks to Smith distributing the ball to his best playmakers. Each of Seattle's three best receivers - D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba - had touches.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks defense had only allowed one touchdown and set up their offense to take an even more commanding lead as Riq Woolen picked off P.J. Walker, setting up a fourth drive. 

Oct 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) scores a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Lumen Field.  / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

However, instead of the turnover being another big swing of momentum in favor of the Seahawks, it ended up signaling the beginning of the offensive drought as the offense suffered its first of four three-and-outs. Failure to move the chains wasn't the only for the Seahawks, as Smith also fired two interceptions to make matters worse.

With the sudden downward spiral in execution from the offense, it looked like the Seahawks would suffer a similar fate to their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, where they were shut out in the second half. That potential future looked especially likely after the Seahawks broke their first-down drought with a seven-yard Zach Charbonnet run in the fourth quarter after being stopped on third seven straight times and ultimately had the drive stall just past midfield.

However, as they have in recent weeks, the Seahawks' defense provided a spark in the form of a P.J. Walker pass that tipped off the head of Jamal Adams and into the grateful hands of Julian Love to retake possession. 

From there, the Seattle passing game regained its first-half rhythm. Smith fired three straight completions to Lockett, Metcalf, and Noah Fant, resulting in a total gain of 43 yards. Then, following an incompletion and too many men on the field penalty on the Browns, Smith found the rookie, Smith-Njigba, for the game-winning nine-yard touchdown pass. 

Despite their struggles for much of the game - as the Browns' defense shut out Seattle in the second and third quarter - the Seahawks' offense regained its rhythm in the closing stages to record the victory.