Snap Count Synopsis: Jacob Hollister Steps Up in Seahawks Overtime Win over Buccaneers
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Though defensive concerns remain aplenty, the Seahawks beat the Buccaneers in a 40-34 track meet at CenturyLink Field on Sunday to move to 7-2 for just the fourth time in franchise history.
Checking out snap counts from Sunday’s victory, here are several key takeaways moving towards next week’s monumental NFC West matchup in San Francisco.
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· Despite putting the ball on the turf twice, including losing a key fumble in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks continued to stick with Chris Carson as their workhorse back. He did finish with 105 rushing yards against the NFL’s best run defense, though 59 of those came on a single carry that nearly ended in disaster. Still, he played 85 percent of Seattle’s offensive snaps, while Rashaad Penny only saw the field for 11 total snaps. If Penny couldn’t earn more playing time with Carson coughing up the ball multiple times, that’s a telling sign for the former first round pick.
· Already short-handed at tight end, Luke Willson suffered a rib injury during Sunday’s game and though he returned to action, he only played 17 offensive snaps. With the veteran banged up, Hollister enjoyed a career game while playing in 80 percent of Seattle’s offensive snaps, producing four receptions for 27 yards and scoring his first two career NFL touchdowns. The former Wyoming standout also drew a pivotal 38-yard pass interference call late in the second quarter before Russell Wilson found him for a one-yard touchdown in the flats to trim Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-13. Even with Ed Dickson set to potentially be activated this week, Hollister should have an expanded role moving forward.
· After playing a bit of offensive line musical chairs in Atlanta the week prior, the Seahawks played all five of their offensive line starters for every single one of their 75 snaps against the Buccaneers. Making his first start of the season, Joey Hunt held up well against Tampa’s stout defensive front and aside from a few breakdowns against blitzes that led to sacks, the line as a whole did an excellent job protecting Wilson as he torched a beleaguered secondary for 378 passing yards and five touchdowns.
· I’m playing a broken record week after week, but even as the front four continues to do next to nothing rushing the passer and Quinton Jefferson remains sidelined with an oblique injury, L.J. Collier can’t carve out a role in Seattle’s defensive line rotation. The first round pick out of TCU played just six snaps on Sunday with the coaching staff choosing to play Branden Jackson and Rasheem Green instead. At this point, it feels like a lost season for Collier and it’s hard to envision the light switch suddenly turning on over the next seven weeks.
· For now, there’s no drama at safety, as Marquise Blair and Bradley McDougald never left the field during Seattle’s 79 defensive snaps and look like the starters for the foreseeable future. Blair finished with five tackles, while McDougald returned from back spasms to register six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
· The Seahawks used more nickel defense with Jamar Taylor on the field 43 percent of their defensive snaps in an attempt to combat the Buccaneers explosive passing attack, but it’s safe to say the strategy didn’t necessarily improve defensive performance. Jameis Winston continued to carve up Seattle’s secondary with a comfortable pocket regardless of how many defensive backs were on the field. When Quandre Diggs returns from his hamstring injury, it’ll be interesting to see if Seattle uses him in the slot instead of safety, potentially ousting Taylor at the nickel cornerback position.