Seattle Seahawks Rookie CB Among Few Bright Spots in Week 5 Loss

Filling in for starter Riq Woolen, rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett showed up big for the Seattle Seahawks when his number was called in Sunday's loss.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Mason Kinsey (12) and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) in the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images / Casey Gower-Imagn Images

Rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett was a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal performance by the Seattle Seahawks defense in their 29-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Former Pro Bowl corner Riq Woolen was limited by an ankle injury and eventually exited the game. Pritchett was called into action after playing just seven total defensive snaps entering Week 5.

After being a step behind Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton on a missed, would-be touchdown pass from Daniel Jones, Pritchett redeemed himself late in the game in a critical moment for the Seahawks. Pritchett said after the game his main goal was to “not let the standard drop” when Woolen came off the field.

With New York leading by three and only 1:55 remaining in the game, Pritchett broke up a 3rd and 4 pass from Jones, again intended for Slayton. The Giants were forced to punt, and Seattle marched down the field. It didn’t pan out for Seattle, however, as Jason Myers’ game-tying field goal was blocked.

Still, Pritchett made the play of the day on defense outside of safety Rayshawn Jenkins’ 102-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter. It was the only pass breakup of the day credited to a Seahawks defender and came at a critical juncture.

“He’s got to go in there play at a high level,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said of Pritchett postgame. “He’s been practicing well enough to be up and be the next guy in the game. There’s going to be a competition there based on what happens with Riq and how we align guys. But it was good to see him respond [and] make plays in the second half.”

Pritchett ended up playing 13 snaps (18 percent of total defensive snaps), per Pro Football Focus, with 10 coming in coverage. He made one tackle in addition to the pass breakup and allowed two catches on four targets for 22 yards (66.7 passer rating allowed).

He wasn’t perfect, but Pritchett’s presence was felt and his mistakes were few on a day where the Seahawks struggled on all three levels of its defense. His third-down pass deflection gave Seattle a chance, whether it panned out in the end or not. That’s all you can ask from a rookie defensive back coming in cold off the bench.

“My confidence definitely grew,” Pritchett said. “Just getting comfortable in the game and seeing what they were attacking and being able to get the stop [on third down] was very good. It was a blessing.”

The Seahawks’ poor defensive play must be addressed in a short week. As Macdonald said, if Woolen can’t play versus the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, Pritchett will likely be next in line. He and Dee Williams are the only other cornerbacks on Seattle’s current 53-man roster behind Woolen, Devon Witherspoon and Tre Brown.

Brown, in particular, had one of his worst career outings against the Giants. He allowed five catches on six targets for 93 yards and a touchdown, per PFF. Slayton racked up eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown mostly working against Brown — the exact receiving yards total he had through New York’s previous four games combined.

Depending on how Pritchett fares in practice during the short week and the status of Seattle’s other injured players, he could make his first career start on Thursday in a crucial game for the Seahawks.