In one of Week 17's most consequential games, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Jets 23-6, officially ending New York's playoff hopes. Meanwhile, the win keeps Seattle's playoff hopes alive heading into Week 18.
The Seahawks started the game with a bang, with Kenneth Walker III ripping off a 60-yard run against one of the NFL's best defenses and then Geno Smith following it up by finding tight end Colby Parkinson for a touchdown. Walker finished with 133 yards on the ground, while No. 2 back DeeJay Dallas added 43 yards on seven carries and led the Seahawks with 55 receiving yards on his three catches.
Smith threw his second touchdown pass to his other tight end, rookie Tyler Mabry, who found the end zone on his first NFL catch. Going against the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2013, Smith completed 18-of-29 passes for 182 yards and those two scores, while also leading three field goal drives.
Picking up his eighth victory of the season with Seattle allowed him to match the number of victories he recorded during his rookie season in New York. Smith lasted just 14 more games as New York's starter, though, and had bounced around the league as a backup for the last few years before being named the starter in Seattle this season. Now, he surprisingly has his team on the verge of a potential postseason berth of its own.
New York, meanwhile, had turned to Mike White to invigorate its offense after it struggled with Zach Wilson at the helm. But White was out of rhythm for pretty much the entire game, going just 22 of 44 for 240 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble.
New York ran the ball fairly well (particularly in the first half), but it ultimately didn't matter. Mistakes -- three turnovers and a missed field goal, plus a couple penalties -- and the lack of a passing game just kept the Jets from making the contest competitive. Their failure to win also meant that the longest active playoff drought in the NFL continues for another year. New York has not made the playoffs since 2010. Seattle, on the other hand, has a chance to return there in the first year of the post-Russell Wilson era.
Why the Seahawks won
They made a few explosive plays and capitalized on a couple of red-zone opportunities, while their defense kept Mike White off balance and out of rhythm for the entire afternoon. Walker's 60-yard run and DeeJay Dallas' big catch-and-run on a flip pass from Geno Smith each set up red-zone possessions, and the Seahawks turned them both into touchdowns. They fell short other times, but the Jets didn't get any red-zone touchdowns, so that was ultimately enough to secure the win for Seattle. Plus, Quandre Diggs and Mike Jackson each picked off White, and their secondary made it difficult for him to find windows throughout the game.
Why the Jets lost
Their offense couldn't get anything going. New York actually ran the ball well in the first half (5.8 yards per carry), but White failed to find a connection with any of his receivers and finished the game just TK of TK for TK yards and two picks. He also lost a fumble. By the time the game was out of reach, only Tyler Conklin had more than 24 receiving yards, and Braxton Berrios was the team's second-leading receiver. And all this against a defense that had not exactly been all that stingy throughout this season.
Turning point
The Seahawks opened the game with a very quick touchdown drive. It took them just three plays and 1:35 to go 73 yards and find their way into the end zone. The Jets looked like they were quickly marching down the field on their opening possession as well. Mike White found Ty Conklin for a 17-yard pass, Ty Johnson broke off a 17-yard run ... and then on third-and-7 from the Seattle 33-yard line, White did this:
Under pressure, White made a bad decision to force the ball into coverage, and he paid the price for it. The Jets never really challenged the Seahawks much after that, even if the game remained somewhat close for a while longer.
Highlight play
It's tough to choose just one, so we're going with two. First, Walker took the game's opening snap and ripped off a 60-yard run, making one cut to burst through the line of scrimmage and nearly take it all the way to the house. The drive ended with a touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson.
Later, Geno Smith was under pressure, stepped up and through the pocket looking to scramble, but at the last moment, option flipped the ball to DeeJay Dallas, who then broke through the secondary and created a big play. The drive ended with a touchdown pass to Tyler Mabry.
What's next
With the Giants having won on Sunday, the Seahawks still need some help in order to make the playoffs. They close the season by hosting the division-rival Rams (5-11), and will be paying attention to the Lions-Packers game, as the Seahawks need a Lions victory to have a chance at capturing the No. 7 seed in the NFC.
The Jets have been eliminated from postseason contention. They play the Dolphins (8-8) next week, and can deal a similar blow to their division rivals' playoff chances. Their postseason hopes dashed, the Jets will likely turn their offseason attention to figuring out the quarterback situation so they don't waste an explosive crop of skill-position players and an elite defense for another year.