The Seattle Seahawks defended their home field as they defeated the visiting New York Giants, 27-13, in Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season. This fifth win kept the Seahawks at solo first place in the NFC North. They are a game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers. Here we will look at Geno Smith and three other Seahawks most responsible for their Week 8 win vs. the Giants.

During Seattle's successful homestand, Smith threw two touchdown passes, Ken Walker ran for one, and the Seahawks defense limited the Giants to 225 offensive yards. It improved their season record to 5-3, making them the only club in their division with a winning record.

They will go to Arizona next weekend to attempt a season sweep of the Cardinals, and a victory would extend their current winning run to four games. Following that, they'll have a Week 9 bye before the Texans arrive in Week 10.

Here we look at Geno Smith and three other Seahawks most responsible for their Week 8 win vs. the Giants

4. LB Uchenna Nwosu and that solid run defense

Giants QB Daniel Jones had nowhere to go with the ball due to a mix of tight coverage and pressure. He completed just 17-of-31 passes for 176 yards with no touchdowns and a passer rating of 71.4. Jones was also sacked five times and averaged only 5.7 yards per attempt. Special mention should be made to Uchenna Nwosu up front, who anchored the pass rush all game.

He helped the Seahawks' smothering defense continue their elite performance for the third week in a row. However, this was their most spectacular. Entering Week 8, the Giants were second in the NFL with 173 rushing yards per game. Keep in mind that the Giants ground assault is one of the trickiest nuts to crack in the league. It is led by star running back Saquon Barkley and their remarkably agile quarterback.

The Seahawks didn't care at all. All afternoon, the Giants ran into a navy-colored brick wall. Seattle limited New York to 78 rushing yards as a team. Barkley ran the ball 20 times for just 53 yards. Nwosu was a big part of that with two sacks, two QB hits, two tackles for loss, and six tackles overall.

3. WR Tyler Lockett

Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett very nearly became a dud in this game. Before the endgame moments, he was actually having an unusually bad game. That was unusual for one of the team's most dependable skill players.

Recall that Lockett fumbled at Seattle's two-yard line, which was recovered by New York, as the Seahawks were backed up against their own end zone. The Giants responded with a score two plays later, tying the game at 7-7. Later, on third down, Lockett dropped a sure touchdown, forcing Seattle to settle for a field goal.

However, Lockett more than made up for it in the fourth quarter. He pulled in a 33-yard pass from Geno Smith to give the Seahawks a 20-13 lead. They would never look back after that go-ahead score. Lockett ended with five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.

“Tyler’s the best receiver I’ve ever been around,” head coach Pete Carroll told reporters post-game. “I’ve never seen anybody do all of the things so consistently for such a long time, of course, he’s going to make a double move to score a touchdown.”

2. TE Will Dissly

Tight end Will Dissly may have created a reputation for himself as an indispensable special teams player on Sunday. Recall that the Giants mishandled two crucial punt returns in this game. That resulted in 10 Seahawks points. Dissly was involved in both sequences.

When the score was 7-7 late in the first half, Dissly caused Giants returner Richie James to fumble. Seattle converted this opportunity into a field goal, putting them up 10-7 at the half.

Dissly later recovered another James fumble, this time forced by Travis Homer, to put the Seahawks deep in Seattle territory. Ken Walker then delivered the killing blow two plays later, putting the Seahawks ahead 27-13. We cannot blame Seahawks fans if they became dizzy for Dissly.

1. QB Geno Smith

Seahawks QB Geno Smith finished with a stat line that could be described as solid but not spectacular. He completed 23-of-34 passes for 212 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs. Smith, however, played considerably better than the box score suggested. In this case, the eye test trumped the numbers.

Remember that of the criticisms hurled against Smith was that he had yet to lead a game-winning drive in a crucial scenario. Well, he heard those critiques and basically punched 'em.

Smith finished 5-of-5 for 75 yards and the game-winning touchdown to Tyler Lockett with the score knotted at 13-13. How's that for clutch?

Let's give Smith the credit he's due. The guy is playing terrific football, and we are not going to add any qualifiers to dilute that assessment. He has put up solid numbers, stepped up when needed, and proven to be an excellent leader.

Take note as well that he didn't have a clean pocket throughout much of this game. In fact, he was under duress for most of it.

The Seahawks offensive line has done a fantastic job of keeping Geno Smith clean in the pocket for the most part of the season. That was not the case today. The Giants' defensive line dominated in the trenches. They roughed up Smith with 10 QB hits and three sacks. Despite that, Smith rose to the occasion and still got the W.