JACKSONVILLE – Team reporter Kainani Stevens each week during the 2025 regular season will speak with a media member covering the Jaguars' opponent.
Up this week:
Seattle Seahawks sideline reporter Jen Mueller on the Seahawks as they enter the Week 6 matchup against the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
Question: Seattle's always just a quietly good team. We've completed five weeks of the season. What have you learned about the identity of the Seahawks?
Answer: We have definitely seen growth from the defense and just a really physical style of play. We've also seen a lot of injuries on that side of the ball. Offensively, quarterback Sam Darnold is executing what offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak wants at a really high level. Despite the loss Sunday against Tampa, Darnold had his best game as a Seahawk. You can just see a more established identity on offense. There has been some growth and there have been some injuries that certainly bring Sunday's game in Jacksonville into question.
Q: What are the injury concerns for the Seahawks right now?
A: Derick Hall, one of the edge rushers who left the game early last Sunday. Defensive backs Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love weren't able to play. Cornerback Riq Woolen left the game with a concussion. He's being evaluated this week. All of that means that you were without some really significant pieces. Linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence didn't play Sunday, so that was another guy up front that the team had been counting on. The depth of that defense has been tested. On a defense that plays fast, aggressive and physical, you need to have that depth and those rotations going.
Q: We saw what quarterback Sam Darnold's resurgence looked like last year in Minnesota and now he's getting settled in Seattle. Do you feel like he's really coming into his own now?
A: He is really being helped by an offensive line that feels more cohesive than the last few years. Maybe that's play-calling or maybe that is offensive philosophy. Darnold only has been sacked six times this year. That is tied for the fourth fewest in the NFL. No sacks last week by a Tampa defense that is really physical. The fact that he has been kept upright has certainly made a huge difference. His connection and relationship with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is really fun to watch because it just seems like JSN shows up when the quarterback needs him. Darnold said this last week Smith-Njigba's ability to show up for practice is what makes all of those things work on game day. Darnold has made some pretty spectacular throws under pressure, managed to escape, and then find his outlet in Smith-Njigba.
Q: Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen has been very strong about establishing the run so far this season, but Seattle has one of the best run-stopping defenses in the league. I'm excited to see that clash. What have you seen from the defense?
A: Up front, there is nobody better than defensive tackle Leonard Williams, although a close second would be defensive tackle Byron Murphy in the middle of that defensive line. Neither of those guys get enough credit because it doesn't show in the final box score. It's their ability to eat up double teams and to have everybody just crash towards that ball carrier. They've allowed about 83 rushing yards per game. That is the third fewest in the league. That is a huge difference from what we have seen in the last couple of years where they were retooling that defensive identity. Now, the downside of that, Tampa wasn't able to run, but they did find a lot of yards in the middle of the field. But Byron Murphy is a really, fun special player to watch in the way that he picks up double teams. His teammates sing his praises and just his ability to disrupt and blow up things in the middle of the run game.
Q: As we look ahead to Sunday, do you have a matchup you're looking at or a player to watch?
A: You know, I actually just want to see how this team responds after a loss. Seattle has been really good on the road under Head Coach Mike McDonald, but the Seahawks haven't found as much success at home as they would like. This team tends to come together on the road in a way that I have seen few others. If I had to look at somebody in particular, I would look at Ernest Jones, the linebacker. I would expect a pretty big bounce-back game for him and just being able to shore up some of what was happening in the middle of that defense against Tampa.
