Seahawks survive Colts as Jason Myers wins it with six field goals

By Tiffany Williams –

Seattle somehow survived Indianapolis at Lumen Field, 18–16, in a game that looked like a math test for kickers and defensive coordinators. Jason Myers put on a clinic, drilling six field goals, including a 56-yarder, to account for all 18 points. Sam Darnold passed for 271 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, one fumble that he didn’t lose, and somehow this counted as a win.

The Seahawks rushed for 50 yards total, led by Zach Charbonnet with 31 and Kenneth Walker III with 17. Their passing attack leaned heavily on Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 113 yards on seven catches, Rashid Shaheed with 74 on five, and Cooper Kupp with 46 on five. Seattle’s defense chipped in 67 tackles, one sack, five tackles for loss, six passes defended, and a lone interception by Coby Bryant. The real story was the kicker. Myers made every single attempt, including long bombs from 46, 52, 56, 30, and 32 yards, turning a low-powered offense into a scoreboard-winning machine.

Indianapolis had the better narrative on paper and still walked away empty-handed. Philip Rivers threw 18 of 27 for 120 yards, with a touchdown, an interception, and one sack, finishing with a passer rating of 73.1 and a QBR of 52.5. Jonathan Taylor carried the rock 25 times for 87 yards, Ameer Abdullah added 15 on four carries, and Rivers himself lost five yards on one attempt.

Top receivers were Abdullah with 32 yards on five catches, Michael Pittman Jr. with 26 on three, Tyler Warren with 19 on three, and Josh Downs hauling in the lone touchdown. Defensively, Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt each had 10 tackles, Cam Bynum 8, with the team totaling 61 tackles, one sack, and five tackles for loss. The Colts had zero turnovers, meaning all they did wrong was fail to stop a kicker. Blake Grupe was perfect on field goals, three for three with a long of 60, and he threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Downs.

Rigoberto Sanchez punted five times for 228 yards, averaging 45.6. Ameer Abdullah and Coleman Owen combined for 123 kick return yards. Indianapolis dominated time of possession and had more traditional offensive production and still lost.

The first half was a kicker duel. Grupe hit a 42-yarder, Myers answered with 47, then Grupe hit 54 and added an 8-yard touchdown pass to Downs. Seattle countered with a 52-yard field goal. Score at halftime was 13–6 Colts.

The second half featured only field goals. Myers drilled 46, 32, 30, and 56, Grupe added a 60-yarder, the lead bounced back and forth, and Seattle somehow held on. The fourth quarter became a literal battle of leg strength.

This was not a game about quarterbacks or running backs. Rivers had the better stats, Taylor moved the chains, Darnold moved the ball, but none of that mattered. Field goals decided the game. Defense kept it close, but the kicker carried Seattle to an 11–3 record, leaving Indianapolis at 8–6. Brutal for the Colts. Marvelous for Myers.

This was a game that screamed specialists matter more than talent sometimes. Forget passing stats, rushing yards, tackles. You want points? Call the kicker. Myers 6 for 6. Everything else is just filler.