Nick Emmanwori has become one of the most intriguing pieces in the Seahawks’ defense, and his value could be front and center again in Week 10 against the Raiders.
Seattle has been using Emmanwori all over the field, and that’s what makes him such a problem for opposing offenses. He can line up at safety, step into a linebacker role, or even get after the quarterback as a defensive end. Against the Arizona Cardinals, that versatility showed up in a big way when he was assigned to All-Pro tight end Trey McBride and limited him to 54 yards.
“We asked him to match up a few times and he did a great job,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said in a press conference.
Macdonald said Emmanwori’s preparation showed up on game day.
“I think he had a great mentality throughout the week. He was on his details and I think you saw that kind of manifest itself in the game by him just letting it rip and playing a great game.
I mean, we asked him to blitz, we asked him to cover. Obviously the play in the red zone was awesome and then we had a plan for him to rush as well.
We just weren’t able to get to some of those situations that we wanted to.”
Emmanwori is back to full strength after an early-season ankle injury, and the Seahawks appear to be leaning into what he does best as the season moves deeper into the schedule. That could matter again this week, because Las Vegas brings one of the league’s toughest tight end matchups in Brock Bowers.
Bowers has been a steady force for the Raiders, posting at least 70 yards in all seven of his appearances this season. His 658 receiving yards are ninth in the NFL and first among tight ends. If Seattle wants to come out of Week 10 with a win, slowing him down will be a major part of the job, and Emmanwori looks like a natural fit for that assignment based on how the Seahawks handled McBride.
The Seahawks and Raiders kick off Sunday at 1:05 pm PT at Allegiant Stadium. The game will air on CBS and can also be streamed on the Paramount Plus app.
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