The last time Rashid Shaheed played on a Thursday, he returned a punt for 58 yards against the Rams and helped the Seahawks cut L.A.’s lead to eight points. On Seattle’s very next offensive play, Shaheed took an end around 31 yards to set the Seahawks up for the game-tying score to A.J. Barner.
Now can you believe that Shaheed’s next most recent Thursday night game was also against the Rams in 2023? And in that game he caught a 45-yard touchdown from Derek Carr to get the Saints on the board:
This is the side to Shaheed that the Seahawks have not seen enough of after signing him to a three-year, $51 million contract in March. But it is a side that — like Thanksgiving — always seems to show up on a Thursday.
In Shaheed’s first career Thursday night game in 2022, he caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton.
In four career Thursday night games, Shaheed has a 53-yard touchdown catch, a 45-yard touchdown catch, a 58-yard punt return touchdown, and a 31-yard carry, making a grand total of 10 catches for 151 yards, 39 rushing yards, and over 250 scrimmage yards.
That’s the type of night that the Seahawks are looking for from Shaheed against the Broncos.
In 14 career regular season games with Seattle, Shaheed has 284 receiving yards and zero receiving touchdowns. He scored his first and only rushing touchdown with the Seahawks against the Chargers in Week 4, but he’s averaging 35 yards per game below his receiving numbers with New Orleans prior to the trade.
It wouldn’t be the first time Seattle invested money and resources into a pass catcher and didn’t get the desired production from him:
Deion Branch
Nate Burleson
Sidney Rice
Jimmy Graham
Can Brian Fleury do a better job? Can Jay Harbaugh do a better job? Can Sam Darnold do a better job?
All roads points to YES.
But they are not the ones who have to worry about his money, so Shaheed’s going to have to take it into his own hands to make sure he continues to be paid: If Shaheed is on the roster five days after the Super Bowl, his $11.7 million salary becomes fully guaranteed. Meaning that if he is cut before then, the Seahawks will save over $11 million.
Shaheed has nine catches for 96 yards and zero touchdowns and he hasn’t had a notable return yet, plus he has fumbled twice, so I’d be getting pretty anxious about my future right about now if I were him.
Thursday would not be too soon for Shaheed to remind everyone why the Seahawks felt he was too special to lose.
Join us for the LIVE game chat tonight!
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Your Week 6 Expectations
Expected Score: Seahawks 25, Broncos 16
My guess: Seahawks over 25, Broncos over 16
Until we get some proof that Seattle won’t turn the ball over multiple times, I’m struggling with a low score. I do think they will win because they are the better team.
Sam Darnold passing yards: 233.06
Emanuel Wilson rushing yards: 71.05
Jaxon Smith-Njigba receiving yards: 118.30
My guess: Darnold under, Wilson under, JSN under
Darnold is at 181 yards per game in the last two weeks. He may be due for a big game, but the Zach Allen vs. Seahawks OL matchup doesn’t seem favorable for Seattle and I expect Darnold to be under pressure a lot.
I’m sticking with Wilson as the leading rusher because he does get so many more carries than anyone else. The Broncos give up a lot of rushing yards, but a big chunk of that goes to quarterbacks and receivers. This could be where Shaheed shows up.
Of course, JSN is always a threat for 180 yards. We just haven’t seen it between him and Darnold yet this season and now he’s matched up with Patrick Surtain II. I do expect 90-110 yards, at least.
Most receiving yards, excluding JSN
Cooper Kupp — 31.8%
AJ Barner — 30.3% (my pick)
Tory Horton — 19.7%
This is why my mind immediately went to Shaheed this week. He was once the leader in this category but fans have lost faith. I was thinking about writing an article asking if Seattle should outright bench Shaheed for Horton and even if it’s not to that point yet, it’s a lot closer than it should be.
The Broncos struggle more with covering tight ends than they do number two receivers.
First Seahawks touchdown
Jaxon Smith-Njigba — 51.5%
AJ Barner — 16.7% (my pick)
Emanuel Wilson — 13.6%
I’ll just stick with Barner again to be different.
Seahawks sack leader
Byron Murphy II — 28.8% tied first (my pick)
Leonard Williams — 28.8% tied first
DeMarcus Lawrence — 12.1% tied third
Derick Hall — 12.1% tied third
I would love to see Murphy get 2.5 sacks tonight and then people will start saying “damn! byron murphy has 5.5 sacks in the last three games!” My (our) prediction of him breaking out as a DPOY candidate this year would then start to look pretty good.
Most likely to force a turnover
Ernest Jones IV — 28.8%
Julian Love — 16.7%
Devon Witherspoon — 13.6%
My pick: Byron Murphy II. Bo Nix doesn’t make enough risky passes to throw a lot of interceptions. I’d like a Murphy strip-sack with a DeMarcus Lawrence recovery.
Offensive Player of the Game
Jaxon Smith-Njigba — 71.2%
Sam Darnold — 18.2%
Emanuel Wilson — 4.5%
It’s usually JSN, so I’ll go with Barner again just to shake things up.
Defensive Player of the Game
Byron Murphy II — 21.2% (my pick)
Ernest Jones IV — 18.2%
Leonard Williams and Nick Emmanwori — 16.7% each tied third
Special Teams Player of the Game
Michael Dickson — 39.4%
Jason Myers — 30.3% (my pick)
Rashid Shaheed — 21.2%
Kicker at Mile High.
Jason Myers has been in the NFL since 2015 and he spent four years in the AFC but this is his first game at Mile High. That’s surprising.
No Patrick Surtain or Talanoa Hafunga tonight! Time to get the passing game back on track!
Go Jason Myers ! Your time to shine again.