Seahawks-Texans 5 most important

Which players will have the biggest impact on MNF?

5 most important players

1. QB Sam Darnold, Seahawks

The Texans are playing great defense and that has made the fans very sure of their team…

Good for them and you can only play the teams on your schedule, but the quarterbacks on the Texans schedule during their defensive hot streak:

• Trevor Lawrence (81.9 passer rating ranks 28th)

• Cam Ward (67.3 passer rating ranks 33rd)

• Cooper Rush (48.8 passer rating is worst in the NFL by 20 points)

The week before those three, Baker Mayfield went 25-of-38 for 215 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, and the Bucs rushed for 169 yards on 30 carries.

You can only play the teams on your schedule, right?

Respective of these two quarterbacks, the onus is more on Darnold this week to lead his team to a win. This is his Monday Night Football debut for the Seahawks, at home, against “the number one defense”. The JSN-Derek Stingley matchup is sure to be a focal point for the broadcast, which is why we could see Darnold spread it around a little more.

While Stingley’s numbers are very good, opposite corner Kamari Lassiter has given up 210 yards on 16 catches with 2 touchdowns and a 104.5 passer rating. Cooper Kupp averages 90 yards per game on Mondays, his best day of the week. Could we maybe even see Cooper rush?

Sorry Texans, you misheard me. The quarterback this week is Sam Darnold.

2. G Laken Tomlinson Juice Scruggs, Texans

The Seahawks weren’t the only team to retool the interior of their offensive line in the offseason. The Texans signed Tomlinson to start at left guard, Jake Andrews to take over at center, and Ed Ingram to be the new right guard. Houston also drafted Aireontae Ersery in the second round and he’s the starting left tackle.

The Texans benched Tomlinson two weeks ago. Can you imagine overhauling the left guard spot with the player who finally forced John Schneider to draft a guard in the first round?

Houston had the laughing stock offensive line of the league in September and now they claim “we’re good now” because they put up points against the Ravens, the worst defense in the NFL. Try that against Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams and Mike Macdonald.

Scruggs was a second round pick in 2023 and I can’t lie I don’t know anything about him except for I do know one thing: He wasn’t better than Laken Tomlinson in camp obviously. What else needs to be said?

3. LT Charles Cross / RT Abe Lucas, Seahawks

The Texans have paid $46.8 million in salary cap to edge rushers in 2025, the third-most in the NFL behind the Raiders and Packers. That’s $20 million to Danielle Hunter and almost $10 million to Will Anderson Jr., and, you know, so on.

The point is that Houston has Hunter (4 sacks, 8+ pressures) and Anderson (3 sacks, 7+ pressures) and they are definitely the two players who Ryans is counting on to make his defense good. Anderson and Hunter had 23 sacks last season.

Boye Mafe and Derick Hall have 26 sacks combined in their entire careers.

Conversely, the Seahawks have the second-cheapest offensive line in the NFL this year ($26 million) but they have paid actually paid Cross and Lucas. Cross has a $17.5 million cap hit next year and Lucas gets his raise to $9.5 million. Seattle needs them to run block and all that but snore, zzz, sheep…don’t put me to sleep. We want that action, boss. The real “news” will be if Cross and Lucas give Darnold time to throw.

4. S Jalen Pitre, Texans

I have to be honest, I’m finding it really hard to be interested in the Texans. At least on an individual level. Houston is really the sum of its parts. Who would you really pay to watch on the Houston Texans in 2025?

Aside from Stroud, Anderson, and Stingley, I don’t see many name players.

Nick Chubb is three years past being “Nick Chubb”. Nico Collins is almost like a modern day Derrick Mason, very reliable and forgettable. I wouldn’t want to bore you naming other Texans. “Xavier Hutchinson”….see what I mean?”

Does anyone even really pay to watch C.J. Stroud?

This sounds like a very big setup for a fall on Monday but I can’t fake enthusiasm for the Texans and honestly I’m just surprised at how nonplussed I am by the roster. They have Damon Arnette for crying out loud!

That being said, Pitre seems like an underrated player. He had 5 interceptions as a rookie in 2022 and he intercepted Rush twice in the last game. He also has a really high missed tackle rate (21.5%) so I don’t know, maybe don’t completely avoid him.

Didn’t I just write that the Texans are a really good team? Now I’m questioning everything.

5. LB Ernest Jones, Seahawks

Jones was traded prior to playing against the Texans last year, but I wonder if he did any preparation for C.J. Stroud while he was on the Titans. Stroud has thrown 20 career interceptions and 6 of those have been picked off by linebackers:

• 8 interceptions by CBs

• 6 by LB

• 6 by S

I kind of want to say Nick Emmanwori, but I had him on the top-5 last week.

Jones already has two interceptions this year, he’s got a knack for it with six total in his career. Seattle should have Houston’s run game locked down and I don’t know if I should perceive any of the Texans receivers as deep threats, so I’m sensing a lot of action for Jones in the middle.

Maybe just as good of a reason to expect Emmanwori. Who are your top-5?

Seaside Joe 2421