The Seattle Seahawks dismantled the New York Giants in Week 4 on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in large part due to the team’s performance on the defensive side of the ball. On a night when Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith threw for only 110 passing yards and briefly left the game due to injury, the defense stepped up and made plays all night, especially rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Witherspoon recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and an interception that he returned for a 97-yard touchdown in the Seahawks 24-3 thrashing over the Giants on Monday night. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was not only ecstatic about Witherspoon’s special performance, but it is something that he’s expected from him since the day the team selected him with the No. 5 overall pick.
“This is why we took him… He’s an explosive, dynamic player,” Carroll stated in his postgame comments.
It was a historic performance for the rookie cornerback out of the University of Illinois. According to NFL Research, Witherspoon became the first rookie since reigning Defensive Player of the Year Award winner Nick Bosa to record two or more sacks and an interception in a game.
As a team, the Seahawks tied their franchise record for sacks in a game (11) and had their way with the Giants offensive line all night. Witherspoon’s efforts helped the Seahawks win their third consecutive game and improve to 3-1 through the first four games of the season.
The Seahawks enter their Week 5 bye week before returning to action on Oct. 15, when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals.
