The Seahawks beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12 on the road in EverBank Stadium. Both defenses stopped the run, but had coverage busts that led to big downfield plays. Both offenses used their rushing attacks to set up their passing game but found little running room overall. Both teams also received their fair share of penalties, with Seattle committing 7 infractions for 56 yards, while Jacksonville was penalized 10 times for 76 yards.

The Studs will have two returners, both young, first-round draftees who just can’t stay off the list right now. The Duds list will have one returner, who hasn’t been able to muster much with the heavy workload he’s been trusted with- but still had an important role in the physical gameplan the Seahawks executed.

Without further ado, here are your studs and duds from Week 6.

Studs

DeMarcus Lawrence

Lawrence announced himself in a Seahawks uniform on Sunday. He strung together 5 tackles (3 solo) with 2.5 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. He was all over the backfield, taking advantage of the extra attention the Jaguars offensive line paid to Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy on the interior. He hadn’t had a sack before this game and missed Week 5’s tilt with Tampa Bay due to injury, but came back in style on Sunday. After turning 33 in April, many thought Seattle wouldn’t get the best version of him in 2025- but he proved the Seahawks right this week. He might not play every snap, but can still bulldoze with his rare combination of size and speed when given opportunities.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

JSN can’t stop ascending. He caught the longest touchdown of his career on the first play of the Seahawks fourth drive, a 61-yard bomb that showed why both he and Sam Darnold were top draft picks coming out of college. He continued to run riot to all areas of the field on Jacksonville’s defense, with sideline toe-taps and crossing routes underneath the second level. When you threaten a defense vertically, the respect they give you off the line of scrimmage makes underneath routes more open- which JSN is the best in the world at right now. He’s leading the NFL in receiving yards and making it look relatively easy. The Seahawks receiving records are all in play for JSN this season, and so is NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Byron Murphy II

Murphy II continued to be a mismatch in Week 6, setting the tone with a chase-down sack of Trevor Lawrence on the first play from scrimmage. He was in on two more sacks on consecutive plays in the 3rd quarter, getting home with Uchenna Nwosu and DeMarcus Lawrence on 1st and 2nd down to set up 3rd and 18 for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars. Not only is his sack total of 5 through 6 games impressive, but it’s extremely rare for an interior defensive lineman. Only seven IDL have achieved double digit sacks since 2022. Murphy’s on pace for 14 sacks, a feat which only one IDL has achieved in that span- Kansas City Chiefs future hall of fame Chris Jones, who had 15.5 in 2022. Murphy can be a matchup nightmare for the Rams next week and change the game with just one- and possibly the NFC West race as well.

Duds

Seahawks’ 3rd Down Offense

The Seahawks went 1/12 on 3rd Downs today for a horrific 8% conversion rate. They struggled to stay on schedule despite Darnold completing nearly 60% of his passes, and needed an impressive combination of big plays on early downs and penalties to move the chains against the Jaguars. They didn’t give themselves great opportunities, either- 9 of their 12 3rd down chances were 3rd-and-long situations. The lone conversion came on Cooper Kupp’s touchdown, a 3rd and 3 situation in the red zone. Of their 13 total 1st downs, just 2 came on rushing plays. You need to be much more multi-dimensional to set up third downs, as teams can already easily predict a pass play in these situations. Next week’s opponent in the Los Angeles Rams also have a stout defensive front and will be eager to keep the Seahawks offense from firing on all cylinders. Klint Kubiak and co. will need to get creative on early downs in the lead up to Week 7.

Zach Charbonnet

Despite pacing Seattle’s offense in touches, Charbonnet found little success on Sunday. He rushed 12 times for just 24 yards but did catch his lone target for 13 yards. He’s received heavy usage on inside runs to wear opposing defenses down early in the game for several weeks in a row now, which has allowed backfield mate Kenneth Walker III more running room on the outside- but to see three straight inside runs to him on a goal-to-go situation early in the game doesn’t show as diverse of an offense as one would like. While his value as a smash-mouth downhill runner is strategic, he isn’t producing enough to justify his heavy workload.

Anthony Bradford

Bradford has had several poor weeks in a row, but didn’t deserve a dud mention with a lingering back injury. However, his weaknesses in the interior of the offensive line are attracting tons of attention from opposing defensive coordinators, so attention must be paid on Seattle’s end as well. He received a 0.0 pass blocking grade from PFF last week and was beat consistently again today. The Seahawks may not have a better option behind him, and he’s still done a decent job as a run-game mauler- but he’s consistently struggling to get his body in position, and other teams single him out too much. Dealing with a formidable Rams interior next week will require much more from the right guard spot, or Seattle likely won’t escape with Darnold being sacked just once like they did today.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks vs Jaguars: Seattle’s Studs and Duds from Week 6 win