Mike Macdonald Has 4-Word Description for Kicker Jason Myers After Seahawks Win
The Seattle Seahawks marched into Arizona and got a critical win over the Cardinals in a major divisional showdown on Thursday Night Football, 23-20. The Seahawks built a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter and a 20-6 lead in the fourth but watched their lead vanish in a furious Cardinals comeback. With their backs against the wall and 28 seconds left on the clock, Seattle QB Sam Darnold marched his team down into field goal range and Seahawks K Jason Myers drilled a 52-yard field goal for the walk-off road win.
“I mean I’ve seen this guy play golf…he’s a stud, bro,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after the game on Myers. “He’s got like, ice in his veins. And man, we knew he was gonna make that kick. Yeah, I think the whole sideline knew.”
“Yeah, that’s J-My,” Darnold said, referring to Myers. “I don’t mean to keep bringing up golf, but I golfed with him this offseason, and you know, that’s his mentality in golf too. He’ll hit a bad shot, and come back and stripe it the next one. So he’s got that mentality, and he gets pretty frustrated when he doesn’t make them, but then he comes back and it’s almost automatic, when you know that he’s going to go in and knock the next one down.
Seattle Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald on the Playcalling Late in the Game
Late in the fourth quarter, with a 20-6 deficit, the Cardinals executed a strong drive with their backs against the wall, capped off with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Arizona QB Kyler Murray to WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to cut the lead to 20-13.
The Seahawks had a drive going to put points on the board and make it a two-score game late, effectively icing the game away. However, after a 36-yard third-down pass from Darnold to top WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba put the ball at the Arizona 38-yard line, Seattle got incredibly conservative in their playcalling. After the Smith-Njigba catch, they ran three times for a total of three yards, settling for a 52-yard field goal that Myers missed.
“Yeah, going into that drive we wanted to be aggressive,” Macdonald said on his decision-making process. “And we double-moved them, [Smith-Njigba] made a great catch. Once we got into field goal range, basically we got back into four minute mode. We thought that going up multiple scores there would’ve done a great job.”
“Look, when we get into four-minute, this is one of those things we’re gonna be able to learn from. We gotta be a little bit more effective in those situations. In field goals, every yard matters, so it’s not like you just hit this magical spot on the field and field goals are automatic. So you’re trying to maximize gains. We have to be better in that fringe area overall as an offense, that kinda reared its head today throughout the entire game. Those are some things we need to learn from and improve moving forward, but that was our thought process.”
The Seattle Seahawks Are Now Second-Place in the NFC West
At 3-1, the Seahawks are only a half-game behind the division leading 3-0 49ers. That one Seahawks loss was at home in Week 1 against said 49ers, but San Francisco has a tough game against Jacksonville this weekend and could fall to 3-1 themselves.
Seattle is a half-game ahead of the 2-1 Rams, who host the surging Colts at home on Sunday. There could be a three-way tie for first-place in the NFC West after this weekend, or the Seahawks could be alone in second place. Either way, this is a team gaining momentum, and they have work to do with upcoming games against the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Texans, and Commanders, before a rematch with the Cardinals followed by a game against the Rams.
Can the Buccaneers Hold up Without Tristan Wirfs?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs for the beginning of the 2025 regular season. Veteran Charlie Heck is set to take over during the 26-year-old’s absence.
It’s impossible to expect to completely replace the production of a tackle who is widely considered one of the best in the NFL. Heck is up to the challenge, and has been getting rave reviews from within the Buccaneers organization.
Heck signed a one-year, $1,570,000 contract with Tampa Bay back on March 17, hoping to earn the swing tackle job. Justin Skule held that role in 2023 and 2024, but signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
Heck Has Impressed His Team Throughout the Offseason
Ever since showing up for OTAs, Heck has shown the Buccaneers he’s ready to fill in wherever he’s needed. After the first day of pads, head coach Todd Bowles saw enough to gain confidence in the veteran tackle.
“[Heck’s] competitive,” Bowles said. “He has very good feet… He had some very good one-on-one reps.”
In the first two games of the preseason, Heck started at left tackle, and had very different performances. The 28-year-old finished game one with an above-average 79.4 PFF pass blocking grade, allowing no pressures. Game two was more of a struggle for Heck, allowing one pressure in 15 pass blocking snaps.
This offseason, Heck has tried to focus on gaining the trust of his teammates, which seems to be paying off. Quarterback Baker Mayfield knows that losing Wirfs to injury is hard to deal with, but he remains optimistic about his replacement.
“We trust [Heck],” Mayfield said. “He’s here for a reason. We’re still trying to instill the faith in him. He’s more than capable of doing his job at the left tackle spot.”
Heck Has a Versatile Resume
At 6-foot-8, 311 pounds, Heck is heading into his sixth year in the NFL. The 28-year-old spent the beginning portion of the 2024 season with the Arizona Cardinals. He finished by starting the final two games of the season for the San Francisco 49ers, appearing in nine games total.
The veteran played 80 snaps at left tackle, 25 at right tackle and added 12 snaps lined up at inline tight end as an extra blocker in 2024. He allowed eight pressures in 67 pass blocking opportunities last season. The Buccaneers feel like they know what they can expect.
“[Heck’s] what we thought he was, which is very solid, and what we’re looking for at that position,” general manager Jason Licht said. “… I don’t think we’ll miss a beat; Obviously, he’s not Wirfs, but in terms of what we’re looking for, a swing tackle that can step in and play a couple of games.”
The first four years of Heck’s career were with the Houston Texans, where he was drafted in 2020. As a former fourth-round pick for the team, he appeared in 41 games, with 21 starts, all coming at right tackle.
2024 was the first time Heck saw any playing time on the blindside at the NFL level. He started all 12 games of his senior year at North Carolina, but had been strictly on the right side since.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Heck said. “[Wirfs] is the best tackle in the NFL, so we’re hoping for a quick recovery, and I know he’s attacking the rehab process. He’s positive, but right now, I’ve just got to be really ready to fill in and help however I can.”
