Seahawks Turn to Practice-Squad Linebacker in Emergency — and He Steals the Show vs Titans
The Seahawks showed up to Nashville with a linebacker crisis. They left with a new cult hero. With Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight already out, and depth backer Chazz Surratt exiting early with an ankle injury, practice-squad call-up Patrick O’Connell stepped into the fire and delivered eight tackles and his first career sack in a 30–24 win over the Tennessee Titans.
From Ready Squad Joke to ‘Winning Football’ in Nashville
Head coach Mike Macdonald admitted there’s been a running joke among the Seahawks’ “ready squad” that nobody can block O’Connell during practice. Sunday, he did the same thing to the Titans. O’Connell piled up nine tackles, four solo and registered a sack.
“We have an ongoing joke on our ready squad that we can’t block Patty on a daily basis,” Macdonald said. “I’m glad he had his opportunity today… he went out and played winning football for us and made some great plays.”
O’Connell wasn’t just a warm body filling a jersey. With Surratt ruled out and the Titans stubbornly hanging around, he became one of the emotional engines of a defense that had to close out a game with very little margin for error.
Macdonald added after the game that “Pat’s been ready” every week and that nobody in the locker room was worried when his number got called. Based on the tape and the stat sheet, they had good reason to be confident.
Inside Patrick O’Connell’s Big Day Filling a Brutal LB Void
Seattle’s linebacker room was already in bad shape before kickoff. Jones and Knight, both starters, were inactive. That left Drake Thomas and O’Connell to handle the bulk of the work, with Surratt as the only backup — until he limped off on a special teams play with an ankle injury and was ruled out.
From there, O’Connell just kept showing up.
Macdonald repeatedly praised the overall effort level on defense, but O’Connell’s name came up as a symbol of the “next man up” vibe the Seahawks have been preaching since training camp. In a week where Seattle lost even more bodies — Ty Okada (oblique), Surratt (ankle), George Holani (hamstring) — O’Connell was one of the few injury stories that actually went in the Seahawks’ favor.
What It Means for Seahawks Linebackers Going Forward
The question now: was this a one-week emergency performance, or did O’Connell just earn himself a permanent role?
Seattle might not have much of a choice. With Jones and Knight still on the mend and Surratt now battling an ankle injury, the Seahawks are dangerously thin at the second level. Macdonald has shown he isn’t afraid to lean on young and unproven players if they practice well and play fast. O’Connell just checked all those boxes in a real game that actually mattered.
The Seahawks have quietly won five of their last six to move to 8-3, but there’s nothing quiet about how they’re winning. Macdonald’s defense leans into chaos, bringing pressure and trusting guys like O’Connell to hold up when the bullets are live.
If he keeps flying around and finishing plays the way he did against Tennessee, that “we can’t block Patty” joke on the scout team might turn into something much more serious for opposing offenses on Sundays.
Packers Give Update on QB Jordan Love After Injury Exit vs. Giants
The Green Bay Packers looked like they might need to finish their Week 11 matchup with the New York Giants without starting quarterback Jordan Love leading the offense. But he came to lead a grinding win.
Love exited late in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Giants with a shoulder injury after taking a shot from linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on a 4-yard scramble. He spent a brief amount of time in the blue medical tent on the sideline before jogging off into the locker room while his team continued the drive.
Minutes after Love’s departure, the Packers issued an update on his injury status, officially ruling him questionable to return to Week 11’s game against the Giants.
Love had completed just one of his four passes for a loss of one yard before exiting the game with his injury as the Packers offense continued to struggle with drops and other issues that have plagued them in recent weeks. He also had two carries for seven yards.
Seven plays after his injury, though, backup quarterback Malik Willis threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Watson to pull within a point of the Giants.
Ultimately, Jordan Love returned to the game for the Packers and led the team to a tight, 27-20 win in tough conditions, to move their record to 6-3-1.
Josh Jacobs Also ‘Questionable’ to Return for Packers
The Packers also sustained another concerning injury in Sunday’s first half against the Giants as starting running back Josh Jacobs followed Love’s exit in the second quarter.
On the same drive that Love sustained his injury, Jacobs was stood up for no gain on the Giants’ 1-yard line one play before Willis’ touchdown pass to Watson. He did not return for the Packers’ subsequent drive as backup Emanuel Wilson took his place.
Shortly thereafter, the Packers officially announced that Jacobs has a knee injury and is questionable to return for the remainder of the game against the Giants.
Jacobs had taken seven carries for 40 yards before exiting with his injury. Since his exit, Wilson has carried the ball four times for 18 yards and the Packers’ second touchdown of the game, one that gave them a 13-7 lead over the Giants with 7:39 left in the half.
