In a tough Sunday battle, Seattle held off Houston 27-19, moving to 5-2 despite turning the ball over four times. The victory puts them even at the top of the NFC West.
The first quarter saw Seattle jump out to a 14-0 lead. Zach Charbonnet ran in a 1-yard touchdown, followed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba pulling in an 11-yard catch in the end zone. Smith-Njigba was outstanding all game, grabbing eight catches for 123 yards in his best game so far.
Backup QB Sam Darnold did enough to get by, completing 17 passes for 213 yards with mixed results - one touchdown and one interception. In the running game, Kenneth Walker III pushed for 66 yards on 17 carries.
"The offensive line was sloppy in the loss," said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans to CBS Sports.
Houston's offense never got going. C.J. Stroud had a rough day, hitting just 23 of 49 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The ground game managed only 56 yards, while the team struggled badly on third downs, converting just two of 15 attempts.
Seattle's defense pressured Stroud with three sacks and shut down Houston's offense, giving up only 254 total yards. The win brought Seattle's home record to 2-2 this season.
The loss ended Houston's small winning streak at two games. Now sitting at 2-4, they keep having trouble with Seattle, who've won four of their five matchups all-time.
A timely bye week gives Seattle a chance to work on their ball control before facing Washington on November 2. Despite getting ahead early, those mistakes almost came back to hurt them.
