Quinton Jefferson wants to make a name for himself with the Seahawks. He’s off to a good start
Quinton Jefferson recognized the opportunity. With Seattle Seahawks rookie L.J. Collier still out nursing an ankle injury, and offseason acquisition Ziggy Ansah a surprise scratch Sunday afternoon, Jefferson opened his season as a starting defensive end.
“It was a big one, man,” Jefferson said. “I’ve got to rack them up while them dudes are sitting down. It was fun. Hopefully more to come.”
How did the fourth-year lineman respond to the sudden boost in playing time? With a handful of tackles, a pair of sacks and a batted down pass on a crucial third down with less than four minutes to play, shutting the door on the Bengals’ last meaningful drive of the game.
Minutes later, after the Bengals forced a late punt, Jefferson helped anchor Seattle’s final defensive series — which included a strip sack fumble caused by counterpart Rasheem Green — in the game’s final 21 seconds to secure a 21-20 win at CenturyLink Field.
In short, it was the best game Jefferson has played since the Seahawks drafted him 2016.
“He had a great game,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He had six tackles, he had two tackles for losses, he had two sacks, he had a couple pass defenses. … He had a terrific game today.
“It was definitely the best game he’s had for us. We needed every bit of it.”
The two sacks of Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton nearly matched Jefferson’s entire output last season, when he logged three in 16 games splitting time between defensive end and tackle.
His first Sunday ended a short Bengals drive. He dropped Dalton for a 6-yard loss at his own 10, forcing a punt that ultimately set up Seattle’s first touchdown on the following offensive series.
The second was an 8-yard sack early in the fourth, moments after the Seahawks scored the game’s decisive touchdown, that lengthened a drive during which Cincinnati was forced to settle for a field goal.
Jefferson’s presence was noted throughout the final quarter — with the sack, an assist and two passes defensed, including the third-down bat that caused Cincinnati to punt, down a single point, with 3:30 to play.
“I’m a player,” Jefferson said. “I’m a player in this league. I want to make a name for myself this year, as well as everybody on this D-line (does). I feel like we’ve got a bunch of young, hungry guys. It’s going to be a fun year.”
With Jefferson, and others, the Seahawks limited Cincinnati to just 34 yards on the ground, and 2.4 yards per carry. No run went for longer than 11 yards. Dalton was sacked five times.
“Coming into this game, we were going to wreak some havoc, so it was good to show the world that,” Jefferson said.
“We’re just playing off each other,” he added. “It’s just that rhythm, having that feeling, gaining that trust with guys.”
Jefferson’s career outing was at least somewhat aided by the attention Jadeveon Clowney commanded when he was in the game — he played 44 of 77 defensive snaps — despite only being traded to the Seahawks nine days prior.
“It just amps us up, you know, and it helps me,” Jefferson said of Clowney’s addition. “I appreciate him. I get a lot of one-on-ones, and then he’s flushing them, and I’m stepping up right there. Like I said, we’re going to play well off each other.”
That goes for each of the players on Seattle’s rotating defensive line, Jefferson said. Ansah is hopeful for next week, Collier will eventually work into the mix, and Jarran Reed will return in October after a six-game suspension.
“I think we’re pretty strong, and we’re not even at full power,” Jefferson said. “When we get all of our guys back in the building, we’re going to wreak some havoc. … We get Reed back, he’s going to do his thing. We got Sheem coming along. We’ve still got Ziggy, who (hasn’t even) suited up yet.
“We’re going to be fun.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2019 at 7:48 PM with the headline "Quinton Jefferson wants to make a name for himself with the Seahawks. He’s off to a good start."
