Jordyn Brooks heading to MRI on knee after leaving Seahawks’ win on back of a cart
The Seahawks’ otherwise sterling start to the new year got rocked by a serious-looking injury to Jordyn Brooks.
Seattle’s inside linebacker and defensive signal caller left 23-6, New Year’s Day win over the New York Jets and Lumen Field Sunday sitting glumly on the back of a motorized cart late in the second quarter.
The Seahawks didn’t know the severity of Brooks’ knee injury after the game. He was on his way to a Seattle hospital for an MRI exam.
“Got our fingers crossed,” coach Pete Carroll said.
The team’s announcement Brooks would not return to the game came quickly after he left it, more quickly than usual injury announcements. That typically means it is a serious issue.
Brooks got hurt zooming from the middle of the field to the Seahawks’ sideline to tackle Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah to end a 12-yard pass play. Brooks’ right leg appeared to buckle awkwardly under him as he was trying to brace himself landing on the turf. Team doctor Ed Khalfayan came to the aid of Brooks immediately as the team’s first-round pick in 2020 stayed down injured for minutes.
Usual special-teams player Tanner Muse replace Brooks at inside linebacker. The other starting inside linebacker Cody Barton replaced Brooks, who set the Seahawks record for tackles in a season last season, as the signal caller for the defense. Barton put on a new helmet that had the headset speaker to hear the play calls from defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt.
“I thought they did well,” Carroll said. “A really nice answer (to Brooks getting hurt).
Hurtt was talking to Barton as Brooks remained down injured. Brooks needed two Seahawks assistants to help him get into the blue observation tent behind the team’s bench. He could not put weight on his leg as he got into the tent, then to the cart pulled up to it.
“Nothing crazy, as far of the communication goes,” Barton said.
“I don’t know what happened to J.B. I saw him at halftime. I didn’t see him after the game. I’ll be praying for him.”
Strong safety Johnathan Abram played closer to the line of scrimmage, like an inside linebacker for much of the rest of the drive on which Brooks was injured. That Jets possession ended with consecutive big plays by outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu into New York’s backfield. The second one was a pressure of and hit on Jets quarterback Mike White on an incomplete pass on fourth and 4.
Seattle held its 17-6 lead into halftime.
This is the first season Brooks has been an inside linebacker. He replaced departed All-Pro and captain Bobby Wagner as the play caller for the Seahawks’ defense. Brooks played weakside linebacker outside his first two NFL seasons.
Tyler Lockett’s return day
The half ended with Tyler Lockett also off the field, in the locker room. The captain and wide receiver was playing 13 days after surgery for a broken left hand. He had two catches for 15 yards before he went inside.
Lockett returned for the first play of the fourth quarter. He didn’t have another catch or target in the game.
The strength of the Jets defense is outside pass coverage on wide receivers. The Seahawks tested cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner multiple times, more times than more teams have gone at the rookie-of-the-year candidate the fourth-overall pick’s standout debut season. Quarterback Geno Smith tried to throw to DK Metcalf’s back shoulder in the end zone in the first half, but the throw was too high even for the 6-foot-4 Metcalf.
Smith tried a deep ball for Metcalf down the left sideline that former D.J. Reed stayed with and broke up. Reed ran to the south end zone and preened for the Seattle fans that cheered him until he left for New York’s big bucks in free agency last spring.
With Lockett hurting, tight end Colby Parkinson (five receptions, 36 yards, a touchdown), running back DeeJay Dallas (three catches, 55 yards) and tight end Noah Fant (two catches, 40 yards) were Seattle’s three leading receivers Sunday.
This story was originally published January 1, 2023 at 2:49 PM.
