EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They finished the game without Jamal Adams and without a single member of their usual starting offensive line playing at his regular spot.

And they played it with their starting quarterback hobbling through a knee injury that briefly forced him out in the first half.

But what the Seahawks had Monday night was a dominating defense that sacked New York QB Daniel Jones 11 times — tying a Seattle team record that had previously been set in a 37-0 win against the Raiders in 1986 — and a scintillating performance from rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

And that was more than enough to lead Seattle to a 24-3 win over the New York Giants and win a third straight game to improve to 3-1. It only further washed away the bad taste of the season opening blowout home defeat against the Los Angeles Rams.

The defense directly contributed to 17 of Seattle’s points, including a forced fumble that led to Seattle’s first touchdown of the game and Witherspoon’s interception of a Jones pass that he returned 97 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

Witherspoon’s pick came after Jones had just converted a fourth-down with a 10-yard run on fourth-and-1, and with the Giants appearing on the verge of making it a game — and finally sparking some life into a MetLife Stadium that was largely quiet for most of the night.

But two plays later, Jones tried to sneak a pass into the slot to Parris Campbell and Witherspoon stepped in front of it. He juked out Jones around midfield and then pranced into the end zone, holding his finger aloft as he crossed the goal line.

The play capped what was the most significant game yet for the player Seattle selected with the fifth overall pick last April with a pick it acquired in the Russell Wilson deal.

Witherspoon made his third start, having missed the opener against the Rams with a hamstring injury.

The Seahawks undoubtedly think there is little coincidence that they are undefeated in games Witherspoon has played.

...continued

©2023 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.