• I took a $6.50 ferry to Vashon Island, a scenic spot near Seattle.
• The ferry ride was only 20 minutes long and had beautiful views of the Puget Sound.
• I had a great time on the island and even attended a llama happy hour on one of its farms.

I love exploring the many beautiful islands in Washington state.

Recently, I planned a trip to Vashon Island, one of the largest islands in the Puget Sound, just south of Seattle.

To get there, I booked a 20-minute ferry ride from Seattle on the Washington State Ferry. My ticket was only $6.50 each way.

Here’s what it was like taking the ferry and exploring the island.

With a dramatic midseason turnaround, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense has found its stride under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.

How Macdonald’s first year with Seahawks has impressed NFL insider

The Seahawks have allowed a league-low 14.8 offensive points per game since Week 9, having held each of their past five opponents to 19 offensive points or fewer. Seattle also has held four of those five opponents to fewer than 300 total yards in regulation.

The latest strong defensive performance came last Sunday, when the Seahawks shut down the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 to remain atop the NFC West with their fourth straight win. After watching the film from that game, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah described what stood out most about the Seahawks’ defense during his weekly conversation on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Every single play that you watched on the defensive side of the ball, it was a different player making the play,” Jeremiah said. “Like, just the depth of their front (and) the guys they’re rolling through there, they’re all making plays. … I don’t know there’s another team that’s getting as much contributions from as many different players.”

The stats bear it out.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams has been on a tear, posting 4.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, an interception-return touchdown and two pass breakups over a recent two-game stretch. But it’s been far from a one-man show.

Over the past five games, the Seahawks have had seven different players record at least one sack, 12 different players with at least one tackle for loss, 12 different players with at least one pass breakup and five different players with at least one interception.

Even a player who hasn’t generated as many stats – rookie first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy II – has been making a notable impact.

“I know Byron Murphy is not going to show up much in the box score, because Leonard is just playing out of his mind and doing what he’s doing,” Jeremiah said. “But (Murphy) is taking up two blockers. He’s kind of doing dirty-work stuff. And the linebackers are filling and playing aggressive. Ernest Jones was all over the field. … So they’ve got a really, really, deep, talented group there.”

Listen to the full conversation with Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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The Green Bay Packers will be without two preferred starters at cornerback when they take on Seattle Seahawks receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on Sunday night at Lumen Field.

Matt LaFleur’s team ruled out Jaire Alexander and Javon Bullard for Week 15.

While LaFleur wouldn’t give away personnel pr lineup details, there’s a good chance that Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes will start on the perimeter with Keisean Nixon in the slot against the Seahawks.

A lingering injury and a new injury will have the Packers scrambling at cornerback against a terrific trio of wide receivers.

Alexander, who practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday, didn’t show enough physically during the two practices to prove to the Packers he was ready to play. LaFleur said Alexander failed to hit certain thresholds, including on-field speed, required to play, so the two-time All-Pro cornerback will miss a fourth straight game and seventh overall this season.

Bullard injured his ankle in Detroit last Thursday night and didn’t practice all week. While the Packers don’t think he has a long-term, significant injury, Bullard — who played at least 70 percent of the defense’s snaps in 11 of 13 games this season — will miss at least one game while recovering.

Alexander’s inability to return coupled with Bullard’s new injury almost certainly means the Packers will need to move Nixon from the perimeter back to the slot and have both Valentine and Stokes be full-time players on the outside. LaFleur said earlier this week he was planning on the rotation between Valentine and Stokes continuing, but the injury situation will likely necessitate both to be starters on Sunday night.

Stokes has struggled in coverage for most of the season, but the Packers keep giving him opportunities. Other options are Corey Ballentine, who practiced fully through a knee injury on Friday, and Robert Rochell, who is primarily a special teamer.

The challenge from the other side is an obvious one.

Smith-Njigba, a 2023 first-round pick, has blossomed into one of the NFL’s young stars at receiver. He leads the team with 75 catches for 911 yards and five touchdowns, and he’s one of just four receivers — the others being Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb — to catch at least 75 passes for at least 900 yards and five scores this season. Smith-Njigba is currently riding a five-game streak with at least 70 receiving yards. He’s a challenge to cover for anyone, and it’s clear he has chemistry with Geno Smith.

The Seahawks also have Metcalf, a physically dominant receiver who can win down the field, and Lockett, a veteran with route-running savvy. Metcalf is averaging 15.0 yards per catch; Lockett is averaging 8.1 yards per target. They’ve taken a backseat to Smith-Njibga but both are still effective players.

The Seahawks are one of the most pass-heavy teams in football. Smith ranks second in the NFL in attempts and completions entering Week 15.

One antidote to coverage question marks is a strong four-man pass-rush, but it’s increasingly uncertain if the Packers are going to have the kind pass-rush necessary for covering up coverage problems this season. The Seahawks have had issues protecting Smith, but he also wasn’t sacked last week.

Can the Packers — without their top perimeter corner and preferred slot defender — matchup in coverage against the Seahawks? That answer might determine if LaFleur’s team is flying home to Green Bay at 10-4 or 9-5.