Seahawks offensive line still struggling at run blocking

The offensive line for the Seattle Seahawks has been an issue all season. The pass blocking has improved, but the run blocking is still a problem.

Perhaps my favorite part of putting together the NFL Power Index is stumbling across unexpected or highly impressive stats. For instance, the Seahawks had the NFL’s worst punt return average against last season. This year, the Seahawks defense has only given up 82 first downs, the next best team (Minnesota) has given up 91.

One of the things that caught my eye this week was just how poor Seattle’s running game has been. They’re averaging just 3.2 yards per attempt, which is 29th out of 32 NFL teams. That’s not just bad, it’s atrocious.

Seeing this stat made me suddenly understand where some of the Christine Michael frustration has been coming from. I figured most of it was just a carry-over from before his awakening, but mostly because I hadn’t realized just how bad Seattle’s running game has been.

Here’s the thing though, almost none of the problem is Christine Michael’s fault. Like many other things, the main issue are the five guys up front.

As you can see from that list, The Seahawks are among the worst in the NFL at yards before contact. The offensive line isn’t opening up enough holes. All too often, Michael is forced to deal with unblocked defender right in his face as soon as he gets the football.

For all the love that Tom Cable gets for the success of Seattle’s running game in past seasons, this has never been a stat that the Seahawks have excelled at. They have typically been middle of the road in yards before contact.

Seattle’s successful running game the last few seasons was a result of Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson doing great things with average blocking. This season, the blocking hasn’t even been mediocre; it has been downright dreadful.

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We tend not to notice the line as long as the pass blocking is decent. It is obvious that Cable and the linemen have been focussing on keeping Russell Wilson from getting killed. They’ve improved greatly in that area; now it is time to get the run blocking fixed.