Seahawks offensive grades for their mid-term report card

Seahawks rushing attack sets the stage for everything else

The one player that’s been Wilson’s second most reliable target is Chris Carson. His role as a receiver has greatly expanded, as he already has 22 catches compares to 20 in 2018. Fifty targets, here we come. He’s a fine receiver, but of course, he’s a monster on the ground. After a slow start plagued by fumbles, Carson has turned his season around to take his place among the league’s best backs. His real value for the Hawks is his punishing running style. Carson will jump over, run around, or right through any defender between him and the next yard.

Carson’s backups have been inconsistent at best. Rashaad Penny has missed three games, and only had two good efforts in the five contests he did play in. As the Hawks kept him at the trade deadline, I expect to see more of him moving forward. C.J. Prosise has been a solid third-down option on occasion and has contributed more than I expected, considering his injury history. Carson gets an A, but his backups pull the grade down to an A-.

Now we come to the one sticking point. That would be the play-calling. I’m far from the biggest critic, but I’m not 100 percent invested either. I didn’t agree with the complaints about Pete Carroll’s calls in the win against the Rams. On the other hand, the Hawks made some terrible decisions on the loss to the Saints. As for the second half versus the Falcons, I’m at a complete loss. Their game tactics at time are befuddling.

The Seahawks overall strategy, though, has been great. Their use of play-action has been a major factor in Wilson getting sacked at the lowest rate of his career. I love that Seattle uses a punishing ground attack to draw in defenders to set up deep throws. On the other hand, they’ve often shackled their MVP candidate in favor of the run. I like the strategy, but the tactics fall behind too often. For strategy, I give the coaching a B, but for gameday, it’s a C.