5 things Seattle Seahawks need to fix in the bye week

3rd down defense

A big part of the Seattle defensive issues – and this has been a problem for the Seahawks for several years now – is they simply don’t get opponents off the field when that team has a third down. Third down defense is important, clearly. It means your offense has the ball more.

If Russell Wilson has the ball more, the Seahawks score more points. If Seattle scores more points then the Seahawks win games by wider margins and this means less stress on the hearts of 12s who every week have to watch their beloved Seattle football team have so many last-minute victories.

Depeche Mode (I have no idea if they are Seahawks fans or not, probably not) have a chorus from a 1987 album on a song called New Dress that says thus:

You can’t change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world

Let’s transpose these words for Seahawks stuff.

You can’t change third-down defense
But you can change the way the Seahawks play third down schematically
And when you change the way the Seahawks play third down schematically
You change points for the opponents
If you change points for Seahawks opponents
You may change the outcome of games
And when you change the outcomes of games
You may save the doctor visits that Seahawks fans have because the fact that their favorite team seems to – almost intentionally and cruelly – play every game within 7 points of the outcome of each game is taking days and months and years off 12s’ lives.

So unfair! But also, Go Hawks!