Three scary preseason Seahawks trends that could last into the season
By Lee Vowell
Quarterback hurries
I get it. Seattle finished with sixth in the NFL in sacks in 2020 with 46. They got home a lot. But how much did they actually disrupt opposing offense? While Seattle was able to sack a quarterback while he had the ball in his hands, only 9.3 percent of the time did they actually force a quarterback to hurry his throw.
This number ranked 16th in the NFL and needs to be better in 2021. Against the Raiders on Saturday, Las Vegas quarterback Nathan Peterman dropped back 49 times. He was sacked four times. Only five times was he hit. On six of his dropbacks, Peterman scrambled out and gained yards. In fact, Peterman averaged 5.3 yards a carry.
Yes, this is preseason football but Peterman looked calmed and relaxed and in total control and the guy is battling for a roster spot on any NFL team that takes him. Unless he wants to stay as the Raiders third-team quarterback, he is going to be in another uniform week one of the real season.
Seattle might get some glamour numbers with sack totals but how much are they actually pressuring and hurrying opposing quarterbacks and how much is that affecting the other team’s offense? Not as much as the sack numbers might lead you to believe. And with not as many hurries the cornerbacks get exposed and we all know that the Seahawks corners are not the strength of the defense.