I don’t know about you, but I had a sense of dread heading into this game. It was a feeling I have not felt since the Seahawks loss to the Titans last season or the terrible loss to Colt McCoy and the Giants that doomed the 2020 season. How did I get myself to this point?
I had been playing with house money all year. The answer is that the playing field had tilted. As the Seahawks were heading to Germany, they sat at 6-3 and had a clear path to winning the division.
The easiest part of their schedule was just beginning. It was looking like not only would the Seahawks be the number 3 seed in the playoffs, but also their biggest challengers to a magical Super Bowl run were looking like the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.
Seahawks nest notes from Week 12
The Seahawks lost in Germany, and while there were concerns, there were plenty of excuses. Seattle was still in solid control of their destiny and was about to take on a Raiders team that barely beat Denver, and looked like that was the only team they could even beat. Then Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams said hello.
The loss at home in overtime to Las Vegas? Nah, the playing field has changed again. After the Seahawks were embarrassed (yes, that loss was embarrassing), they now sit on the outside looking in on the entire NFC playoff field. How did we get here mere moments after fans allowed themselves to believe?
The Seahawks defense is regressing
There’s no other way around it, the biggest reason for Seattle’s slide in the past two games is their defense. The defense has not been good, in fact, we’re hurtling towards all-time bad again, specifically with the run defense.
The run defense was a point of contention among Seahawks fans after the loss to Tampa Bay. Pete Carroll admitted to not thinking Tampa was going to run the ball. This ridiculous assumption led to Brian Mone being inactive, and Tampa proceeding to rush for 161 yards and a score. The decision cost the Seahawks the game. This week was something completely different.
I believe Tampa somehow exposed Seattle’s defense, as we saw a Raiders team take a very similar game plan and rush for 283 freaking yards on the road! We saw the front seven of the Seahawks get beat time and time again.
This group appeared to have turned a corner during the 4-game winning streak, but we have to consider that more of an outlier than the expectation, unfortunately. The truth is, this front seven just isn’t good enough. Uchenna Nwosu is a number 3 guy on most great teams. I like him, but he can’t be a #1 pass rusher. Poona Ford is not playing worth his contract. Darrell Taylor looks like a bust, and Jordyn Brooks is not that far behind him. People will love all the tackles he makes, but Jordyn Brooks doesn’t flash, he does make big plays, he gets picked on by the pass, and is unspectacular in the run defense. He needs to step up and start playing like a 1st round pick. And don’t even get me started on Cody Barton.
This secondary is good. Tariq Woolen is a star as we saw Vegas completely avoid him. Quandre Diggs finally made some plays that are important, and Ryan Neal was awesome again (please don’t be hurt). Michael Jackson fought hard against Davante Adams, that’s all you can ask for. This secondary deserves better from its front seven.
Is the Seahawks’ offensive line regressing?
While the Seahawks scored 34 points, there’s still some concern about the offensive line. The rookie tackle towers continue to be one of the brightest lights of a mostly successful season so far.
Cross continued to be solid and Lucas battled through illness. I don’t think he played badly, and I don’t blame him for getting overwhelmed in the final 12 minutes of a nearly 70-minute game against All-Pro Maxx Crosby. My biggest concern is the interior offensive line. Austin Blyth and Gabe Jackson were destroyed all game long against Vegas. Their inability to move anybody essentially eliminated Seattle’s ability to run the football for the second straight game.
These are two veterans that are league-average at best, I get that. I also would like to see what Jake Curhan or even Stone Forsythe could do in those slots. They’re mostly tackles, but they can’t be as bad as Gabe Jackson looked the last few weeks. The Seahawks have run for a combined 108 yards in the past two games. This season will continue to slip away if adjustments aren’t made.
I say give some new faces a chance to get a spark. Even if it works a little, general manager John Schneider needs to take a long hard look at some interior offensive line help this spring in the draft. We’ve already seen what the rookie tackles success has done for Geno Smith. Imagine how much more potent the offense could be with legit young talent at the center or guard positions.
Can Geno win in the 2-minute drill?
That is the big question at the most important position for Seattle right now. Geno is the top vote-getter at the quarterback position for the NFC. He has earned those votes and should in all likelihood be a pro bowler. He’s gonna finish the year with some monster stats this year and earn a healthy payday. But should Seattle’s inability to put together a game-winning drive fall on Geno?
If you’re going to pay a franchise QB, you have to trust that he can come through on the final drive of the game. Going back to last season, Geno Smith has had the ball tied, or down a score with the team’s final possession a total of six times. All six times Geno and the Seahawks failed to get the score needed to win. The one caveat was Geno leading Seattle to a game-tying field goal at Pittsburgh but lost the game on their final drive in overtime.
This isn’t to highlight that I don’t believe in Geno, or that these failures were all on Geno. The final drives ended because Maxx Crosby is a monster and didn’t give Geno a chance on third down twice to keep a drive going. That doesn’t excuse Geno from making poor throws on first and second down to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.
If Seattle wants to get back to the playoffs, they will need Geno to be what he has been this year, but also need a little more in the final two minutes when the next opportunity arrives.
Not all was lost for the Seahawks (thanks Russ)
Ok, enough with the negatives. How about them Denver Broncos? Each week we keep wondering how much worse the Russell Wilson era in Denver can get, and each week it sinks lower. This week’s loss at Carolina in a battle for a top 5 pick may be rock bottom, even if the losses are far from over.
The Denver Broncos were embarrassing in their loss at lowly Carolina. The Broncos lost 23-10, and only scored a touchdown in the final minutes. We saw a Broncos defensive player scream at Wilson, and then apparently no one went to his birthday party. What a weird turn for a guy who’s near a Hall of Fame lock career seems far from a lock now.
The loss puts Seattle not only in the position for a top 5 pick but in serious contention for the number 2 overall pick. This means Seattle will likely have their pick of the top defensive player in the draft or the second-best QB in the draft. There may not be a more valuable asset to the franchise right now than that pick. This trade will go down in history for Seattle, and infamy for Denver.
The playoff chase looks wilder now
Unfortunately, as Seattle has slipped, it appears San Francisco has surged and appears to be the clear favorite for the division. The 49ers host a massive game against Miami, while Seattle will head back to Sofi Stadium to officially end the Rams season. It’s not unrealistic to think a win by Seattle and a loss by San Francisco can’t have Seattle back in the division hunt, but this feels like a wildcard chase more so than a division title chase it was three weeks ago.
Considering how deep and difficult the NFC East is looking, if Seattle can manage to go 4-2 the rest of the way, I think 10-7 should get them to the playoffs. What a massive success that would be considering how many Seahawks fans are feeling today. Go Hawks!