The red zone is officially becoming a problem for the Seahawks.
Over the last few weeks, we've seen the defense take massive strides, and we've seen various players step into larger roles on offense. Almost every piece is in place, except for the offensive line's health, and the red zone offense, which has been woeful over the last few weeks.
Truthfully, I think getting Zach Charbonnet back at some point will help fix this issue, but as it stands, the Seahawks aren't just stuck for a reliable red zone attack — they're stuck for any sort of option with two or fewer yards to gain. Kenneth Walker has great patience and I love his power, but he's far too eager to bounce east-to-west to be an effective short-area back without considerable help from the offensive line.
The tight ends are great options, but without a true hammer to pair them with, they're too predictable and slow to make for an effective first option in short-yardage situations. DK Metcalf is an animal of a receiver with a killer slant route, but again, getting him into an alignment where he could run that concept in that down and distance might as well be walking over to the opponent's sideline and pointing at the play you plan to run.
Every team needs that guy they can count on to get one yard. The Seahawks of old had Marshawn Lynch and Shaun Alexander. This team still needs that dependable, ever-present guaranteed yard. Once they have it, there will be nowhere left to run, and this team should be able to fight with the Soviets and Swedes for the gold. Until then, they will be as their predecessors were — one yard short.