The Seattle Seahawks are one game through a brutal four-week stretch. During this stretch, they play these teams in order: 49ers, Cowboys, 49ers, and Eagles. While they currently sit at 6-5 on the season, with the way they've been playing the past two weeks, it's easy to see a way for them to be 6-8 and fighting for their playoff lives at the end of it all.
The Seahawks have felt lifeless these past two weeks. And the biggest reason for this is undoubtedly the offense. On paper, they're one of the most talented offenses in the entire NFL - at least skill position-wise. Two early-round running backs in Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker, and three great wide receivers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Metcalf and Lockett have been Pro Bowlers and JSN was a first-round pick. Despite all of this talent, the offense continues to disappoint. To put it in perspective, they've put up 24 or fewer points in eight out of 11 games this season.
Who is most at fault for the Seattle Seahawks offensive issues?
When you have all this weaponry and continue to struggle, there are usually two parts of the offense that get blamed quickly - the offensive coordinator and the quarterback. In Seattle's case, both parties have gotten equal amounts of blame from the 12s. However, this is a very black-and-white way of looking at the situation.
It doesn't have to be one or the other, and frankly, it's not. It's a mix of multiple components that are failing the Seahawks right now. And there's nothing failing the Seahawks more than the big guys up front - the offensive line.
The offensive line struggles
The Seattle offensive line issue has to be immensely frustrating as a long-time Seahawks fan, as this has been an issue since the early Russell Wilson era. But it's something that the Seahawks have neglected for years. It seems like since the instant that they traded Max Unger to the Saints in 2013, being elite up front has never been a concern of theirs and it's shown.
The peak of Seattle's offensive line struggles showed this past Thursday in the Thanksgiving showdown against the 49ers. A team that features what's debatably the best defensive line in the NFL. The Seahawks couldn't get anything going offensively, not only because of the talented defensive front of the Niners but also because of the steep field position they kept finding themselves in, being pinned inside their own 10-yard line multiple times early on.
San Francisco had the Seattle offensive line in complete disarray, to say the least. Miscommunication after miscommunication, and All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa wrecking shop per usual. The part that gets the most frustrating is that the 49ers were consistently winning with four defensive linemen. They didn't need to send these exotic blitz packages, they just did all types of stunts and that was enough for the Seattle front (which sometimes would feature up to 7 blockers at once) to get out of position, or it would just cause them to straight up miss rushers due to their lack of communication and vision.
I say all this to not only shed light on the issue but to hopefully bring some weight off of Geno Smith and Shane Waldron, who are both being painted as the main problems with the offense. Although I would say that the biggest issue is on the offensive line and their struggles, I would also say that Geno Smith and Shane Waldron aren't entirely off the hook themselves.
The Geno Smith situation
Starting with Smith, he's showing genuine flashes of his early-career self. A guy who has all the arm talent in the world and can make every throw, but also a guy who lacks quality decision-making and improvisation. When Geno Smith is on, he's so enjoyable to watch. When the offense is in rhythm and the offensive line is able to provide a somewhat clean pocket, he can make some incredible throws. But when it's the opposite, and you're asking him to create with his legs, and you're asking him to become a QB that he's not, it can become ugly pretty fast.
That seems to be what Smith's dealing with right now. A bad offensive line that forces him to play under pressure has made him revert to old habits. Trying to make plays that he shouldn't, holding onto the ball too long, things like that are what made Smith ultimately become a bust in New York. And it's what forced him to be a career backup until the Russell Wilson move. Smith is limited, and the situation around him has to be a great one if you want him to produce enough to be a Super Bowl contender.
That isn't always a bad thing though, look at guys around the league like Tua Tagovoiloa, Kirk Cousins, and Jared Goff. These are QBs who are limited in nature, but if you put them in a situation where they can stay steady, play calm, and deliver, they can put up numbers worthy of being paid like a top 10 QB. That's just not what Seattle has and that's partly because of roster construction, and also partly because of their offensive coordinator. Knowing what you have in Geno Smith and putting him in a position to succeed is a huge responsibility of Shane Waldron. And it looked like he did that successfully in 2022, but this season has been a complete turn in the other direction.
The Shane Waldron issue
My biggest caveat with Shane Waldron is his unwillingness to put the ball on the ground and get yards when you need them. For example, if you choose to start a drive with a pass and it falls incomplete, you then need to look for a play that ensures the highest likelihood of yardage, so you don't put yourself in a 3rd and long situation, which makes a punt much more likely than 3rd and 5 or less would. These plays could be screens, RPOs, inside zones, and many more options to choose from. That's just not something Waldron does though, instead, he'll opt for a passing concept outside the numbers, or he'll call a longer developing pass, doing the exact opposite of getting "easy" yardage.
That's a worrisome trait because we all know how bad Seattle is on 3rd down, and this is a big reason why. Too many times are they getting themselves into 3rd and 6 or higher situations, where it allows pass rushers to pin their ears back and attack the QB without having the consideration of a run play. You know how much your offensive line struggles in pass protection, so why make it harder on them by having them go head-to-head with rushers who already know it's a passing down?
In addition, the Seahawks rank 29th in the entire NFL in rushing attempts per game at 23.3, which doesn't make any sense. This is a team that spent 2nd round picks at runningbacks in back-to-back draft classes. What was the point of that if you don't want to utilize them? Especially when you have the contrasting styles of Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker. You can run any type of rushing concept you want. Duo, inside zone, wide zone, power, and yet Waldron chooses to use them less than 28 other teams do.
Can the offense be fixed?
So what's the solution? What part of the offense is killing the Seahawks the most? The answer to that is the offensive line. All of these issues the Seahawks are having stem from poor offensive line play. Do you know why the Seahawks are one of the worst teams in 3rd down conversion rate? The answer is because of poor pass protection. Why doesn't Shane Waldron run as much as he should?
The answer is that this team's biggest strength is its wide receiving core and the guys up front tend to get outmanned and outplayed in the run game. Why hasn't Geno been the same QB from last season? Because you're asking him to create due to poor offensive line play and do things consistently that only a top 5 QB in the league can do on a regular basis.
We all know that football is the ultimate team sport. So blaming one position whether that be player or coach, is a very lazy way of looking at things. All of these things coordinate and work together, and when things don't coordinate and work cohesively in this league it gets exposed eventually. That is ultimately what you're seeing with the Seattle Seahawks.
An offense with all the talent in the world but a position group that is holding them back from what they could be. Hopefully, some of these issues are addressed as they'll be getting their standout sophomore RT Abraham Lucas back from IR this week. A much-needed boost as the Seahawks get ready to play an elite Dallas Cowboys defense tonight.