New levels, new devils: What we learned from the Seahawks Week 6 loss to Cincinnati

As ever, so today — if it's not one thing, it's another. If ever there was a feeling that could be described as universal, it would have to be that exact sentiment: the feeling that if only one could go even a day without some new thing to worry about, that we would be free to set ourselves up for interminable success. (With the Seattle Seahawks, there always seems to be a few things to worry about, for instance.)

But that's not how life works, and it doesn't seem to be how football works, either, unless you were a Patriots fan between the years of 2001 and 2019. For everyone else, it's a constant struggle to become the best version of yourself, because life doesn't slow down. It doesn't let up. Life is Manny Pacquiao in his prime — the barrage is never-ending, there is no opening to exploit that you yourself do not create, and the only way to come out on top is to weather the storm and pick your spots carefully.

For the Seahawks, this week brought on new challenges — namely, the deterioration of an offensive line comprised mostly of backups, and the compounding of issues the o-line in question isn't helping. Everything on offense was affected, hence the measly 13 points scored on nearly 400 yards of total offense.

What we learned from the Seattle Seahawks Week 6 loss

For those hoping for a season-defining win, where the Seahawks put their Super Bowl intentions on display and beat down a resurgent Bengals team in Cincinnati, where Seattle has not historically played well, Sunday's result was a massive disappointment. It felt as though the Seahawks had a chance to assert some level of dominance over the NFC with a convincing win, especially as the 49ers and Eagles both lost later in the day.

Instead, the Seahawks are just half a game ahead of the Rams, and staring squarely up at the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, and Lions. It was a clear missed opportunity, and building momentum leading up to the brutal back half of Seattle's schedule will be much more difficult from this point. All is not lost, however. As frustrating as this result was, there were plenty of good things to glean from it, as well.