For Pete's Sake: 5 critical observations from the Seattle Seahawks Week 11 loss

Drew Lock proved he's not the guy, despite calls for him to replace Geno Smith

Much like other quarterbacks around the league, Geno Smith has received a lot of criticism since he became the Seahawks starting quarterback a few years ago. Despite leading the team to the playoffs last season, some have been calling for him to be replaced due to his up-and-down performance so far this year, with most suggesting backup Drew Lock be the guy to take over.

Although he was once presumed to be the next guy under center after Russell Wilson was traded, he was beaten for the starting role by Smith in 2022. He was named the backup for the Seahawks, and fortunately, due to a career-best season by Smith, he never took the field.

Fast forward to the Week 11 matchup with the Rams; Smith went down with an elbow injury on Sunday that kept him out of the game for nearly the entire fourth quarter. He returned despite the injury after an ill-timed interception by Lock allowed the Rams to take the lead with a field goal, leaving just 90 seconds for Seattle to get one of their own to win the game.

Smith led the offense within (hopeful) field goal range, putting a lot of pressure on Jason Myers to hit a 55-yard field goal. The kick was wide right, leaving just three seconds on the clock and officially sealing a Rams sweep of the Seahawks this season.

Despite the final score proving to be a close game, Lock proved he couldn't be the guy to rely on or to take Smith's job as the QB1. Smith certainly has his flaws and was likely never considered to be the long-term answer at quarterback, but he's proven to be effective and lead the team to success, all of which Lock has yet to do in his limited opportunities.

Seahawks lacked discipline which lead to an egregious amount of penalty yardage

How is it even possible to accrue 12 penalties for a total of 130 yards in a single game? Not only that, but your opponents also totaled a significant amount themselves, with nine flags for 92 yards.

Most will argue the officiating was horrific in this game and that it was, but when it comes to sloppy and undisciplined football, that encapsulated the Seahawks on Sunday.

Much like any game on any given Sunday in the NFL, not all the penalties on Seattle were correct. There were definitely a handful that could be labeled iffy, and unfortunately, it was just the latest example of the officials making their presence known far too much in a game.

It's becoming a serious issue that the league should seriously look into, but since it's remained problematic year after year, it seems fair to assume nothing will ever truly be done to improve it.