3 reasons to hit the brakes on the optimism of the Seattle Seahawks Week 4 victory

The Seattle Seahawks have reached their bye week of the 2023 season and while normally having a bye in Week 5 might be a bit too early, in 2023 the bye might come at a nearly perfect time. The week off will give the multiple injured players Seattle has some time to rest. Seattle should be a better team in Week 6 simply because they will be getting a bunch of talent back.

But while the team is 3-1 and off to a decent start (maybe if they could play Week 1 all over again Seattle would be 4-0), there are still concerns. None of them have to do with long-term injuries, either. All of Seattle's key players who are hurt should return soonish.

So what are some of the concerns? And can Seattle overcome them? Here are some answers.

Seattle Seahawks offense is still underperforming

Maybe much of the issue with Seattle's inconsistent offense has to do with the Seahawks having to use so many backup offensive linemen. But part of that problem has to do with the subs coming in and being as good as the starters. Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan have graded as well as Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas so far. I am not sure if that means Forsythe and Curhan are better than expected or Cross and Lucas are worse.

Seattle is currently sixth in the NFL in points, but 12 of those points were on interception returns. Take those away and Seattle falls to 12th. That matches where Seattle ranks in yards-per-play (5.4) too. That's all well and good until you see that the Carolina Panthers are 25th in points allowed and the New York Giants are 30th. That means Seattle should have scored decently against those teams, yet offensively the Seahawks put up just 17 against New York and stalled quite a few times.

While injuries have likely affected the team, and as much as I like offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, at times the playcalling has been a bit too inconsistent and a bit pass-heavy. This was especially the case in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. And when Seattle got the ball back with about 10 minutes left against the Giants and just needed to eat the clock, Seattle threw the ball three straight times before they had to punt. Seattle's offense is capable of being better and will need to be later in the season.