The Seattle Seahawks offense was humming earlier in the season, but in recent games, opponents have seemingly figured out a way to slow Sam Darnold and company. The most obvious way is that teams are blitzing Seattle a lot more. There may be a lot more to the issue, though.
Seattle's defense has covered up a bunch of offensive sins lately, to be fair. The team defeated the Minnesota Vikings 26-0 in Week 13 and the Atlanta Falcons 37-9 in Week 14. In only one half of those two games was the offense actually good. Against Minnesota, for instance, Seattle had only 219 total yards, and one of its two touchdowns was scored by the defense.
The first half score of the Falcons' game was just 6-6. Thankfully, Darnold and the offense played much better in the second half.
Rashid Shaheed knows the answer to the Seattle Seahawks' offensive ills
Unfortunately, the offense reverted to recent form in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Seahawks failed to score a touchdown. Kicker Jason Myers' brilliance was the reason Seattle won.
What is the issue with the Seahawks' offense? Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed has an idea. Except for fellow receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, no other receiver has been a very good fit in Klint Kubiak's scheme. Smith-Njigba has a league-leading 1,541 yards receiving. That is more than 1,000 yards better than any other Seattle wideout.
Talking to reporters after Week 15, a game in which JSN had 113 yards receiving, but thankfully Shaheed chipped in with 74 (45 of which came on Seattle's last-minute drive that ended in a game-winning field goal), Shaheed said, "If we don't come out with the right mindset, then the offense can be kind of stagnant."
That is a brutally honest assessment of the issue with the Seahawks' offense. Instead of the general, "We should execute better," the wide receiver lays bare what the problem is: The mental approach.
The Seattle Seahawks cannot rely solely on the continued greatness of Jaxon Smith-Njigba to remain productive. Not because JSN is overperforming or cannot continue to be good, but because great defenses (especially defenses of playoff teams) will know how to limit Smith-Njigba's impact.
Other players need to step up and take some of his production. The Seahawks cannot afford a stagnant offense, and part of resolving the issue begins with the pre-game approach of Kubiak, Cooper Kupp, and Shaheed being more in unison.
The Seattle Seahawks have a defense that makes them a dangerous team. An improved offense can make the team a Super Bowl winner.