The Seattle Seahawks had an easy win in Week 3, but fell woefully short in one aspect of the game. That cannot continue if Seattle is going to win in Arizona in Week 4. It's hard to find fault in a 44-13 win, but this was glaringly obvious.
Sam Darnold was everything the Seahawks needed as they cruised to a 31-point win over the Saints. He didn't get a perfect passer rating, but that 154.2 was just fine, thanks. We can't count on another performance at that level against the Cardinals, but it seems safe to say that Darnold's play isn't the biggest cause for concern heading into Week 4.
Seattle's special teams squad was nothing short of dazzling against New Orleans. Need a team record punt return? No problem, thanks to rookie phenom Tory Horton. How about a blocked punt to give the Seahawks a short field? D'Anthony Bell had you covered.
The Seattle Seahawks' run-blocking must improve against the Cardinals
Does a 60-yard kickoff return sound good? Sure, Dareke Young was there for you. The blocking on both of those returns was first-rate. But there was one area of the game that was far from first-rate, and that has to change.
There's a word for Seattle's run-blocking performance against New Orleans in Week 3. It's on the tip of my tongue. Inadequate? Questionable? Worrisome? Oh, I've got it - it was atrocious. YMMV, of course. You may have viewed it as pathetic, but let's not quibble. It wasn't good, and no one can dispute that.
The fault didn't lie with Kenneth Walker hesitating at the line, as he did in Week 1. He flew to the line on virtually every run, as he did last week when he slashed the Steelers for 105 yards on just 13 carries. Yet Walker only gained 38 yards on 16 carries against the Saints. Now, he did score two touchdowns, so it wasn't all bad. And that does bring us to the silver lining of the running game.
That silver lining would be Mr. Robbie Ouzts. He is no longer flying under the radar for Seattle. He has crushed would-be tacklers time and again for Walker. Better make that a double silver lining. Charles Cross has been rated among the top three Seahawks in run-blocking by Pro Football Focus in all three games this season (subscription required).
The right side of the line, though - that was rough. Anthony Bradford played like he was in a time warp. He was every bit as bad as he was last season. And whatever happened to him must have been contagious, because both Jalen Sundell and Abraham Lucas got blown up far too often.
That can't happen against the Cardinals, who have allowed the fourth fewest yards rushing in the league so far this season. Yes, they lost to the Niners last week, 16-15, but they held Christian McCaffrey to 52 yards rushing on 17 carries. That's marginally better than what the Seahawks did in Week 1.
So, yeah, Seattle needs to get their blocking scheme right, especially on the right side of the line. We can't expect another insanely explosive game from the special teams unit. And I can't see Sam Darnold turning in another near-perfect game.
Good games from both, sure. And the defense has been outstanding. But this team's success is predicated on balance. And that means the running game needs to get back on track.