Everyone is to blame for what happened when the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. Coaches, players, and fans all share some of the burden of Seattle falling to second place in the NFC West after the 30-13 loss. But some to blame are more equal than others.
For the second time this season, enough 12s sold their tickets to opposing fans to allow opposing fans to be nearly as vocal as Seahawks fans were. What was witnessed against the Packers might not have been as bad as Week 8 when Bills mafia absolutely took over Lumen Field in Seattle's blowout loss to Buffalo. But Packers fans were not far behind what Bills fans did.
Once, the Seahawks' home field was something that opponents feared. Seattle had a great team in the mid-2010s, sure, but fans helped unsettle opposing players. That has not been the case recently. But let's also be clear that football tickets are expensive, and if someone wants to sell theirs, then that is their right. Still, fewer 12s means less of an advantage for the team.
Entire Seattle Seahawks organization exposed in Week 15 loss to Green Bay Packers
More importantly, Seattle proved again against Green Bay thanit simply cannot beat good teams. The only time the Seahawks have beaten a team that currently has a winning record was in Week 1 when Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was playing his first game as a pro. If the teams played now, Denver would be (and should be) favored.
Both the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are 8-6, but LA holds the tie-break over Seattle losing to the Rams in Week 9. The teams will play again in Week 18, but Seattle likely needs to win out to make the playoffs and win the NFC West. As the team struggles against good teams, and Seattle next plays the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings, the Seahawks falling to 8-7 appears likely.
Another issue is while the Seahawks have some good players, the team does not seem to have enough good ones to make the team great. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams is terrific, but Jarran Reed is not good enough to be consistently competitive against great offensive lines. Cornerback Riq Woolen is big and fast, but he beats himself many times with bad technique.
Green Bay averaged 6 yards per play, and limited Seattle to 208 total yards of offense. The Packers also controlled time of possession by nearly six minutes. Green Bay also got seven sacks on Seattle's quarterbacks. That is what good teams do to mediocre ones.
All the feel-good vibes of Seattle's four-game win streak between Weeks 11 and 14 disappeared with the brutal reality the Seahawks simply are not as good as half the teams in the league. If Geno Smith cannot return from injury quickly, Sam Howell makes Seattle one of the bottom-third teams in the league. It might be time for general manager John Schneider to start looking forward to 2025.