It is entirely possible that the Seattle Seahawks will not be able to overcome their stumbles at the outset of the 2026 season and make a serious run for another Super Bowl title. There is a reason why NFL teams have such a difficult time repeating championships.
However, this team is still very good. A win over Patrick Mahomes and the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 would go a long way toward getting things back on track.
In order to achieve that, Mike Macdonald and his team need to correct several fundamental problems. They are mostly on offense, though even the Seahawks' formidable defense could use some tweaks.
Seattle Seahawks need to find answers to these four questions in Week 7
If he stays on course, Zach Charbonnet may make his long-awaited return on Sunday. That should certainly help. But it is far from a panacea. This team has plenty of assets at its disposal – with a couple of breaks, they could be undefeated themselves – but they also have some real work to do in several key areas. Here’s where they need to start on Sunday.
Run the ball
This seems so basic, but it requires some creative thinking. The fact that Kenneth Walker III returns to town this week puts the problem in stark relief. Walker was an integral part of the Seahawks offense last season, but general manager John Schneider appeared to prioritize Rashid Shaheed over him.
Walker is on pace for MVP contention in his new home while Seattle is still waiting for a breakthrough from their receiver/returner.
Even if Charbonnet is back at full strength, it does not solve Seattle's running problem. They need to rediscover the explosive run game that Walker anchored last season. Jadarian Price may be able to provide that when he is healthy. But for now, Brian Fleury needs to get creative.
Without Price, Seattle does not have explosive backs, but Fleury – along with run game coordinator Justin Outten – needs to find ways to make the attack more dangerous, even without a dangerous back.
Darnold’s touchdown-to-interception ratio
Sam Darnold is throwing too many interceptions. Everyone knows that. But if he is able to generate more touchdowns, those interceptions don’t loom as large. The Seahawks have been in every game this season despite their QB's one-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. Improving that to an easily attainable two-to-one ratio would make many of Seattle’s problems disappear.
Unfortunately, this may not be the week he fixes this particular problem. The Chiefs are one of just three teams in the NFL – along with the Vikings and Packers – that have more interceptions than touchdown receptions allowed this season.
Please – somebody other than JSN step up
The run game struggles and Sam Darnold’s interceptions are disappointing, but neither is a huge surprise. Without Walker and Charbonnet, the running game was bound to flounder for a while, and Darnold has gone through ugly patches in the past.
But the utter inability of the offense to develop an even modest receiving complement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba is perhaps the biggest disappointment Seattle has faced this year.
Smith-Njigba has seven touchdown catches this year. The rest of the team has four – only two from other wide receivers. He has more than one-third of the team’s total catches and targets, and almost half of their receiving yards and receiving first downs.
That is not sustainable. They paid Shaheed a lot of money this offseason. They have a very good tight end in AJ Barner. They have expressed high hopes for Tory Horton and Elijah Arroyo. They still have Cooper Kupp. But no one has been able to step up into a serviceable second option in the passing game. That has to end ASAP.
Defense has stumbled at big moments
It seems nitpicky to say Seattle’s defense needs to improve. Obviously, every unit of every team could be better. But it has been pretty apparent that Seattle’s defense is the one thing that keeps them competitive week in and week out.
Still, there is this one troubling trend that must be addressed. Despite having one of the best third down conversion percentages in the league, Seattle inexplicably cannot stop teams on fourth down.
That is a literal statement. As great as their defense is, Seattle is the only team in the entire NFL that has failed to prevent a fourth down conversion this year. Opponents have gone for it on fourth down seven times, and they have converted all seven tries. That is remarkable – and it must stop.
And it isn’t simply fourth downs. Seattle somehow has the third-worst red zone defense in the league, allowing opponents to score eleven touchdowns on just 14 trips. The good news is that the 14 trips are a very good number. But they have to find a way to make big stops at key moments, or none of the rest of the defensive metrics will matter very much.
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