Seahawks still need to improve these three problem areas before Week 8

Coming off their sweet road win over the Falcons, there shouldn't be much to complain about on the Seattle Seahawks. However...things could still get better. The good news is there are several reasons to expect they'll do exactly that.

What a difference a week - and a win - makes. The Hawks have moved from a three-loss skid to the high of grounding a high-flying opponent on the road. The Falcons were coming off a three-game winning streak, but anyone who watched the game would swear those recent records were reversed.

Seattle set a season-high in points scored and allowed the second-fewest of 2024. It was also only their second double-digit victory and was easily the most complete game the Hawks have played all year. That being said, Seattle didn't play a flawless game by any means. They did correct one serious flaw in the second half, but 30 minutes is a pretty small sample size. Let's see what they can make even better when they face the Bills in Week 8.

The Seattle Seahawks still could improve quite a bit

Their run defense

The Hawks gave up an embarrassing 117 rushing yards on 15 carries in the first half. That included a string of plays in which the Falcons only passed once during a nine-play drive. Happily, Seattle held Atlanta to 38 yards on the ground in the second half. Yes, the Dirty Birds were playing from behind, but they still ran the ball 16 times. That's an average gain of 7.8 yards in the first half versus 2.4 in the second. What changed?

According to the players and coaches, it was simply a matter of execution. As related by Cameron Van Til for Seattle Sports, the Hawks made no changes to their scheme. Players hit their gaps and stayed square to the ball carrier. They made tackles as well. And it certainly didn't hurt to have Byron Murphy II back, either. With the addition of Roy Robertson-Harris, the Seahawks defensive line was able to rotate and keep everyone fresh. Hmmm...maybe they're getting a handle on this after all.

Their offensive line in both the pass and the run

The concerns for the O-Line go for both pass-blocking and run-blocking. Geno Smith has been phenomenal this season. Yeah, the haters don't want to admit it, as they'd prefer to point out a couple of errant passes out of dozens. But considering that Smith faces the second-most pressures in the league, it's remarkable that he leads the NFL in completions and is sixth in completion percentage. Just imagine how good he'd be with just average protection.

The same can be said for Kenneth Walker III. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the Hawks rank 17th in run-blocking. Despite that, Seattle's run game is ranked fourth in the league. It doesn't take a mathy-type genius to figure out that Walker is outperforming his line by a mile. The good news, as with the defensive side of the ball, is that help has already arrived in the person of Michael Jerrell. Even better, both Abe Lucas and George Fant are returning to practice this week.

So maybe, just maybe, the Seahawks are well on their way to resolving the problems that led to all three of their losses. The trade of Jerome Baker for Ernest Jones IV should be another key factor in their favor. They certainly took some big steps in the right direction versus Atlanta. Buffalo should provide a much tougher test this coming Sunday.

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