The Seahawks are 3-3, but the numbers around this team don’t look much like a reigning Super Bowl champion right now. Seattle is sitting in second place in the NFC West after six weeks, and the early profile is a messy one: some flashes of the old standard, but plenty of stats that scream unfinished business.
Start with the biggest issue under center. Sam Darnold has been the least productive winner among NFC West quarterbacks this season, with just one victory on his record.
That lone win came in a 30-23 Week 4 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, Brock Purdy has six wins for the San Francisco 49ers, and Drew Lock, Jacoby Brissett and Matthew Stafford each have two for Seattle, Arizona and Los Angeles, respectively.
The turnover problem around Darnold has been a major part of the story. Since he became Seattle’s starting quarterback last season, he has been charged with 27 turnovers, a total that sits among the highest in the league.
Not every one of those giveaways has been on him, with some coming from poor blocking or receivers breaking off routes, but the mistakes have still piled up. The Seahawks have lost three games because of those bad turnovers.
The run game hasn’t done Darnold or the offense many favors either. Seattle averaged 129.5 rushing yards per game in wins over the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals, but that pace fell hard over the next four games, when the Seahawks averaged just 96 rushing yards.
That stretch came with fumbles in the backfield, an injury to rookie Jadarian Price after Week 3, and uneven play from Emanuel Wilson and George Holani. Seattle went 1-3 in those four games.
The inefficiency on the ground shows up in the advanced numbers, too. The Seahawks are 30th in expected points off the run game at -27.51, barely ahead of the Green Bay Packers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Third down has been another ugly spot. Seattle has converted only 32.4% of its third-down tries, going 24-of-74. First-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury hasn’t gotten the clutch run game consistently working, and the supporting cast in the pass game beyond Jaxon Smith-Njigba hasn’t been reliable enough.
Even with a defense that has looked strong in stretches, Seattle has had trouble finishing stops. The Seahawks have only three sacks from their edge rushers, with two from Derick Hall and one from Uchenna Nwosu.
DeMarcus Lawrence has been applying pressure, while Dante Fowler Jr. has been more valuable as a run-stopper. Nick Emmanwori has added two sacks in a limited role as a part-time pass rusher.
The bigger problem for the defense may be what happens in the biggest moments. Seattle has allowed opponents to convert all seven of their fourth-down attempts this season, a perfect 7-of-7.
The Buffalo Bills are next at 88.9%. Last year, the Seahawks were much better in that area, finishing 10th in fourth-down conversions at 51.1% (23-of-45).
Red zone defense is also costing them. Opponents have turned 78.6% of their drives against Seattle into touchdowns, a mark that trails only the Commanders and the Detroit Lions. That’s a sharp contrast from a Seahawks defense that ranked 10th in points allowed per game, while the Lions were 23rd and the Commanders were 30th.
Now the challenge gets even bigger in Week 7, when Seattle hosts the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, who are 6-0.
In Other News...
Rams Suddenly Have An Offensive Question They May Not Avoid Much Longer
The NFC West picture got a little more complicated Monday night, when the 49ers beat Washington 23-17 and some of their players were already talking about how much sharper they need to be against more efficient opponents. For the Seahawks, it is the kind of backdrop that keeps the division in focus, especially with Seattle trying to sort out its own offense while watching how the teams around it respond to early-season pressure.
Across the division, the Rams suddenly have a personnel issue they may not be able to ignore for long. Tight end Terrance Ferguson is not expected to be ready to come off injured reserve anytime soon, and with Davante Adams now out because of injury, the possibility of adding help at receiver is starting to loom. Seattle has its own questions as Sam Darnold works through a rough start, with some evaluators still seeing him as a quarterback who needs the right structure around him, while the Seahawks also weigh what a possible Week 7 return for Zach Charbonnet could mean for the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Defense Just Got A Telling Sign Before Facing Mahomes
The Seahawks head into Sunday night with something rare for a matchup of this size: respect already coming their way from the other sideline. Seattles defense has earned the leagues top ranking, and it will be tested in a heavyweight meeting with Kansas City, the NFLs top offense, at Lumen Field.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes both singled out the Seahawks defense and its scheme, a notable nod before a game that will draw plenty of attention on NBC and Peacock. Mahomes even pointed back to previous battles with the Ravens defense run by Seattle coordinator Mike Macdonald, a reminder that this meeting will be as much about chess as star power when kickoff arrives at 5:20 p.m. PT. [Read more 🡒]
Kenneth Walkers Seattle Return Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Kenneth Walkers first trip back to Seattle is shaping up as one of the more intriguing storylines on the Chiefs schedule. The running back has been a driving force behind Kansas Citys 5-0 start, and he arrives as the NFLs rushing leader, a reminder of just how quickly he has become central to the offense after moving on from his former team.
The return also carries a little extra edge because it is happening in a place that knows him well. Chiefs players and Andy Reid have both weighed in on the matchup, while the team has been sorting through its usual injury and practice updates as it gets ready for the week ahead, adding another layer to a game that already had plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]