Mike Macdonald is not looking at the Seahawks’ shaky start and reaching for a roster overhaul.
After Seattle’s loss on Thursday night in Denver, the head coach made it clear he still believes the answer is already in the building. The Seahawks went on the road on a short week, faced a Broncos team missing its two best defensive players, and still came up short when Sam Darnold’s old problems showed up again at the worst possible moment.
The defense did its part once more. It shut out Denver’s offense in the second half and forced a quick three-and-out to hand the offense a chance to win or at least tie the game. Seattle couldn’t finish it, and through six games the offensive issues have become impossible to ignore.
But Macdonald isn’t sounding like a coach ready to shake up the personnel.
"We got the right people in the building, we got the right people for the job," the head coach said.
That stance may frustrate fans, especially with the offense stuck in the mud. Kenneth Walker III has flashed elsewhere, yet Seattle can’t get its ground game going.
Darnold has been under pressure on nearly every dropback because of poor pass protection. And Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been carrying far too much of the load.
Still, this is largely the same group that got it done last season, and Macdonald is betting that group can find its way out of the slump. The team has answers on the roster, and while more firepower never hurts, the problems here do not appear to be purely about talent.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is now under the microscope, but even that situation comes with complications. At this point in the season, there is not an obvious replacement waiting to walk in and make things better. And with a defensive-minded head coach on the sideline, there is also no easy fix in the form of stripping him of play-calling duties.
For now, the message from Macdonald is about accountability, not panic. The defense has given Seattle chances.
The team has been in position to win every game. The hole the Seahawks are in was dug by this roster and this offense, and the only real way out is to climb.
It is a harsh reality for a team that is nowhere near where it expected to be. But the message from the head coach is simple: nobody is coming to rescue them. They have to do it themselves.
In Other News...
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Became Seattle's Biggest Thursday Night X-Factor
Jaxon Smith-Njigba popped up on the Seahawks injury report this week with an ankle issue, but the important part for Seattle is that he is not carrying an injury designation into the matchup with the Broncos. For a passing game that has leaned on him heavily this season, that is a welcome development heading into a short-week stage that often turns on who can simply be available and effective.
The timing only sharpens his importance. Denver will be missing key defensive players Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, which gives Seattle a chance to press an advantage through the air if Smith-Njigba looks like his usual self. He has been one of the offenses most reliable producers through five games, and on Thursday night his role could be even bigger if the Seahawks decide to attack early and often. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Head To Denver With A Few Trusted Answers And New Doubts
The Seahawks head to Denver with a clearer sense of who they can lean on and a few more questions than they probably wanted at this stage of the season. Byron Murphy II has been one of the steadier young pieces up front, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to look like a reliable target in the passing game, and Jason Myers has given Seattle confidence in the kicking game. Those are the kinds of trusted answers that help keep a team afloat when the rest of the picture is still shifting.
What the Broncos matchup will really test is whether Seattle can turn those individual bright spots into something more stable on a week-to-week basis. The offense and defense both have areas that still need sorting out, and the margin for error gets smaller on the road, especially against a Denver team that will make the Seahawks prove those strengths are more than isolated flashes. [Read more 🡒]
Overlooked Seahawks Could Decide More Than Fans Expect In Denver
The Seahawks head to Denver on Thursday night with a 3-2 record and the usual attention on the bigger names, but this matchup may hinge on a few players who are easy to overlook. Robert Henry Jr. is the newest wrinkle, a recent roster addition who gives Seattle another layer of depth as it sorts out the back end of the lineup, while AJ Barner enters a game that could put more pressure on the middle of the Broncos defense than usual.
Julian Love also looms as the kind of defensive back who can change the feel of a game quickly, especially against a Denver offense that has not looked steady. Seattle does not need every contribution to come from the stars to get through a short week on the road, and this is exactly the kind of spot where role players can end up deciding far more than fans expect. [Read more 🡒]