It’s tough to pin the Seattle Seahawks’ 3-3 start on the defense.
Through six games, Seattle had been stingy in every major way that usually matters. The Seahawks entered Sunday leading the league by a wide margin, allowing just 237.3 yards per game.
That was more than 20 yards better than the next team and nearly 50 ahead of the third-ranked defense. They had also held three of their six opponents to 14 points or fewer, and even the 20.3 points per game allowed would look better without the offense’s turnovers - including two giveaways that were turned into defensive touchdowns by opponents.
But there has been one clear weak spot: the red zone.
Seattle went into the week 26th in the NFL in red-zone defense, giving up touchdowns on 75% of opponent trips inside the 20. That’s a sharp drop from last season, when the Seahawks allowed touchdowns on just 50% of red-zone chances, fifth-best in the league.
That issue showed up again in Thursday night’s 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. Denver reached the red zone twice and came away with touchdowns both times.
“If they hold them to field goals right there, they could have turned it over eight times and still win that game,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said during his Blue 88 segment on Friday’s edition of Brock and Salk. “But you don’t hold them to field goals.”
Denver’s first red-zone touchdown came after a 16-play drive and four snaps inside the red zone, finishing with a 4-yard run to the right side by J.K. Dobbins.
“Through motions and a shift, Denver actually gets a hat on a hat - which down near the goal line you should always have an advantage, you should always have a plus one, because there’s just not that much space. They didn’t and they just dominated you point of attack. It looked like the ones versus the twos,” Huard said.
“It’s a really hard tackle for a corner to come in there and come slice in and cut that runner’s legs down as he’s getting going with a fullback in front of him… but Josh Jobe just watched him walk into the end zone, like just didn’t even touch him,” Huard added. “I’m not going to say a business decision because, again, even if he went all out, maybe nothing happens and it’s still a touchdown. But, gosh, it was just a hard watch.”
The Broncos’ second red-zone touchdown came after a defensive pass interference penalty on Devon Witherspoon moved the ball to the 1-yard line, and RJ Harvey then took the wildcat snap and powered in for the score.
“As unbelievable as they were in the second half, that was pretty maddening in the first quarter and a half,” Huard said of Seattle’s defense.
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