The Seahawks left Week 1 with a clear message attached to the tape: clean up the chaos before it snowballs.
Seattle opened the season with a penalty problem that kept drives stuck in the mud. The Seahawks were flagged 10 times overall, and seven of those came before the opposing offense had even drawn a flag.
Even more striking, seven of the first flags in the game were against Seattle. That kind of start is a brutal way to spend an opener, especially when the list of infractions included four false starts - on Saubert, Lucas, Bradford and Barner - plus an offsides on Lucas, an illegal shift and a delay of game.
That’s a lot of self-inflicted damage for one game. It’s also a sharp jump from what Seattle usually dealt with last season, when it reached seven or more total penalties only five times.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said the game plan itself had to bend once the Patriots lined up differently than expected. He said plays were called that were not originally in the plan because New England showed “a four down nickel package - which was not what we expected - so we were able to adjust to that pretty quickly, as a coaching staff.” Fleury added that “I go through an absurd amount of contingency plans.”
The good news for Seattle is that the offense settled in after halftime. The Seahawks scored all 13 of their points in the second half, and Drew Lock looked far more comfortable as the game went on.
He finished with a 113.3 QB Rating, well ahead of Drake Maye’s 54.9. Lock was described as safe, mobile and decisive, and the way the offense functioned late raised the possibility that Seattle may be getting the best version of him in this system.
Fleury also sounded steady when asked about handing the offense to Lock. He said, “I didn’t have any concerns about handing it to Drew.” When asked where that confidence comes from, he pointed to past experience: “I’ve been through losing quarterbacks, and unfortunately, challenging circumstances before.”
That background matters, because the Seahawks are now moving into a divisional matchup with Arizona, and the Cardinals are not coming in as a soft landing spot. They handled the heavily favored Chargers last week, picking off Justin Herbert, sacking him three times and forcing a fumble on Omarion Hampton. Arizona held Los Angeles under 200 passing yards and under 100 rushing yards, and it did it without turning the ball over on offense.
Seattle’s coaching staff has reason to trust its preparation, but there’s no reason to treat the Cardinals like a tune-up. Fleury said he has been game planning against Arizona and holdover defensive coordinator Nick Rallis for a few years now, so the Seahawks should have answers ready. The priority is obvious: iron out the pre-snap issues that sabotaged drives in Week 1.
On the defensive side, there’s plenty less to worry about after the opener, which is why the spotlight stays on the offense here. The Patriots’ Drake Maye had a rough day throwing deep, going 1-for-6 with three interceptions on passes over 15 air yards, according to ESPN Insights. Seattle’s bigger concern is whether it can keep scoring if the game tilts away from Sam Darnold and into other hands.
One piece of that answer may be rookie halfback Jadarian Price. He’s the clear “more of” candidate for Week 2, and the numbers back it up.
Price ran for 5.2 yards per carry on 10 attempts, while George Holani averaged 3.6 on eight carries. Holani still has value, especially on third downs, and Seattle likes what he brings when it wants to avoid tipping its hand on passing situations.
But Price was more efficient with his touches, and that makes him worth a bigger workload.
There’s also a little extra theater around this one, since Price is headed into what the media will frame as a kind of revenge game against former Notre Dame backfield mate Jeremiyah Love of Arizona.
Holani, meanwhile, picked up a nickname that might stick. Former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson, while on the call for Seattle’s preseason game against Dallas, referred to him as “Steady Eddie” George, then realized the line could be confused as a reference to Eddie George. The result, as explained here, is “Steady George.”
Seattle got some strong pass protection reps from “Steady George” in the last game, and that still matters. But with Price showing more juice on the ground, there’s a real case for leaning harder into the rookie.
That becomes even more relevant with Christian Haynes set to start at right guard in place of Anthony Bradford. Fleury said Bradford’s game was “his very first NFL game,” and added that the rookie has “obviously earned more reps moving forward.”
In Other News...
Sam Darnold Recovery Gives Seahawks Fans Real Reason For Relief
Sam Darnolds glute injury has been one of the early tests of Seattles first month, but the Seahawks have reason to feel better about where things stand now. After hurting himself in Week 1, Darnold has reportedly progressed faster than expected, and the club has already handled the first stretch without him well enough to buy time.
According to NFL Networks Ian Rapoport, Darnold could be back on the practice field in the coming week, with Week 4 looking like the likeliest target for his return to game action. Week 3 remains a possibility, though a less likely one, and Seattle now gets a brief run of games before it has to decide exactly how soon it wants its quarterback back under center. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Russell May Be Giving Seahawks Offense Something It Didn't Have
Brady Russells role with the Seahawks has changed quickly, and not just because he was already known as a useful special teams piece. With Robbie Ouzts on injured reserve, Russell has stepped in as Seattles fullback, and the season opener offered a first look at how the offense might use him there. He played a career-high 17 offensive snaps in Week 1 and even chipped in as a receiver, catching two passes for 20 yards.
For a Seattle offense that has been searching for more flexibility in certain packages, Russells ability to handle multiple jobs could matter sooner rather than later. Mike Macdonald singled out Russells versatility and his showing in the opener, which is a good sign for a player who may now have a larger lane into the game plan. The bigger question is how far that role can grow as the Seahawks keep adjusting without Ouzts. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Defense Faces An Unexpected Cardinals Threat This Week
Jacoby Brissetts quick release is already giving the Seahawks a specific problem to solve this week, and it starts with the ball coming out before the rush can fully arrive. Arizona has leaned heavily on Brissetts timing passing, and no connection has mattered more than the one he has built with tight end Trey McBride. The Seahawks will be spending plenty of prep time trying to make that rhythm harder to find, because once it gets rolling, the Cardinals offense can stay on schedule in a hurry.
McBride has been Brissetts most reliable target so far, including a massive 13-target outing in Week 1, and that volume is exactly why Seattle has to treat this as more than a normal matchup issue. The Seahawks know the path to slowing Arizona runs through taking away the easy throws and disrupting the quarterback-tight end pairing before it can dictate the game. If they cant do that, Brissetts comfort throwing quickly could turn one of the weeks quieter storylines into a real test for the defense. [Read more 🡒]