Week 10 gives the Seattle Seahawks offense a clear chance to turn a decent step forward into something more dangerous.
Last Sunday’s 17-3 home win over the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t about fireworks. Seattle didn’t hit any explosive plays, but the point was different: offensive coordinator Brian Fleury needed a game that helped him settle into a better rhythm, sharpen his feel for play-calling and keep building chemistry with the unit. That part of the job is now on Fleury, his staff and the players to carry forward.
The matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders should open the door. Seattle is facing a defense that has struggled badly across the board, which gives the Seahawks a real shot to stretch the field and find more explosiveness than they showed in Week 9.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has already been the engine. He leads the league in receiving yards with 1,036, receiving touchdowns with 9 and passing-game first downs with 51. The bigger question is what comes next around him, because several other pieces have either been underused or sidelined by injury.
That’s where rookie running back Jadarian Price and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed come in. Price led the Seahawks in receiving yards in the win over Arizona and flashed the kind of dynamic ability that can change a game, though he still needs more consistency as a runner.
Shaheed’s situation is similar on the receiving side. In seven games this season, he has 16 catches for 163 yards, and he has looked more comfortable lately when he gets into open space.
Fleury has a real opportunity here to get both players rolling while continuing to steady the offense as a whole. The Raiders rank last in the league in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense, and they are second-to-last in pass defense. That kind of opponent can help an offense find its footing fast.
Seattle also has a chance to flip the script from last season. The Seahawks opened strong a year ago and faded later.
This time, they’ve got the chance to start slowly and finish with force. If Week 10 turns into their best performance of the season, it could create some real momentum heading into the bye in Week 11.
That bye could matter beyond rest. It would give the offense two weeks to build on what it has done recently, and it could also help Sam Darnold, Charles Cross and Quenton Nelson get back from injuries during the bye week or by Week 12, when Seattle goes on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks can reach 6-4 after Week 10, but the road ahead is still demanding. Four of the final seven games come against teams with winning records. Seattle still has to play at the 49ers in Week 12, host the Dallas Cowboys, host the New York Giants, travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, host the Los Angeles Rams, visit the Carolina Panthers and then finish the regular season at the Rams.
In Other News...
Seahawks Head Into Raiders Game With A Bigger Injury Problem Than Expected
The Seahawks are heading into their Week 10 matchup with the Raiders carrying a much heavier injury load than they likely expected, and the timing is less than ideal with the bye week looming right after. Seattle will be without defensive lineman Leonard Williams, left tackle Charles Cross, quarterback Sam Darnold and left guard Quenton Nelson, a stretch of absences that puts pressure on both fronts of the roster as the team tries to stay afloat at 5-5.
There is a little better news on the way back, though, with edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed expected to return after missing previous games. Even so, the Seahawks are walking into a game that now looks less like a routine November test and more like a survival exercise, with the roster thinned out just enough to make every snap against Las Vegas feel a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face Travel Concern Before Raiders Game As FAA Chaos Lingers
The Seahawks are heading into a travel week with a little more uncertainty than usual after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop Friday because of communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The stop was lifted by about 5:15 p.m. PT, but the ripple effects were immediate, with thousands of flight cancellations and delays expected to keep snaring travelers well into the weekend.
Seattle is scheduled to take its charter flight to Las Vegas on Saturday for Sundays game against the Raiders, and coach Mike Macdonald said the team will adjust plans as needed. For a club trying to keep its routine intact on the road, the timing of the FAA disruption adds one more variable to a trip that already comes with enough football pressure on its own. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks May Have Found Their Answer For A Growing Defensive Problem
Nick Emmanwori has become one of the more interesting pieces in Mike Macdonalds defense, and the Seahawks have leaned on the second-year safety in exactly the kind of assignments that can tell you a lot about a players future. He has been used in a variety of roles, but his work in coverage against top tight ends has stood out, including a strong showing against Arizonas Trey McBride, where he kept receptions out of his area.
That usage is no accident, especially with another difficult matchup looming against Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers. Emmanworis blend of size, range and versatility has already drawn comparisons to Baltimores Kyle Hamilton, and Seattle appears to be testing whether he can help solve a growing problem in the middle of the field while also expanding what this defense can do around him. [Read more 🡒]