The Seahawks’ offense has gone from dangerous to disappointing in a hurry, and now the margin for error is almost gone.
After putting up about 27 points per game through the first five weeks - with two of those games ending in giveaway losses - Seattle has fallen to 17 points per game over its last four. The decline has come with the kind of dysfunction and injuries that can wreck any unit, but the bigger issue is simple: if the Seahawks want to reach the playoffs and stay in the Super Bowl conversation, the scoring has to come back.
That starts with Sam “Humpty Dumpty” Darnold. He has three weeks total to recover from the rib and quad injuries he suffered against Chicago in Week 8, while Drew Lock is grinding through games against Arizona and Las Vegas before the bye with a bad elbow and oblique. Lock’s job, for now, is straightforward: manage the scaled-down offense and avoid turnovers, while the Seattle defense handles the rest.
If the defense does its part and smothers Fernando Mendoza in his first start for the Raiders this week, Seattle would head into the bye at 6-4. Then comes a major test at the 49ers, who are 7-1 and have Dallas and Minnesota - with Kirk Cousins now at quarterback - before Seattle arrives.
The path from here is narrow. The Seahawks can only afford two more losses if they want to make the playoffs, and a 10-7 finish may not be enough given how well the entire NFC North is playing, along with the Rams, who have won three straight.
Darnold’s health and performance may decide everything. If he can’t get right and play much more like he did in 2025, when he helped the offense rank second in the NFL at 29.2 points per game, Mike Macdonald may have to seriously consider turning to Lock. Darnold has the higher ceiling, no question, but Lock has shown more savvy and quick-draw skill - he’s the third-fastest passer in the NFL - in his three appearances this season.
The offensive line is another major question, and one Seattle clearly thought was urgent enough to address at midseason. John Schneider and Macdonald shook up the group knowing the addition of Quenton Nelson would also create a challenge for Grey Zabel on the right side. Macdonald acknowledged the adjustment before Nelson’s injury became known.
“There’s a little bit of a learning curve with the new group and the new alignments,” Macdonald admitted on his radio show, before Nelson’s injury was known. “There’s a couple coaching points that are going to happen, and it should be fewer and far between from week to week.
“We should be growing at a pretty good rate here, but there are things that are going to happen inevitably with a new group and guys lining up next to each other, and we have to work through those things and try to minimize those as best we can.”
The problem now is that Charles Cross and Nelson are both injured. They could both return for the 49ers game, but that would mean a brutal first test together against a tough opponent, with Zabel potentially shifting back to right guard.
The chemistry issue is real, too. It takes at least four weeks of steady time together for an offensive line to build any cohesion, and even in the best-case scenario this group may not get there until the Rams game in Week 16, six weeks from now.
More likely, the line will be fighting through growing pains the rest of the season.
Then there’s Brian Fleury, who has quickly become the focal point of frustration. Some see him as the next Ryan Grubb - a one-and-done offensive coordinator in Seattle - because the offense’s problems seem to keep piling up from the quarterback to the line to the receivers. Fans have already called for his head.
Fleury has had a rough first year, though. His quarterback went down on the opening series of the season.
His top running back was already missing, then his first-round pick went out for four weeks. On top of that, the line has been battered by injuries and constant shuffling.
Still, Macdonald may have made life harder on himself by hiring a coordinator with no experience handling this kind of mess.
There are ways Fleury can help. He needs to keep leaning into misdirection and mixing his calls, using motion and backside bootlegs to keep defenses guessing.
He has to adjust to what each opponent is showing and attack weaknesses, something he did not do well enough against Denver and Chicago. He has flashed it at times, but he hasn’t put together a full game plan that keeps the offense balanced and moving.
This is bigger than simply simplifying the playbook, as he did against Kansas City and Arizona. Seattle needs a real plan with purpose, one that keeps defenses off balance and gives the offense a chance to score.
If Fleury can do that, the Seahawks may be able to survive against lesser defenses like Las Vegas, Dallas, Philadelphia and Carolina. Even then, winning those four would still leave them needing two more victories in four games against San Francisco, the New York Giants and the Rams twice.
There is almost no room left to stumble. The defense is doing its part, but the offense has to find itself again or Seattle will be watching the playoffs from home.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Just Sundays Opponent
The Seahawks opened the week with more than just a matchup to sort through, as their first injury report ahead of the Raiders brought a mixed bag on both sides of the ball. Backup quarterback Drew Lock is working through elbow and oblique issues, though he is making progress and could be in line to start. On the positive side, Rashid Shaheed was back to full participation, giving Seattle at least one healthy offensive piece as the team begins to settle in for the week.
The bigger concern is up front and on defense, where Quenton Nelson and Charles Cross both sat out because of injuries, while Leonard Williams remained out with a stinger. Derick Hall was limited by a back injury and Uchenna Nwosu was limited with an ankle issue, leaving Seattle with several key names still in question before facing a Raiders team that appears to be trending toward near full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Still Need A Breakout And One Young Player Has Opening
The Seahawks have spent much of this season waiting for one of their younger players to turn promise into production, and injuries around the roster have made that search a little harder. Even so, there are still chances for someone to seize a larger role, especially with the offense looking for another spark beyond the steady work already coming from Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Jadarian Price is one of the names worth watching this week. The rookie running back has an opening to make a real impression against a weak rushing defense, and Seattle could use a breakout from a player still early in his NFL journey. If he can take advantage, it would give the Seahawks another useful piece at a time when they are still trying to identify who can help them most down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Pass Rush Has A Chance To Wreck A New Raiders Plan
The Raiders are turning the page to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza after moving on from Kirk Cousins, and that gives Seattles defense a fresh target heading into the matchup. Byron Murphy II and Mike Macdonald both sounded confident the Seahawks can make life difficult for Mendoza in his first NFL start, which is exactly the kind of test Seattles front likes to present when a young passer is thrown into the fire.
Klint Kubiak has already praised Mendozas preparation, but the Seahawks will be trying to turn a well-studied week into a long afternoon once the game starts. For Seattle, the bigger question is whether that pass rush can do more than just hurry a rookie - whether it can disrupt the Raiders new plan before it has a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]