Three Facts
1. The Seahawks need Russell Wilson to run.
Even when healthy, the Seattle offensive line has struggled at times to pass protect, but the problem has reached an epidemic level the last two weeks. It would be ridiculous to expect the status quo when you are missing three starters across the front line, so Wilson has had to do some of the best improvisation of his short NFL career over the last two weeks. Against Houston, he scrambled his way to roughly 70 yards in the second half, which was one of the major reasons that the Seahawks were able to escape with an overtime victory. On Sunday, Wilson set a career-high with 102 yards rushing, but the Hawks were unable to secure a second consecutive come-from-behind win. Ultimately, Seattle would have lost both games had Wilson decided to win from the pocket rather than using his legs. The offensive line is not providing the necessary time for routes to develop downfield and the Hawks lack top tier wide receiving talent that can consistently create separation from defenders. Until the line gets healthy, Wilson is going to have to use his feet to move the chains. My preference would be for Darrell Bevell to build in a lot of plays that have a run/pass option, which is one of the reasons that I did not care for the play call on third-and-short on the second to last possession when the play called for Wilson to get the first down with his legs but didn’t provide any pass option.
2. The hardest part of the schedule is behind Seattle.
The Seahawks have just completed the most difficult part of their schedule with a 4-1 record and they were very close to being undefeated. I would argue that they played three of their four hardest road games during this stretch of the schedule. They faced three of the top five ranked defenses in the NFL (Houston, Carolina, and San Francisco). They faced three of the top 12 stingiest defenses in the NFL in terms of points allowed. Right now, there next toughest game is a road trip to Atlanta and that assumes that the Falcons regain their offensive swagger and decide to start playing competently on defense. If the Falcons continue to stumble, then the Hawks don’t face a really tough stretch until they play New Orleans at home and San Francisco on the road in back-to-back weeks. With reinforcements looming in the form of Russell Okung, Brenno Giacomini, and Percy Harvin, the Hawks figure to get healthier as the season progresses, but it could all be for naught if they can’t tighten up some of the things that killed them in Indy.
3. Jermaine Kearse needs more of a role in the offense.
In his limited playing time, Kearse has made his presence felt with two touchdown receptions and a punt block. In my opinion, he needs more opportunities to make an impact especially when the Artist Formally Known as Sidney Rice has made virtually no impact in games when the opponent didn’t have a jaguar on its helmet. Kearse is not going to suddenly morph into an elite wide receiver, but his better than average ball skills is what this offense needs because of its inability to consistently beat man coverage one-on-one. Theoretically, Rice provides a similar skill set, but something just doesn’t seem right with him at the moment. Since they cut Stephen Williams and until Percy Harvin become active, I think that Kearse can provide a spark to the offense.
Three Questions
1. Who kidnapped Sidney Rice?
Does anyone remember when Rice had over 1,300 yards receiving for Minnesota? At the time, it appeared that Rice was on the verge of establishing himself as a premier receiving threat. Since then, he has missed a lot of football games and produced very few big moments. Nevertheless, he had a fairly productive 2012 season especially when you consider that the Seahawks threw the ball less than most teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, he has not been able to carry it over to 2013. Outside of a five reception, 79-yard, and two touchdown game against Jacksonville, he has only five other catches for 67 yards. With the tight ends not being a big part of the offense, Rice is the big body that is missing from the game plan. At his best, he has the ability to make a living in the middle of the field, outwork cornerbacks for deep balls, and be a force in the red zone. Sadly, he is not doing any of these things, which is one of the reasons that the passing game has yet to hit its stride. Maybe his ailing knees need another dose of the latest German stem cell technology. Regardless, I’m just pleading with whoever kidnapped the real Sidney Rice to bring him back as soon as possible.
2. When can we expect to see Percy Harvin?
Back in early September, Harvin tweeted that the 12th Man should “keep an eye on week 7.” More than a month later, he announced on Twitter that he was “back and ready.” I’m sure his latest missive increased the collective blood pressure of the 12th Man, but the reality is that he can’t even practice with the team until being taken off the PUP list after week six. With that as the back drop, when will he play his first game in a Seattle uniform? I would be absolutely flabbergasted if he was on the active roster for the week seven tilt against Arizona. Frankly, it would be negligent for the team to put him out there after having only one week of practice. It would actually be less than one week because it is a Thursday Night game. If he gets taken off the PUP list on schedule, then I would look to the November 3rd home game against Tampa Bay as a much more likely start date for the Percy Harvin era in Seattle.
3. Can the offensive line hold the fort?
My answer is yes and it goes back to the quality of opponents they will be facing as opposed to the ones they have already faced. Tennessee certainly has an up-and-coming defense and Seattle fans are well aware of the capability of the St. Louis front seven, but neither of those teams have difference-makers like J.J. Watt and Robert Mathis. Not to mention all of the other talent on the Houston and Indianapolis defenses. Also, let’s not forget that Max Unger is expected back this week, which should help fortify the line. Ultimately, the Seahawks have to put their offensive line in the best position to be successful, which means that they have to keep their commitment to the running game and schematically create ways to generate yards in the passing game while keeping Wilson upright.
Three Worries
1. Third Down (In)efficiency
The offense did not do a good job sustaining drives against the Colts. The biggest reason was that they only converted two out of 12 third down opportunities, which led to a slew of field goals rather than touchdowns. It was their worst effort on third down of the season, but it is far from an isolated problem. After five weeks, the Hawks are the 28th ranked offense on third down conversions, which demonstrates that this has been a problem area the entire year. It is also a major contributor to their mediocre ability to convert red zone possessions into touchdowns, which has basically been a 50-50 proposition. Seattle has to get better in this area or it is going to find itself in close games week in and week out. Defensively, the Hawks have been pretty effective at getting off the field on third down except on Sunday. The Colts converted nearly 59% of their third down opportunities. Most importantly, they converted five out of six chances in the second half, when it seemed that the Seattle defense was on the field the entire half. I’m willing to write it off as an aberration considering how good Indy has been on third down all season, but it is definitely something to monitor.
2. Penalties
Seattle had seven penalties for 85 yards on Sunday. It marks the fourth time this season that they have had at least seven penalties. The penalties have been an issue all year long but they were especially brutal against the Colts. On a 3rd-and-22 in the second quarter, Brandon Browner was flagged for a 39-yard pass interference penalty, which gave Indianapolis new life and led to a field goal. On the subsequent Seattle possession, a Wilson to Baldwin 18-yard connection was wiped out because J.R. Sweezy was flagged for being an ineligible player downfield. This penalty cost Seattle at least three points prior to halftime. In a tight game, these kinds of swings due to penalties are huge. In the fourth quarter, a Richard Sherman pass interference penalty kept another Indy drive alive, which ultimately ended in the go-ahead touchdown. I’m fully aware that the Seahawks’ physical style of play, especially at the cornerback position, is going to yield its fair share of penalties, but Seattle is going to have to figure out a way to limit the damage.
3. Road Defense
In the first three weeks of the season, the Seattle defense was fairly dominant and sat at the top of many statistical categories. Unfortunately, that same defense has only showed up for 30 minutes each of the last two weeks. Last week, the Legion of Boom was completely undressed by Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans in the first half. The only things that limited the damage were a couple of red zone stops. In the second half, the vaunted Seattle defense made an appearance and led the team to its greatest comeback in its history. The strong closing performance in H-Town carried over to Indy as the Hawks played a quality first half on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, two big plays: a blocked field goal returned for touchdown and a 73-yard touchdown to T.Y. Hilton on a blown coverage kept the Colts in the game. However, the second half looked eerily reminiscent to the first half in Houston. The Hawks were completely outclassed by the Indianapolis offense, which scored touchdowns on two long drives and added a field goal for good measure. I thought the Hawks looked gassed in the fourth quarter. I was concerned with how much they would have left in the tank after last week’s grinder and I think the second half showed that they didn’t have very much. Fortunately, this week’s home game will allow the defense to get its swagger back, but they still have to figure out how to play consistently away from Century Link.
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