Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. is taken down by Broncos defender Jahdae Barron on Oct. 15 at Mile High in Denver. (Getty Images)
Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. is taken down by Broncos defender Jahdae Barron on Oct. 15 at Mile High in Denver. (Getty Images)
SEATTLE – The question: “What’s wrong with the Seahawks offense?” would be hovering ominously this week in the wake of two straight turnover-fueled defeats regardless of Sunday’s opponent.
That the team coming to Lumen Field on Sunday night happens to be the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs – with former Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, who is not only the leading rusher in the NFL with 665 yards but on a pace to shatter the single-season rushing record – it throws an even harsher spotlight on the issue.
While the Seahawks’ defense remains among the best in the NFL, allowing an NFL-low 237.3 yards per game and just 4.0 yards per play – on pace to be the lowest by any NFL team since the 1977 Atlanta Falcons allowed 3.7 – the offense is failing to match its numbers of a year ago.
The Seahawks are averaging 24.7 points and per game compared to 29.3 last year, 332.2 yards per game compared to 349.3 and 5.3 yards per play compared to 5.8.
The Seahawks have already lost 12 turnovers, an average of two per game that is worse than all but two teams (the Patriots and Chargers, two of the three teams the Seahawks have defeated) and above the 1.4 of last season.
So what’s wrong?
Let’s examine a few possibilities.
Is it all because of the departure of Walker? Walker earned Super Bowl MVP honors last February, rushing for 135 yards in 27 carries and became a free agent the following month and signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with the Chiefs, making him, at the time, the fourth-highest paid running back in the NFL.
The Seahawks thought they could replace his production in the draft. They took Jadarian Price in the first round. Price has played just three games because of a chest injury. They hope to get Price back soon to team with Zach Charbonnet, who is back after a knee injury.
Without Walker, the Seahawks are averaging just 107.2 rushing yards and 3.9 yards per attempt – both 18th in the NFL this week – down from last year’s 124.4 and 4.1. They have lost four fumbles from its running backs after having only two all of last season.
Those numbers are without Charbonnet and with Price playing sparingly. A fairer examination of the running game will come in a few weeks when the Seahawks hope both are healthy and playing regularly.
“There’s 22 moving pieces on every single run play, so you can’t point to one thing that has been an issue every single time,” offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said Thursday. “… There’s obviously room for improvement, and we’ve been dealing with some moving pieces there at a couple different places.”
The struggles to run at the same pace, many surmise, is leading to teams loading up on blitzes of Darnold and forcing some of his seven interceptions, already half of the 14 he tossed last season.
“Without a run game, this pass game isn’t going to be effective in any way,” former Seahawk Richard Sherman, an analyst for Amazon which broadcast the 17-14 loss at Denver last Thursday, said on his podcast this week.
Sherman cautions that simply keeping Walker wouldn’t have solved all of the issues.
“That’s not the reality, I don’t think,” Sherman said. “… He (Walker) would not be having that kind of season in Seattle. There are not the kind of holes. It’s not being blocked in the way that anybody could be as successful as (Walker) is (being in Kansas City).”
So is the problem all up front? One popular way to measure how well an offensive line is blocking is the average yards a running back gets before he is contacted.
The Seahawks’ RBs averaged 2.5 last year, 19th in the NFL. They are at 2.3 this year, or 22nd. Not a big difference but indicating some validity to Sherman’s claim. (FWIW, Walker is averaging 3.1).
Darnold has been sacked 14 times compared to 27 all last season, including five sacks in the loss to Denver when he was hit 17 times.
Offensive line coach John Benton said candidly Thursday that the Denver loss was “obviously not the kind of game we want to have, really from any perspective.” As for how the line has played this season, he said: “I don’t feel like we’ve hit our stride yet. … We’ve got to progress fast. We understand that.”
The right side of the line – tackle Abraham Lucas and guards Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens – appeared to have struggled the most against the Broncos.
Via Pro Football Focus, Lucas gave up two sacks – and has given up four this season – while Haynes gave up one.
The Seahawks may get regular starting right guard Anthony Bradford back this week, which should help.
Benton acknowledged that Lucas has yet to find the same form this season as he did a year ago, when he gave up four sacks in 17 games.
“I know it’s on his mind as well that he’s had a couple games that maybe aren’t quite up to snuff,’’ Benton said. “… We’ve just got to get him back to the consistency (of before). I have every confidence we will.”
Is it the play-caller? The Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator in Fleury. Pointing the finger at the play calling is always a temptation when an offense is struggling. But it’s worth remembering Fleury was hired in part because he runs a scheme similar to last year’s OC, Klint Kubiak, featuring an outside zone running game. Most analysts don’t see major differences in Fleury’s offense from Kubiak’s.
Benton was asked Thursday if Fleury’s scheme is asking the O-line to do much different from a year ago and said any changes are “minor.”
“Obviously, Brian is going to have a little different flavor,” Benton said. “But it’s really the same offense.”
Should things not improve, the microscope will focus closer on Fleury.
Is it all just Darnold? Darnold has thrown two interceptions in each of the Seahawks’ three losses. Darnold threw two or more only three times last year in 20 games, including playoffs. His interception rate is 4.7% compared to 2.9% last season. The inconsistent running game and increased pressure surely are factors.
But analysts are also throwing blame at Darnold.
“Darnold is not playing good football so far this season,” Pro Football Focus wrote this week. “He has more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws, with his 5.7% turnover-worthy play rate slotting as the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.”
Darnold has acknowledged his share of blame after every game and did so again Thursday, stating he needs to emphasize not trying to force a pass when a play breaks down.
“Being aware of the situation and not making a bad play worse is the goal moving forward,” Darnold said Thursday.
Sunday would be a good time to start.
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