Another Sunday, another potential turning point for the Seattle Seahawks.
Maybe it seems too early to say that about a game that officially marks the halfway point of the NFL season.
But Sunday’s 1:25 p.m. game for the 4-4 Seahawks against the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field feels critical to where things head this season.
Seattle has lost four of its past five following a 3-0 start, allowing an average of 34.5 points and 434.25 yards per game in those defeats.
Most distressing may have been last week’s 31-10 home loss to Buffalo. The Bills left the door open all over the place for Seattle to walk through with 13 penalties and Josh Allen’s first interception of the season appearing to give the Seahawks a touchdown.
But the Seahawks were somehow even a worse enemy to themselves than the Bills, with mistakes killing two red-zone drives and 11 penalties of their own.
There was also the sight of teammates Jarran Reed and Derick Hall fighting on the field and on the sidelines following a roughing penalty on Hall, and Geno Smith appearing distraught after a second-half interception and later drawing his own personal foul penalty for throwing the ball at a Buffalo player.
It could easily have been portrayed as a team fraying at the seams.
As might be expected, all involved insisted otherwise this week.
“When we don’t win, no matter what I did out there, no matter how I played, it all hurts the same,” Smith said. “I look forward to the next opportunity. We’ve got great guys on this team and this locker room, and we’re 4-4 right now. We’ve got everything right in front of us, and everyone’s positive and they’re prepared. We’re getting on the right track and we’re going to be good.”
But it may be best if the “going to be good” part happens Sunday.
The game against the Rams kicks off a stretch of three in a row against NFC West opponents.
It also is the final game before Seattle’s bye, and the difference between heading into that week off at 5-4 and having something to feel good about versus 4-5 and only more questions remaining seems enormous.
Especially with a game at San Francisco looming after the bye on Nov. 17.
While the offensive mistakes stood out last week, the continual defensive miscues may be more concerning given that it was hoped the arrival of coach Mike Macdonald would fix that side of the ball after the relapses of the past few years of the Pete Carroll era.
Instead, Seattle’s 3-0 start now indeed seems mostly a function of playing young or backup quarterbacks, and the past five games a worrying trend.
Macdonald arrived in Seattle with a reputation for running a scheme that varied week-to-week based on the opponent, in contrast to the image of Carroll’s defenses, which especially during the LOB days were known for their simplicity — daring teams to line up and beat them even if they knew what Seattle was doing.
But such a scheme also requires a lot of communication — players making checks before the snap to try to get everyone in the best positions.
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams this week explained it this way: “I do say that’s where this defense varies versus other defenses. We’re a type of defense that likes to hold the pen last. With that being said, it’s like we’re making a lot of checks based on offensive motions and the way the offense is set. Whether they’re into the boundary or formation to the field and things like that. I think this defense does require a lot more communication than others who would just say this is the call, get in it. We have like two or three calls in one that can change depending on what the offense is giving us. I think that requires a lot more discipline and communication amongst the players, especially in Lumen Field when it’s loud out there. We have to figure out nonverbal ways of communication.”
With the defense obviously not having operated the past few weeks the way everyone hoped, Macdonald this week hinted at simplifying things some.
Williams said he thinks the defense is still just finding itself.
“I think there’s definitely some growing pains whenever you run a new scheme, new staff, a lot of new guys,” Williams said. “Player-wise, we’re all getting to know each other, getting to know the system. I think that takes a lot of leadership on the players to try to have everyone just keep coming together.”
The Seahawks, though, felt they’d begun to do that when they went to Atlanta on Oct. 20 and beat the Falcons 34-14 to snap a three-game losing streak. They’d hoped that was the kickoff to bigger and better things.
Instead, the Buffalo loss felt like a move back to square one.
Adding to the challenge this week is the loss of receiver DK Metcalf for a second straight game due to a sprained knee, as well as tight end Noah Fant (groin).
That takes out two of Seattle’s top five receivers just in time to play a Rams team that will feature receivers Cooper Kupp and likely Puka Nacua. If both play, it’ll be just the third time all season. Their return sparked LA’s 30-20 win over 5-1 Minnesota two Thursdays ago and threw the Rams right back in the NFC West race.
Looming overall in the NFL is Tuesday’s trade deadline. The Seahawks have already made two significant moves, adding veteran defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris two weeks ago and linebacker Ernest Jones IV — a key part of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl title team — last week.
Sunday figures to go a long way toward indicating if this is a season worth making moves to save.
“I think with us, it’s saying, ‘Hey, we’ve had a lot of opportunities where our record could have been better,’” Macdonald said this week. “It’s not. It is what it is. There’s an opportunity here to really take a next step and get a win where we can put ourselves in a great position to go get another win. Still, there’s a lot of football to be played, but definitely a win puts you in a lot better position. It kind of furthers the story that you’re trying to develop as a football team throughout the season.”
Bob Condotta: [email protected]; Bob Condotta covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout the year.
