The Seattle Seahawks’ season has taken a turn for the worse since their Week 1 victory over the Colts in Indianapolis. They’ve dropped back-to-back games, allowing 30 or more points in each. In Week 2, the Seahawks had firm control of the game at home, but a Tennessee Titans second-half rally led to a tough loss for Seattle in overtime. On Sunday, the bottom just seemed to fall out for the Seahawks in Minnesota against the Vikings.
Seattle’s defensive deficiencies have been well-documented over the past couple of years. But the offense, led by Russell Wilson, has always been the saving grace — ever since the legion of boom was disbanded. But now, the offense has a hard time generating points, most notably in the second half of games.
Against the Seahawks’ three opponents so far — the Colts, Titans, and Vikings — they’ve managed to put up first-half point totals of 21, 24, and 17, respectively. In the second half, those numbers are significantly lower: 7 points, 6 points (including overtime), and 0 points.
If there’s one thing Seahawks fans have grown accustomed to, it’s Wilson finding a way to put up points even when the team can’t give him a consistent running game. We’ve seen the offensive line woes the team has had, but Russ seemed to always find a way to cook, regardless. Scoring 13 second-half points over three games will not get it done, especially in the NFC West.
On the defensive side of the ball, it seems to have gone from bad to worse, with players now pointing the finger at coaching and defensive schemes. Cornerback Tre Flowers had some eyebrow-raising comments after the team’s loss to Minnesota.
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And the Seahawks couldn’t have picked a worse time to hit the skids than leading into their first two division games of the season. Week 4, they travel to the Bay Area to take on the 49ers, then back home for a Thursday night game against a steaming-hot LA Rams squad.
Whatever the Seahawks figure out, they need to do it quickly. They cannot lose the next two games and still expect to have a successful season. Starting the year 1-4 in this division might place them too far back to make any type of run late in the year. The game against the Niners is the Seahawks’ best chance at splitting the next two contests. The way the Rams are playing right now, they may not lose a game until well into November.
So, the Seahawks need to get this figured out and soon. Correcting their second-half scoring drought will be vital over the next couple of weeks for Seattle. The same goes for the defense. Getting the secondary in order should be at the top of the list. I trust that the offense can get back on track, but I’m not as confident in the defense. The team traded for cornerback Sidney Jones before the season started, and fans are still waiting to see what he can do. It can’t get much worse than what it already is on defense, so it might be time to get Jones on the field.
The season seems to be on the brink of total disaster, barely a month into it for head coach Pete Carroll and his Seahawks. A win against the Niners in Week 4 will go a long way toward restoring some type of order in the Emerald City. It’s time to knuckle up and get it done, Pete. The season is riding on it.
