Coming off a season opener against San Francisco in which they may have lost the battle 17-13 but won the war by putting several key 49ers starters on the injury list, the Seattle Seahawks have several key areas they need to improve on.
While the defense looked solid overall, letdowns at key moments cost the Seahawks, and a new look offense struggled mightily.
Heading into Pittsburgh this weekend, the Seahawks have significant work to do if they are going to get into the win column.
Key 1: Cut down on defensive lapses
Overall, the Seahawks played impressive defense against a 49ers team loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball – with one notable exception. Starting cornerback Riq Woolen made two costly misreads on the 49ers’ final scoring drive that ultimately let San Francisco steal the win.
First, he tried to play for an interception while covering speedy wideout Ricky Pearsall, only to miss and give the 49ers a 45-yard gain. Then moments later, he again went for another interception, this time in the end zone, only to have 49ers backup tight end Jake Tonges snatch it from his hands for the game-winning touchdown. The double miscues squandered what was otherwise a banner day for the Seahawks’ defense. Before Pearsall’s big gain on the final drive, no 49ers receiver had gone over 75 yards, and they had kept the 49ers running game and Christian McCafferty fairly contained. The Seahawks also intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy twice in the second half and forced San Francisco kicker Jake Moody into such a poor performance that he was cut the next day.
The job will not get any easier this weekend, with the Steelers bringing a rejuvenated Aaron Rodgers and former Seahawks star DK Metcalf. If Woolen starts, there is a good chance he’s lined up across from Metcalf and can’t afford the same sort of mental lapses he had against the 49ers.
Key 2: Pass the torch at running back
The Seahawks’ top 2 running backs combined for 22 carries on Sunday, and the difference in what they did with them could not have been starker. Zach Charbonnet took 12 carries for 47 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Kenneth Walker took 10 carries for 20 yards. In just two more carries, Charbonnet doubled Walker’s production. You could have made the case last season that Charbonnet was the better back for the Seahawks, but the case could not be clearer now. Let Charbonnet assume the lead running back role and see what he can do. Giving the best running back on the roster a chance to get the running game working will also give the team the ability to use the play-action pass, something they barely utilized against San Francisco.
Key 3: Spread the ball around and get inventive
The Seahawks have had a motley assortment of offensive coordinators in their recent history. I remember a few years ago thinking the Seahawks offense was going to be amazing when Shane Waldron dialed up a beautiful action pass in the team’s season opener and Russel Wilson threw a perfect rainbow for a touchdown. Waldron never seemed to hit those heights again as those passes dissolved into constant running plays. Then last season Ryan Grubbs swung the pendulum completely in the other direction and felt it would be a brilliant idea for Geno Smith to throw the ball eleventy billion times behind a patchwork offensive line. If new coordinator Clynt Kubiak wanted to wow Seahawks fans with his play-calling prowess out of the gate, he’s got some work to do.
The Seahawks’ offense was conservative to a fault against San Francisco, essentially trying not to lose the game to win it. However, to successfully do that, you cannot have turnovers, and the Seahawks fumbled the ball away twice, both while in San Francisco territory. Additionally, new quarterback Sam Darnold only seemed to have a connection with one target – top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba accounted for 125 of Darnold’s 150 passing yards.
There were barely any wrinkles to give Darnold a chance to succeed, and plenty of short screen passes (including the Seahawks’ first fumble, where Smith Njigba coughed the ball up). Other than the first scoring drive, in which two-thirds of the yards were gained on the ground by Charbonnet, and their final drive, where Darnold fumbled the ball on a strip sack inside the San Francisco 10, the Seahawks struggled to get any momentum on offense. Unless the Seahawks can get other receiving options involved, teams will know they can cover Smith-Njigba like a blanket. Suppose Aaron Rodgers shows up with the same gunslinger mentality against the Seahawks as he did against the New York Jets. In that case, Seattle is going to need to keep up with the offensive fireworks, and the milquetoast offense they showed against San Francisco is not going to do the trick.
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