The Seattle Seahawks are sitting at 5-0 coming off their bye week. Russell Wilson is playing his best ball ever and leads the league in several important statistics. Though Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr has the highest completion percentage at 73.1%, Wilson is just a hair behind at 72.8%.
Wilson is also in first place for touchdown passes at 19. He is tied for first place with Deshaun Watson at 8.9 yards per play. And with only three interceptions on the year, Wilson has arguably the best touchdown-interception ratio in the country at 19-3.
Though the Seahawks’ offense in general is not in the top tier for either rushing or passing yards, they are in first place nationally when it comes to points per game at 33.8. If you can only lead in one category, scoring the most points is the one that anyone would choose.
On the other side of the ball is where the Hawks are deficient. If you are a diehard 12, you might want to peek through your fingers for this next section.
Seattle is in last place nationally for giving up the most yards per game at a whopping 471.2 YPG. For comparison, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving up just 282 YPG. Take that with a grain of salt. The Buccaneers sit at 4-2 overall. I think most people would take the undefeated record thus far.
Most fans can identify that Seattle’s defense is weakest when it comes to defending the pass. They wouldn’t be wrong. Seattle is in last place in that category as well, giving up over 370 YPG through the air.
When it comes to rushing, Seattle’s defense is slightly better but still finds itself in the bottom quartile. They are giving up exactly 100 YPG on the ground. In comparison, the Buccaneers give up only 64 YPG. The worst team in the rushing defense category is the Houston Texans, who give up over 177 YPG.
And since Seattle is coming off the bye and is approximately a third of the way through the season, this is as good a time as any to assess where they go from here. Will the offense be enough to carry them, or will the subpar defense sink them?
The next six games constitute a gauntlet the Hawks will have to successfully pass through if they want to make it to the playoffs. This Sunday, they face the Arizona Cardinals. From there, they play the 49ers, the Bills, the Rams, the Cardinals again, and then they travel east to play the Eagles.
Seattle would be happy to go at least 3-3, which would leave them at 8-3 after this rough stretch.
From there, the end of the season looks easier. The Seahawks get the Giants, the Jets, and Washington, finishing up the season with the Rams and the 49ers.
Let’s say they go 4-1 in that final stretch of games. That would leave them at 12-4 on the season, which should be more than enough to make the playoffs, though the NFC West is arguably the toughest division in the NFL.
Could they slide a couple games in either direction from 12-4? Absolutely. The determining factor will either be that their defense improves just enough to keep opponents’ offense at bay, or Wilson and the offense continue to put up the kind of numbers they have so far.
Right now the Seahawks are in a very enviable position at 5-0. There are dangerous waters, ahead, however. As a fan, there is really only one option going forward. On every game day for the rest of the season, deck yourself in head-to-toe Seahawks garb. Paint your face blue and green. Watch every single play on your television, jumping up and down and cheering as loudly as you can. Through this concerted effort, we might all approach some form of greatness this season.
