Seahawks fans frustrated by the lack of emphasis on the running game may want to take a look at these numbers. Pete Carroll continues to talk about how their offense is still built around running the ball, but their play-calling actions do not support his words. Seattle has shifted dramatically toward the pass so far this season. Only eight teams have changed their play-calling more towards the pass this season than the Seahawks.
Percentage of rushing plays drops precipitously
The Seahawks rank fifth in the NFL in the percentage of their plays that are runs. That sounds pretty good. But compare that to last year, and they have dropped their percentage of run plays by more than two-thirds of the league.
The following table shows rush play percentage in 2014 and 2013 and the change. A positive change number means the team is running more. A negative number means they are running less.
Winning teams tend to run the ball more because they are ahead. Seattle has been leading in almost all their games, and has never been so far out of one that they had to resort entirely to passing to catch up. This is a conscious decision to change how they play offense.
| Rank | Team | 2014 | 2013 | Change |
| 1 | Cleveland | 51.09% | 32.28% | 18.81% |
| 2 | Dallas | 49.88% | 35.11% | 14.77% |
| 3 | Houston | 51.69% | 38.02% | 13.67% |
| 4 | NY Giants | 46.73% | 38.56% | 8.17% |
| 5 | Miami | 41.14% | 34.87% | 6.27% |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 48.24% | 43.03% | 5.21% |
| 7 | Atlanta | 35.42% | 31.35% | 4.07% |
| 8 | Baltimore | 42.68% | 38.81% | 3.87% |
| 9 | Kansas City | 46.23% | 42.69% | 3.54% |
| 10 | Pittsburgh | 41.38% | 38.51% | 2.87% |
| 11 | New England | 43.73% | 42.02% | 1.71% |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 40.65% | 38.94% | 1.71% |
| 13 | San Diego | 47.62% | 46.66% | 0.96% |
| 14 | Denver | 40.12% | 39.46% | 0.66% |
| 15 | Detroit | 40.86% | 40.38% | 0.48% |
| 16 | Minnesota | 41.67% | 41.76% | -0.09% |
| 17 | New Orleans | 36.65% | 37.22% | -0.57% |
| 18 | Arizona | 39.55% | 40.69% | -1.14% |
| 19 | Green Bay | 40.96% | 43.17% | -2.21% |
| 20 | Chicago | 37.50% | 39.88% | -2.38% |
| 21 | Tennessee | 41.97% | 44.77% | -2.80% |
| 22 | San Francisco | 48.98% | 52.23% | -3.25% |
| 23 | Washington | 37.60% | 40.92% | -3.32% |
| 24 | Seattle | 48.29% | 52.71% | -4.42% |
| 25 | Jacksonville | 32.24% | 36.96% | -4.72% |
| 26 | Philadelphia | 40.53% | 46.98% | -6.45% |
| 27 | St Louis | 37.43% | 44.01% | -6.58% |
| 28 | NY Jets | 41.45% | 48.33% | -6.88% |
| 29 | Tampa Bay | 35.53% | 42.81% | -7.28% |
| 30 | Buffalo | 40.84% | 48.92% | -8.08% |
| 31 | Carolina | 39.39% | 48.15% | -8.76% |
| 32 | Oakland | 32.62% | 43.66% | -11.04% |
