It is one thing to say you want a high draft pick, and that your focus is on the development of young players more than on wins. It is another thing to force yourself to watch your favorite team get pummeled week after week. There is no fast forward button on this season. You cannot simulate the remaining games like it is Madden. Your choices are to pry your eyes open with toothpicks and subject yourself the pain or turn away and reclaim your Sundays. Those of us who choose to stick around, will attempt to catch glimpses of blue sky through the smoke of the dumpster fire. This game is a perfect example.
The Seahawks defense is not just bad. It may be hopeless. The most optimistic perspective would be that the scheme is new and it will take time for the players to figure it out, and for the coaches to figure out the players. There is little reason to expect player development to be a primary driver of improvement. Tre Brown might return in a few weeks and perhaps he can help. I do think the young corners can improve. I also do not think they are anywhere close to the biggest issue.
The front seven is awful. Al Woods does his job. Uchenna Nwosu has flashes of impact. Every other player not only playing poorly, they are unlikely to play better. Darrell Taylor is getting dominated in his matchups each week. He is not going to get faster or stronger. Poona Ford has been around for years. Same with Bryan Mone. Quinton Jefferson as well. Cody Barton has not been good before and that has not changed. Jordyn Brooks is possibly the most disappointing player on the team, is a competition with Taylor.
Maybe Boye Mafe earns more reps and surprises. Maybe all the L.J. Collier fans will get their day. That is way beyond optimistic, and crosses deep into the realm of fantasy.
This defense is a mess schematically, in execution, and in talent. You can maybe overcome one of those, but not two, and certainly not three. This was one of the worst offensive lines the team will face all season, and the Seahawks defense rarely touched a Falcons running back until they were 4-5 yards downfield.
Run the ball outside. That’s all you have to do. It keeps you clear of the beefy middle, and puts all the weight on the shoulders of undersized edge players and totally overmatched inside linebackers. If that doesn’t work, just throw a screen or a quick hitch to the outside and make this team try to tackle you. They won’t.
I had a lot of hope for this defense under new coaching and with some young players and with a plan to better utilize Jamal Adams. That appears to be have been misplaced.
I place primary blame for this on the shoulders of the coaches. No defense should be this undisciplined and this easy to run on. If you are going to be unsound, at least send a ton more blitzes in the hope that you get one or two right and change the game with a turnover.
As bad as all that is, and it is really bad, I loved seeing Tariq Woolen get his first interception in the NFL. I also liked seeing Coby Bryant get his first sack. Those were the lone bright spots.
The offense had many more.
Geno Smith had a great day, and should have had an even better day. A fabricated holding call late in the game kept him from leading the team to taking a late lead. I am convinced they would have scored from the 10-yard line had screen play stood. If this game mattered, I would have been livid.
Instead, his game ended with an interception on a desperation heave on fourth and long. He was otherwise terrific, finding receivers and tight ends on time and in stride. He converted the majority of third downs he faced, got the team into good plays and protections pre-snap, and helped his line out with wise throwaways, check downs, and quick throws.
If the defense had played even slightly below NFL average, the Seahawks likely win this game. Even without that, they still could have won had the referees not missed a half dozen false starts on the Falcons left tackle and not made awful calls of roughing the passer early and holding late.
Seattle is not good enough to overcome that kind of adversity.
This young offensive line had a splendid day. Atlanta had trouble getting close to Smith, who enjoyed a well-formed and stable pocket for most of the day. They did surrender a couple of sacks late, but mostly gave reason for hope.
The three tight ends caught 9 passes in 9 targets, including a touchdown to Will Dissly. Tyler Lockett caught 9 passes in 11 targets, but DK Metcalf was held to 5 catches in 12 targets. Although, Metcalf had a few impactful moments including a gorgeous touchdown grab.
Seattle ran the ball better in this game, but still not up to the standard they hope to achieve. This was a competent running game, not a dominant one. The Seahawks will need this aspect of their team to grow into a dominant force if they hope to be competitive against any but the worst teams in the league.
They need to possess the ball, reduce the time the defense is on the field, and keep the offense out of 2nd or 3rd and long. That is arguably the most hopeful aspect of the team. The young offensive line should get better with time and experience.
One notable surprise was that not only has Marquise Goodwin jumped Dee Eskridge on the depth chart, but apparently, Penny Hart has as well. Either Eskridge is much worse at football than a second round pick should be, or there is something else going on that has kept coaches from putting him in the lineup.
Pete Carroll looked the fool in this game for his handling of a 4th down decision in the second half. After going for it earlier in the game and being rewarded with a touchdown, Carroll appeared ready to go for it again deep in the Falcons red zone. An assistant whispered something in his ear, though, and that seemed to animate Carroll and then the offense stood up and looked to the sideline.
That’s not great, but stuff happens. Carroll’s decision-making, though, was terrible there. If he was going to take a field goal (bad choice), then take the 5-yard delay of game and get the field goal team out for a very short kick. Instead, he took a timeout in a close game in the second half. That is a fine decision if you are going to go for it. They did not.
The team wasted a chance to take a larger lead and lost a timeout. Carroll’s explanation in the postgame press conference was as incoherent and defensive as we have seen from him. No matter how you look at it, he messed up in that moment and decreased his team’s odds to win the game. That cannot happen as a head coach, especially an experienced one.
My least favorite thing to cheer for as a football fan is a team with a terrible run defense. My favorite thing is a team with a ferocious pass rush. That makes this a very tough team to watch for me, and a lot of fans in the PNW who appreciate great defense. I had thought Carroll was bulletproof this season after the team traded away Russell Wilson and started a rebuild. If this defense plays this poorly all year, after many years of bad defense, it would absolutely be the right decision to move on and get a fresh voice in there at the top.
You cannot be a defensive-minded coach and continually put out terrible defenses. I loved the coaching hires this offseason on that side of the ball, but ultimately, it is Carroll’s responsibility. This level of ineptitude could lead to fewer than five wins this year. If they win three games or less, while showing no backbone on defense, it would be hard for ownership to ignore.
The dumpster fire is lit.