The Seattle Seahawks are in trouble, there's no getting around that. Heading into Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season, the team has lost three games in a row. While you can make allowances for losing to both the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers - who met in the NFC title game last year - the home loss to the New York Giants was of the inexcusable variety, exposing a flawed Seahawks team in several concerning ways.
When the players got back to work this week coming off a brief rest following their Thursday night loss to San Francisco, the team apparently had a come-to-Jesus type meeting to start things off on Monday. Here's what DK Metcalf shared about the meeting, according to team beat reporter John Boye.
DK Metcalf on Seahawks' Monday meeting
"Monday was a very much needed team meeting where Mike just told us the truth of, it's not anything the other teams are doing. We're just hurting ourselves, penalties, giving the ball away, not getting the ball on defense. So he just basically told us the truth of what we need to clean up moving forward. We all took it the right way, and we're ready to finish the season."
The Seahawks are no doubt hurting themselves in a number of ways, especially on special teams. However, they have a ready-made and legitimate excuse for their struggles in the other two phases of the game.
Seahawks defense destroyed by injuries
Defensively, they have been ravaged by injuries to all three levels of their defense this season - especially at edge and now on the back end. Rayshawn Jenkins joined Artie Burns on the injured reserve list yesterday, highlighting the snake-bitten nature of the secondary at the moment. Riq Woolen and Tre Brown may also be out this week, as well. However, Seattle's biggest missing piece is their top outside linebacker, Uchenna Nwosu. His absence has played a huge role in the team's run defense issues, both this season and last. There are other issues to be sure, but this group at full health would look radically different than what we're seeing out there right now.
Seahawks offense ruined by right tackle issues
Offensively, injuries have played a role as well - mostly at right tackle, but they've gotten their money's worth there. With Abe Lucas still on PUP and George Fant on IR (and no end in sight for either one returning), Stone Forsythe has performed terribly at that spot, and right now only five offensive tackles around the league have a lower grade in pass protection - and they haven't played nearly as many snaps as Forsythe has. With right guard also leaking heavily in pass protection between Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes, Geno Smith has had an extraordinarily difficult time getting comfortable in the pocket. The constant pressure has taken a toll on his game and Smith enters Week 7 with as many interceptions as touchdown passes. The offense has other issues, but they all pale in comparison to Forsythe and the right side of the line.
Mike Macdonald, Ryan Grubb have to do better
All that being said, there are clear things that both Macdonald and Grubb can do to improve their respective units' performance on the field. The most-obvious answer on offense is that Grubb needs to give the ball to number nine more. The Seahawks have some very talented players, but right now Ken Walker is playing running back better than anyone else on the roster is playing their respective positions, with the possible exception of Riq Woolen and his shutdown coverage at corner. Not giving Walker the ball more as well as he's running it is a crime against football. Embracing the run would both unleash the team's most-dynamic playmaker and help take the pressure off Geno Smith in the pocket. Seattle enters Week 7 with the highest pass percentage NFL.
Defensively it's a bit more complicated. Injuries have played a role to be sure - especially Nwosu's inability to stay on the field but the greatest issue for this unit is that it might just be a little too light and small to defend against the run well. Tuesday's trade for 6-foot-5, 290-pound defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris is evidence that the front office might feel the same way. Macdonald was hired to figure problems like this out, though and he has to engineer some kind of solution, no matter how short-handed his defense may be.
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