There has to be some accountability after that.
Another game with multiple turnovers (three). Another game where the quarterback looks constantly rattled and throws two lousy interceptions. Another game where the offensive line appears to have completely regressed — to a man — with no exceptions. Another game where you can’t run the ball properly.
The Seahawks just blew another one. The Broncos had only 168 yards of total offense. They didn’t do anything after half-time. They were missing two defensive starters. You had no business losing this game — and wouldn’t have done with a barely competent offense.
It was an absolute shambles. Unacceptable.
It’s the same situation with the other two losses this season. Completely blowing opportunities through constant mistakes and what appears to be a broken offense.
It can’t continue.
The problems have extended to four games — a quarter of the season. You can’t just keep hoping things will work out at this stage. If you’re serious about turning this season around, you’ve got to do something.
The most minor change would be benching someone like Abe Lucas — who does not look right at all. The more headline-grabbing moves would be at quarterback and offensive coordinator.
Sam Darnold is playing horrible football at the moment. Losing football. He is looking like the Jets version of himself. If this carries on for much longer, we’ll be forced to talk about draft eligible quarterbacks and veteran options in the off-season.
Do they have to consider sitting him? They could finesse the decision by saying he rushed back to soon and they’re giving him some time to get right. That would leave the door open to return if Drew Lock struggles in relief. Right now, Darnold is costing the Seahawks games. You can’t have a quarterback who costs you games.
Brian Fleury, sadly, is starting to look out of his depth. How can the person running an offense that is bad in every way escape scrutiny? If it wasn’t for Jaxon Smith-Njigba where would they be? Would they ever score any points?
He doesn’t appear to have answers to problems. On his watch the O-line and quarterback have sunk to depths we’d never think imaginable. Is it possible he’s just not up to the job? Do you have to turn to an internal candidate — Justin Outten or Jake Peetz — to take control?
It feels like something needs to happen. If they just continue as they are and keep losing (it’s the Chiefs and Bears next) it could get ugly and they’d run the serious risk of this being a lost season.
It might be anyway, at least in the context of contention. It feels like blind faith to imagine Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price will fix the offense when they return. They haven’t done a good enough job replacing key players. They needed to sign a better running back to replace Ken Walker and they needed to sign a better pass-rusher to replace Boye Mafe. Their off-season, on reflection, was too passive.
This is a guest post by Curtis Allen…
Last year the Broncos and Seahawks were both 14-3 and had deep playoff runs. Denver was a Bo Nix ankle injury away from meeting the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Now both teams are 3-2 and facing the tough reality that one of them will walk out of the stadium with their third loss of the year in only Week Six.
The similarities do not stop there. Both teams have had troubling issues with their Quarterbacks, a run game that is not up to their standard and a defense that is very good, but a bit overburdened by the offense not functioning well.
Playing football in a short week might benefit both teams to escape the echo chamber a little.
For all our frustrations with the Seahawks, their two losses have been by a cumulative total of five points. Flip a couple of awful plays and they are 5-0, although not without obvious challenges that need to be addressed.
And those challenges are not going to be solved in a short game week against a tough opponent.
If the Seahawks play the way they have usually played this season minus those intensely critical mistakes, they should come through this game with a win.
It is an intense oversimplification, I know. But that is where we are. There are strong elements to this team and they are too talented and well-coached not to be competitive in every game they play.
They must trust their Running Backs to handle the ball in this game. They must trust Sam Darnold to make his reads, feel pressure and throw passes into tight windows if he must.
The only way out is through.
That is the biggest Watch Point of them all – the Seahawks must play the game they are constructed to play.
Without catastrophic mistakes.
Attack the Defense in the Run Game
Last year, the Broncos were the #3 rushing defense in the NFL, allowing only 3.9 yards per rush (Seahawks #1 at 3.7).
This year? They are allowing an ugly 4.7 yards per rush, good for #25 overall.
The Bronco defense has given up more 10+ yard runs than every other team in the NFL except one. They are getting regularly gashed.
How are teams doing it?
Well, for one, Quarterbacks are getting opportunities to run. They count for six of those explosive runs. Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Brock Purdy and even Matthew Stafford have explosives.
I do think a well-chosen run will do Sam Darnold some good. He has been trying to stick it out in the pocket and maneuver around to buy time quite a lot so far this season.
If he sees a lane and can assure himself a first down, he needs to take it. It will build up the confidence of the offense and give the Bronco defense another factor to think about, particularly at key moments in the game.
Otherwise, the explosive runs are coming in all different shapes and sizes.
Look at this one from San Francisco in Week 4:
Epic play design and fantastic running by Deebo Samuel, who ran over Talanoa Hufanga en route to 22 yards.
Samuel has come back with a vengeance looking like his prime form this season 👏 https://t.co/1xifFwbrKj
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) October 5, 2026
It is pure scheme execution and Deebo Samuel making a second-level defender miss. A well-executed play of this nature is within the Seahawks’ grasp.
Kimani Vidal with the 42-yard TD run 🏃
@DENvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/oWVJwoYm5a— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
A simple run that is well-blocked but elevates to an explosive due to very poor tackling on the Broncos’ part.
Note Kris Abrams-Draine going for the strip instead of the tackle at about the 34-yard line. (side note: I do wonder if the fumbling issues the Seahawks experienced may tempt the Broncos into a similar mistake).
Kyren Williams being slightly patient for 30 yards.
Kenneth Walker redirecting on fourth down for 60.
Bhayshul Tuten on a counter-direction toss about 1:00 in.
There are many ways to make good runs happen.
The Seahawks need to commit to it and run these plays with confidence and execute well.
The Broncos are without two of their best defenders tonight in Patrick Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga. Riley Moss is Questionable.
There is an obvious expectation that Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton will heavily feature in the offense to exploit this vulnerability. And that may be true. It will help Sam Darnold tremendously to have these players available as short-field options to keep the Bronco pass rush at bay.
But a balanced offense that features some concepts that we examined here should not only prove successful but keep the defense fresh – more important on a short week and in oxygen-deprived Denver.
Keep Bo Nix Playing Like He Has
Right now, the Bronco offense is not working very well. They are bottom-10 in several categories. Overall yards, rushing yards, passing yards, scoring….
You get the idea. It is not a major shock that Sean Peyton has taken playcalling duties back from Davis Webb.
The first thing Peyton did was rebalance the offense. He had a near-equal split of run and pass plays Sunday in the win against the Chargers.
Still, they only sputtered to 3.6 yards per carry.
There are a few things going on here.
J.K. Dobbins does not look like himself after missing half of last year with a Lisfranc injury. He is considerably down from his 5.0 yard per carry average last year.
Also, Bo Nix is also having a down year running the ball. He picked up as many rushing First Downs as Lamar Jackson did last year — and only five Quarterbacks ran the ball more often than Nix did.
This year he has dialed the runs way back. Likely he is still protecting his injured ankle and not pushing defenses.
It is hurting the offense dramatically. It might be why they felt justified in going out and trading for Jaylen Waddle. Maybe taking some of the offensive burden off Nix would mitigate the change of him staying in the pocket more frequently.
So far, it has not worked. Nix is on track for a career-worst season passing the ball.
He is one of the NFL’s least-accurate passers with a 59.9% completion rate. His Air Yards per throw is down almost 28% and usually shorter throws mean better accuracy. It is worse.
He is under the highest amount of pressure he has faced in his career (21.1%) and he is easily rattled (Nix has 15 Throwaways through 5 games. In his rookie season he had 18 in 17(!) games).
What is happening? The missing threat of running, the lack of support in the run game and the new playcaller have all worked against him to create a poor and disappointing season.
Quarterback analysts are noting his lack of good mechanics, hesitancy in the pocket and his inability to adjust to what defenses do post-snap.
Nix has shown a real hesitance to throw over the middle of the field this year. His target charts are a barren wasteland.
He is making short throws to the flat much more, only occasionally letting it fly (as an aside, what kind of angle is Antonio Johnson taking on that throw?).
As you can see Nix is using his feet and can make throws while on the move. He is not hobbling, just not using his feet to gain yards on the ground very much.
Jaylen Waddle will be dangerous though. He makes his Quarterback look very good on occasion, making plays that can turn the offense around and give them a spark. His game so far (other than against Jacksonville) though has been lacking.
Putting pressure on Nix with post-snap adjustments, some timely blitzes from players such as Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones can really be effective if timed up correctly.
I’ve taken the decision to publish an earlier-than-usual horizontal board this week (see above). This is in part because a.) I wanted something to distract us from the 49ers game and b.) I think there’s so much duff information being put out by draft media over the last few months, I want to lay down some firm thoughts on where I see players fitting into this class.
Let me stress, this is a very early board. I typically wouldn’t publish this until late November at the earliest. I’m just a bit bored of reading what I think are some pretty out-there draft takes and the only thing I’m giving you are 4-5000 word articles where a lot of you might prefer something a bit easier to digest.
There are grades on the board that I will adjust. There are also players I simply haven’t studied enough to include yet. So if you see a name missing, that’ll be why.
There are 110 names on the board currently. I’ve done more work on this class to this point than I’ve done on any previous class. That speaks, I think, to how interesting and intriguing it is — especially at the top end. I’m excited to scout these players — a massive difference compared to last year’s hugely underwhelming class.
I currently have 17 players graded as blue-chippers or clear first rounders. I have eight players after that in a range I consider ‘would be prepared to take in round one’. I would imagine that by the time the combine has concluded, I could easily have +20 legit first round graded prospects — something I’ve never had before. I also currently have 60 players I’d be happy to take before the end of round two. Again, that is far more than usual.
Take a look at the board. We’ll discuss it in more detail next week during the ‘mini-bye’ between Thursday Night Football and the Chiefs game.
Meanwhile, here are my latest draft notes from week six of college football…
UCLA vs Oregon
I felt coming into the summer there was no more overrated team than Oregon. Their depth was weaker than people realised, with a number of highly touted big name players who weren’t anywhere near as good as some people were suggesting.
That’s not to say they don’t have talent. Tight end Jamari Johnson is an interesting prospect, as is receiver Evan Stewart. They can both be very productive players in the NFL. However, in this game against UCLA they had no chance to make an impact. Oregon’s passing game was a disaster — with Dylan Raiola proving to be out of his depth (on this afternoon at least) before eventually finding himself on the bench. Dante Moore, who reminds me mostly of Josh Freeman as a prospect, remains out with the head injury he suffered against USC (and I hope he isn’t fast-tracked back into the line-up after this mess of a performance).
It was a good opportunity to watch Oregon’s defensive linemen though, in a bit of a slugfest matchup against an upstart unbeaten Bruins team. I’ve watched the tape (all-22) twice through and only came away more convinced by my low ratings for Oregon’s defenders.
Defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington is an athlete not a football player and it’s preposterous that he’s been ranked and graded as a potential first rounder. This is purely down to his athletic profile, which admittedly is rare. He’s 6-3 and 330lbs, can supposedly jump a 36-inch vertical and run nearly 21mph on the GPS. As Mazi Smith has shown though, what use is any of this if you can’t get the fundamentals right?
His run defense is nowhere near good enough for a man of his size and profile. His first step often seems to be sideways — why are you not moving forwards and taking on blockers, bullying them, dominating with your physical talent? He shouldn’t be trying to evade contact so often. Be the enforcer.
Perhaps it’s because he’s too easily manhandled by opposing interior linemen, as we saw again on Saturday. He exposes his chest and just leaves a nice big target for a jolting punch. He doesn’t use his own hands well enough and too often puts his head down to drive contact. He doesn’t do a good enough job disengaging and his first contact is rarely forceful enough.
When he plays on the outside shoulder he can use his quickness to penetrate and when he gets it right his bull-rush can be thunderous. It’s very easy to pick out five highlight plays over the last two years and say, ‘wow look at that’. But he’s nowhere near consistent enough — which is why he only had two sacks in 2025 and by October 14th hasn’t had one in 2026.
There are simply too many games where you barely notice he’s playing. He’s a player who really needs his entire game reconstructing to make the most of his tools. But you can’t gamble on that early in the draft, not within a deep looking class.
When we get to the combine or his pro-day no doubt everyone with marvel at his testing. Unless his tape improves though, it’ll be a mirage.
Bear Alexander plays next to him — another prospect who doesn’t justify the early round talk. He’s been a college football mercenary —- going from Georgia to USC and now Oregon. He’s listed at 6-3 and around 315lbs.
I think he’s just a very basic, average defensive tackle. He doesn’t show any real twitch as a pass rusher. He’s not a consistent gap shooter with great get-off. He can be too easily pushed backwards by guards, displacing him in the run game. He doesn’t have enough speed to be effective on stunts or trouble the outside shoulder to penetrate. His hand-use isn’t consistent enough and he doesn’t deliver a jolting blast to the chest to disrupt linemen.
Alexander seems to rely on absorbing initial contact then side-stepping blockers to fill gaps. As with Washington, I would rather him be the aggressor. Drive people backwards. A basic requirement at this position is your ability to effect the pocket by just driving blockers backwards and forcing the quarterback off his spot. Neither does this anywhere near enough.
He’s not quick or dynamic enough to be a finesse rusher to make up for it. He feels like the type of player who is two for a penny most years in the draft. I highly doubt he will impress at the combine, unlike his team-mate. He only has 6.5 sacks in five years of college football.
Off the edge you have another big name player in Matayo Uiagalelei. He’s listed at 6-5 and around 265lbs.
The first thing you notice is he lacks any kind of quick-twitch off the edge. You are not getting a bend-and-straighten specialist with amazing ankle flexion. But OK — he’s 265lbs and on the bigger side. He’s not Brian Burns. Maybe he’s a warrior against the run?
I expected violence and got ‘meh’. He feels hesitant, like he’s trying too hard to read everything then react. He also missed 21 tackles in 2024 and 2025. They move him around sometimes but he looks out of place when he moves inside — like a deer in the headlights. I expected a big, strong, powerful end and just came away underwhelmed. There’s nothing special here.
He doesn’t possess great straight-line pursuit speed. His pass-rush plan seems very limited. He gets stuck on blocks and lacks a potent counter. He just appears to be a very average player in all honesty. I didn’t see anything worthy of a high pick, whether on a skill, physical or technical level. The only thing I noted as a key positive is how he stands his ground well vs angled blocks.
Across from him is Teitum Tuioti. He’s a large looking EDGE listed at 6-3 and 263lbs with a thick frame. He’s really heavy on his feet feet and certainly not a ‘quick twitch’ pass rusher. He’s a get-your-head-down-and-run-forwards type at full tilt. He tries to barge his way through a line — pin balling off blockers, hoping to find a route through. For me it’s borderline whether he’ll be drafted.
UCLA tight end Brayden Loftin had 1v1 wins against Tuioti blocking. I really like Loftin but if he’s able to defend the edge against you, it’s not a good sign for your pro-prospects as a pass-rusher.
Tuioti shows stiffness in his movements and is never going to bend-and-straighten off the edge. It’s hard to see how he wins in the NFL — he’s just a bit of a plodder for Oregon. He has no real burst off the snap or any real pass rush plan. I won’t dispute his effort and hustle and he’ll give 100% — but he’s not a difference maker.
Finally there’s linebacker Devon Jackson. He’s 6-2 and 242lbs and has remarkably been timed running 24mph on the GPS. He can also reportedly jump a 40-inch vertical so he’s a special athlete. People will remember his big plays against Oklahoma State — chasing down Drew Mestermaker on his 75-yard run, forcing him out of bounds near the goal-line and saving his team four points (OkSt had to settle for a field goal after being stopped). He also ran a tipped pass back 96-yards in the same game for a pick-six.
His long speed is clearly better than his burst and short-area agility. He can be slow to react and run to the ball. He needs to do a better job shedding blocks and playing with more violence once engaged. His change of direction is laboured and he doesn’t come downhill to set a tone. He can be hesitant trying to read the play and he’s too easily blocked, then too content to sit on blocks.
When linemen reach up to the second level he gets taken for a ride. His pursuit speed when he has a clean run and a clear view of the ball-carrier is very good, which is to be expected with his profile.
The physical potential is there but he doesn’t play a glass-chewing brand of football. He’ll be drafted in the middle rounds for his profile and maybe you can tap into his rare combination of size and speed — but for me he and Washington both need their stock capped for having upside yet the tape needs to be a lot better.
What about the Bruins? Although UCLA is rejuvenated and winning, Nico Iamaleava hadn’t been playing at a level to really supercharge his stock. Now he’s expected to miss the rest of the college season due to an injury suffered in this game. He did deliver one wonderful layered throw to the right sideline with about 6:10 remaining in the first half against Oregon. He followed it up though with a stinking interception with 1:17 left in the half. I suspect he will now be forced to return to college next year to see if he can finally deliver on his significant talent.
I mentioned tight end Brayden Loftin. He is really, really good at blocking on key run plays. Given the way Seattle likes to play the game, he’s a name to remember.
Georgia vs Alabama was a strong NFL showcase (as expected)
This was a game loaded with future pro-players and potential high draft picks. Once again, Georgia linebacker Chris Cole stood out.
He had an early, patented stalk-and-chase that almost forced Alabama off the field (the quarterback just scrambled for a first down, getting there by inches on review). Shortly after he faked a drop in coverage, read the play and pursued the running back to drop him for a TFL. He had a delayed rush with 9:29 left in the third quarter, ran from deep, got around the right tackle and made the sack. He was so quick in his closing burst. On the same drive he almost had another sack, again with a delayed rush. It looked like he was spying but Keelon Russell shook him off to extend the play. However, most quarterbacks will get dropped there. On the same drive he played the edge and got his hands up to deflect a pass on third down to force a field goal attempt.
Cole just does everything — chase and pursuit, dropping into coverage, running to cover the flat, rushing the edge, attacking the interior of the LOS, filling in the run game. He is the definitive modern NFL player — capable of wearing so many different hats with excellent physical talent that is so rare within the league.
There is some perspective required. At the moment his reps off the edge lack refinement. You can tell it’s new to him. He doesn’t really have any plan, or any ability to set-up blockers. He doesn’t have a go-to move and really just tries to out-athlete tackles off the edge. If he’s going to take reps there, he’ll need coaching and time to make this a dangerous aspect of his pro-game.
Even so — he has the speed and length to work into an effective chess-piece who can deliver some pass-rush opportunities. Even if that doesn’t work into something he does a lot in the NFL, I can’t remember watching a player with his pursuit speed and size. It must be terrifying for opponents and he has the makings of a really exciting linebacker if nothing else.
I’m still very much of the belief that Alabama’s Ryan Coleman-Williams is the clear WR2 in this draft. In this game he took a dump-off behind the line of scrimmage, made a defender miss before leaping with his fantastic explosive power to launch himself over the line to gain for a first down. This is what a 43-inch vertical looks like on a football field. It was a special example of physical talent.
Later in the game he landed awkwardly after an attempted red zone catch with seconds left in the first half. He was already wearing a knee brace going into the game and limped off the field. He came back out for the second half but did not look healthy. On the plus side, this was another drop-free game. If that was his big issue from last season, it hasn’t been a problem this year. So how long will it be before people start acknowledging just how talented he is? His potential is through the roof.
Josh Ford the popular Alabama tight end played the game with a broken arm and was getting stuck right in as a blocker. It was very impressive. You can win with guys like this. He’s only a junior but for future blocking-TE’s fitting the Seahawks’ preferred brand of football, this might be a name to remember.
Georgia safety KJ Bolden saved a touchdown by chasing down a long run by the running back. He took a good angle on the recovery, showing ample speed. He also levelled an opponent early in the game. Bolden consistently plays tough and physical. He flies downfield when he diagnoses what’s happening. Georgia were content leaving him in single-high coverage for sections of this game. When he runs downfield he’s adept at positioning himself well to take away receivers running routes in behind him, then sprinting to the ball-carrier when it’s inevitably checked down.
I don’t think he’s going to be a big playmaker at the next level. He’s not an interception machine, eraser type coverage safety. He has a good blend of size, toughness, want-to, speed and versatility to be a regular starter at the next level. His position isn’t typically valued in the draft these days but he could and should be a top-42 pick.
Alabama’s safety Bray Hubbard had a really instinctive play on an interception. He read the RPO, reached an arm out to deflect the pass into the air and then caught the deflection himself. Hubbard has stiffness running in space and although he’s considered a good athlete, he’s always going to be better working in short areas. He also didn’t make a key tackle late in the game on a big run. I see him as more of a mid-round type.
Alabama’s versatile defensive lineman Devan Thompkins had a good play where he split the tight end and right tackle with quickness to slip through the line and force a running play TFL. He played the run well in this game, which was good to see. He’s flashed plenty as a pass-rusher already this year. Testing will determine the level of his upside but he’s done a good job for his size playing both defensive end and the interior.
Outside linebacker Yhonzae Pierre had a sack but he was completely unblocked and had a free run to the quarterback. I didn’t feel Pierre as a pass-rusher in this game but he played the run in his usual style. He does feel very much like a Seahawks OLB. He’s got the size, looks the part and he plays the run well. He’s just not the most blistering sack-specialist or difference maker off the edge. I can imagine the Seahawks having interest in him though.
There were two potential first round cornerbacks on the field. Alabama’s Zabien Brown did a good job coming up to the line to play the run, with one really good run-blitz. He gave up three receptions on four targets but limited the damage to 26 yards.
Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV wasn’t really tested and gave up one six-yard reception on three targets. He had a really good open field tackle on the quarterback after he broke contain. He was often matched up with Coleman-Williams and did an excellent job in mirror coverage, playing up in his grill and not being beat off the snap. When RCW drove downfield he often stuck with him, comfortably enough to round off on the inevitable comeback when separation wasn’t achieved. When he played off-coverage they’d often run the ball instead — it would’ve been nice to see his closing speed on such a dynamic target like RCW. His backpedal and transition was smooth when having to drop and then change direction on the post. He has an excellent chance to be the second cornerback drafted.
I’ve seen a few people mention Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton in the comments. I think he’s one of the most underrated players in college football. He’s extremely effective as a passer and scrambler and for a loaded team like Georgia, he’s very capable of producing enough plays per game to put points on the board and complement the defense.
In terms of the draft, he doesn’t have the size or the physical tools (despite being a strong runner) to imagine he’ll be a high pick or necessarily a starter at any point. I think he’s the kind of player who might get taken in round four or five, especially if he can go on and win a National Championship, and he’ll have a chance to see if he can make things stick in the league.
Other notes from Saturday
— I think Ole Miss receiver Deuce Alexander is a top-25 talent in this class at the moment. He had another excellent touchdown against Vanderbilt on Saturday. It was a 39-yard score —- the safety is terrified of his deep speed and he knows it so he fakes to run downfield then breaks off to go across the field. He catches the football at the left hash 20-yards downfield, turns the final defender and then just leaves him for dead — racing the final 20 yards to the end zone. He then makes one final defender miss at the goal-line to score. On another ball thrown to the outside, he side-steps the covering defender with ease, cuts past another defender and accelerated for a first down. It’s a top level play showing off his special quickness and suddenness. Players with his speed and dynamism are always enticing.
— South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart had a tremendous sack with four minutes left in the first quarter vs Florida, marking his return to the field. It was on a third down and forced a punt. Clearly he’s quite immature but his ability to dip and bend with his length and quickness, plus the physicality he’s shown against the run when he’s been on the field, make him arguably the third or fourth best draft eligible player. Maybe even the second best, frankly. The suspension by his team was more a necessary teaching point rather than a long-term assessment of his draft status. I’m telling you — he will go in the top-eight picks next April and could easily go in the top-five. This isn’t a Jalen Carter character flag problem. This is a player who seems to have generated some entitlement, needs to grow up a bit and perhaps has had a hard time dealing with how poor South Carolina have been this season. You simply don’t see many players like this coming into the NFL and he will be coveted.
— Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestermaker continues to really impress. I think he’d be better off continuing to play football in college, adding needed experience, rather than thinking of turning pro in 2027. There are a few quarterbacks in the same boat. Yet there’s no doubt he’s playing at a standard way beyond a lot of the other over-hyped college QB’s. One play stood out to me. It was 4th and 5 with seven mins left in the first quarter. Mestermaker stood tall in the pocket, took a massive hit and still delivered an on-time, accurate pass for a key first down. He consistently plays well under pressure, appearing poised and accurate. It might not be that exciting but he has a Daniel Jones feel to him in my opinion. Perhaps he has a little bit more upside in his arm but that’s who I thought of. Jones, and therefore Mestermaker, aren’t going to revolutionise the NFL. But they both might end up being appreciated starters.
— I continue to be impressed with USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. Every week there is clear evidence of him going through progressions (unlike most college quarterbacks). He also makes big plays consistently on third down. Away at Penn State he delivered a big first quarter conversion on a 3rd and 4 on the way to a score. He also had an incredible 3rd and 7 conversion with 4:37 left in the first half. He scrambled to his right to extend the play then threw on the run, delivering a pass between two defenders that travelled 50 yards in the air right on the money to the receiver. It’s a top, top level throw. I’ve questioned his physical upside at times but that was a play to suggest it might not be much of a concern after all. He had another touchdown on 3rd and goal at the 10 yard line. It was a congested red zone but he made two clear progressions. He was well protected and executed to score a touchdown to put USC eight points ahead. Increasingly I would say if you need a quarterback — draft another position early then go after Maiava on day two.
— Arch Manning made some nice plays for Texas in their loss to Oklahoma. He also threw two hopeless interceptions late in the game, including a back-breaking pick-six and another interception when driving to try and win the game (ultimately handing that opportunity to Oklahoma instead — and they took it). I’ll say it for the 47th time in the last month — he’s a first name pick only because of the name on the back of his jersey. He is not playing anywhere close to that level. Draft media, who’ve consistently had him in the top-five of mocks and big boards, seemingly are giving up the ghost and are coming to terms with reality. At this stage it seems almost certain he won’t declare and will return for another season in college in 2027. I’m not sure it’ll make much difference. I don’t think he’s a NFL starter. He’s just too hesitant, he doesn’t see the field well enough and his accuracy is way too inconsistent. Too many people have been fooled by his second name.
— LaNorris Sellers was a lot better against slumping Florida on Saturday, who got whipped in the trenches for the second straight game. He was far more competent as a passer and really used his mobility and speed to great effect. This is how Sellers has to play. If he can put together six weeks of this form, he might save his Head Coach and re-establish any hope of being in the 2027 draft, rather than facing the need to prolong his college career (probably with a new team). What he showed on Saturday was tantalising. Now let’s see more of it. If I had to guess, we’ll probably see him turn up in Miami next year to do what Cam Ward, Carson Beck and now Darian Mensah are doing.
— Two defensive linemen I’ve been talking up a lot — Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace at Kentucky and Emmanuel Oyebadejo at Florida — both flashed again at the weekend. Oyebadejo had another sack and that’s now five in five games in his first season in the SEC. He’s 6-7 and 300lbs and has incredible upside potential. He’s not the finished article and I’m sure he would admit that (he missed some tackles at the weekend) but the physical upside with his size, length and athleticism is top level. Humphrey-Grace had four hurries against LSU and has really stepped up to the plate for UK.
If you enjoy these long-form articles, the draft analysis, plus everything we do covering the Seahawks both on the blog and YouTube, you can support SDB by clicking here to become a Patron via Patreon.
Please comment and like the video on the YouTube page if you can!
The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles started 3-2, just as the Seahawks have done this year. Nick Sirianni flipped off his own fans during a week five game against Cleveland. His team were playing badly and showed no signs of the 14-3 Super Bowl Champion they would later become. Trouble was brewing in Philly.
In the first five games Jalen Hurts had a 6/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio — very similar to Sam Darnold’s current 7/5 tally.
How did they fix things? They turned to their running game.
They won their next 10 games. During this run, Saquon Barkley ran for 1523 yards at an average of 138.5 yards per game. In the first five games of the season, he managed only 96.4 yards per game.
In comparison, they only threw for 1984 yards during this stretch — 180.4 yards per game. That was a marked difference to the first five games, where they thew more and averaged 238.8 passing yards.
Hurts’ touchdown-to-interception ratio during the 10 wins was 12/1.
Philadelphia finished the season leading the league in rushes per game (36.7). Only two other teams, Baltimore (33.4) and Washington (31.3) averaged more than 31 rushes per game. This was a significant commitment.
The Eagles completely leaned into Barkley to fix their team. Suddenly they were far more balanced, settled and explosive. The pressure was taken away from the quarterback who could comfortably play the role of a point guard.
This feels like a lesson the Seahawks could learn from. If they could get their running game going, they too might be able to settle things down on offense. At the moment they’re averaging 3.8 yards per carry — putting them in the bottom third of the league.
Here’s the problem though — who can they turn to?
There’s no Saquon Barkley on the roster — a true superstar player who is a safe bet to make things happen and carry the load. Barkley won offensive player of the year in 2024 for righting the Eagles.
Seattle’s current lack of talent at running back is a major issue. You simply cannot turn to Emmanuel Wilson and George Holani and say — ‘we are asking you to help level out this team’. It’s a preposterous thought.
Neither player is anywhere near explosive or dynamic enough. Neither is going to draw extra attention to the line to create better coverage opportunities for the quarterback — and neither is going to still be able to make things happen when game-plans are created to stop the run.
So what do you do?
The Seahawks are already throwing more (147 passes) than their running backs are running (129 carries). They’re already funnelling their passing attack through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, their best player. And they’re struggling to get anyone else involved.
They need to try something different.
Zach Charbonnet returning to the field and swiftly getting back to his best, complemented by a returning Jadarian Price, might be enough to give the running game a sufficient shot in the arm. Can you rely on that though? What’s to say Charbonnet can quickly produce coming off a serious knee injury? Price’s NFL career is off to a rocky start — fumbles in consecutive games and now a stint on IR.
It’s also unclear when both will even be available. Even though Charbonnet is back practising in a limited capacity, he’s been virtually ruled out for Thursday night.
There’s so much to fix on the offense. The quarterback is playing badly, the running backs aren’t good enough, the offensive line is playing poorly and they’re turning the ball over. If you try and fix every individual problem, I think you’ll fail.
This is why you need a ‘go-to’ plan. If they could just lean on the run, commit to it, work on run-blocking improvement to go with the run system, dedicate energy and effort into making that aspect a success, you might create a safe-zone and buy yourself time to make the whole offense function at a far higher level.
But again, how can you do that with Wilson, Holani, Velus Jones and Robert Henry as your backfield? With nothing certain down the line with Charbonnet or Price?
This is why Charbonnet might be the most important non-JSN player on Seattle’s offensive roster. He’s the one with the experience and the explosive testing traits (37-inch vertical) to possibly provide the foundation to run. If he’s available after the Denver game — he might be your solution. Hopefully he is.
It still feels like a tall order to expect him to return and lead from the front as he works back into game shape.
Social media is awash with fans talking about trades today. My timeline is full of people sharing an old tweet I posted in 2020 showing Jonathan Taylor giving a ‘come and get me plea’ to the Seahawks before the draft.
I’d love nothing more than to acquire Taylor, a big-time blog favourite six years ago. He’s still only 27, he’s very capable of leading a rushing attack and he’s a mass-production star back.
And there’s surely no way the Colts would trade him.
Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen are fighting for their jobs. The owner has already put them on notice and the fans want change. Trading their best offensive player would equate to both individuals sending in their resignation letters.
He is surely untouchable while ever Ballard and Steichen remain in post. Now, if they were both fired, it might change things. In that scenario the Colts could be in the market to acquire extra stock. It would be a clear signal towards a reset and it might be appealing for Indianapolis to add picks, given they don’t have a 2027 first rounder due to the ill-advised Sauce Gardner trade.
Taylor’s contact is move-able. He would create $8.6m in cap space this year for the Colts, with $7.6m in dead cap space for 2026 and $10m for 2027. You can easily eat that for the right price.
Yet the right price would likely be astronomical. What would it take? A first round pick? A second round pick? It’s hard to imagine it’d be any less than that.
Using a high pick to basically say, ‘we got this wrong’ at the running back position would be a tough pill to swallow.
Saquon Barkley is the other name to be mentioned. Again, it would be a very attractive addition. He remains one of the best backs in the league with a rare physical skill-set. Yet unless people haven’t noticed — he’s currently injured. In fact he’s already suffered a stinger and a hamstring injury this season.
Howie Roseman isn’t going to give away a player like Barkley. He just managed to finagle a 2028 second rounder out of the Ravens for Cam Jurgens. I think that’d probably be the least you’d have to pay for Barkley too. Roseman is not a GM to mess with when it comes to trades.
Ultimately I think it’s most likely the Seahawks just persevere at the position and hope Charbonnet will respond to the bat signal being sent out post-Denver.
I’m not convinced, however, that’ll be enough. As I said — so much is wrong with the offense. It’s not like last year where the running game stuttered early on and the passing attack was electric, varied and exciting. Right now everything is struggling — quarterback, running backs, O-line, getting the non-JSN receivers and tight ends involved. It feels like a fractured unit and I don’t think they have a coordinator with the experience to ride the storm.
If they do make a bold, aggressive trade — I fear it’d be a repeat of the Jamal Adams desperation play with the possibility of it being a similar ‘bad move to compound previous bad moves’.
I’m not precious about draft picks, even as someone who spends an absurd amount of time studying the draft, and really rates the depth of the upcoming draft class. I love a value trade — and the Seahawks have found value aplenty in the trade market in recent years.
I just think it’s easy to forget that while we talk about Seattle having a treasure-trove of picks for 2027, they don’t have any additional first or second round picks. Most of their stock is set for day three. If you start being aggressive now, you run the risk of missing out on some good young players — in a class where we could see an unusually high number of first round grades.
It’s not even like running back is the only possible trade target. Seattle’s EDGE rushers currently have combined for three sacks in five games. Derick Hall has two, Uchenna Nwosu one and DeMarcus Lawrence zero. Dante Fowler barely features and he also has zero.
This is a key need for me. You need people who can make big plays off the edge. You can’t just rely on the interior pass rush — especially later in games when you’ve gone to battle for four quarters.
I reserve the right to review my opinion in a month’s time — but I also want to be honest about where I think things are with the Seahawks and what the outlook is for this year.
Right now, I think the 49ers virtually have one hand on the NFC West title. With a 5-0 record and an extremely favourable schedule, plus the fact they’re already winning every week with a lot of injuries, just as they did last season, they can basically go 7-5 the rest of the way and still have a great chance to win the division at 12-5. If they win two thirds of their remaining games — again, without a murderers row of opponents upcoming — you’d be looking at needing at least 13 wins, plus some tiebreaker fortune, to stop them.
Yesterday wasn’t just a significant symbolic win for the 49ers to get over the two pastings at the end of last season — they’ve also gained great control of the division.
I think the Seahawks have too much to do on offense to feel confident they can rapidly reach their peak level, in order to repeat last year’s long winning run. Therefore, for now at least, I am not in favour of chasing ‘jam today’ by being aggressive on the trade market.
We might have to just face facts — this might not be a Championship season. If it’s going to become one, it might have to be in an unconventional way (at least for this franchise). By that I mean a Wildcard run, becoming road warriors.
The only way I think you achieve that is for Brian Fleury to use all of his experience with Kyle Shanahan to make the running game a success — and that likely only happens if/when Charbonnet returns and is eventually supported by Price.
This might mean things get worse before they get better, especially with the Broncos, Chiefs and Bears up next. I think we’re going to end up in a situation where you try and use the Bears and/or Cardinals home games as a get-right moment — to try and build some momentum for the Raiders, 49ers and Cowboys run — where winning those games could breathe life into your season.
If there was a low-level trade available for a pass-rusher (I think, for example, it might be a lot cheaper to acquire a Khalil Mack or YaYa Diaby rather than a top runner) I would consider that — but not throwing high picks at a veteran running back. I would love to add a Taylor or Barkley but the price isn’t going to be reasonable.
I suspect there will be some blowback to what I’m saying here about the season outlook, with people feeling it’s too premature to call. When I spoke to Jason Puckett earlier today, he was very much in the ‘it’ll be fine’ camp. I think a season can reveal itself quicker than you think sometimes. I hope I’m wrong — but I don’t think a rookie playcaller, faced with the list of offensive issues in basically every facet, is going to be able to find quick solutions.
I expect a slow burn, with some further difficult moments to come in the short term, followed by an eventual recovery. This could make Seattle a dangerous looking Wildcard, with the usual cliches of the Seahawks being described as ‘a team nobody wants to face’ and reminders that ‘they know what it takes to win’. We’ll see if they can get to a Championship level when the time comes. It’s very possible.
For it to happen though, I genuinely believe it’ll have to be down to Charbonnet returning, providing solidity to the running game and helping calm things down — just as the Eagles were able to do two years ago.
We might have to wait a while for that to happen though.
The Seahawks blew a game against the Washington Commanders by giving away 21 points after turnovers. Today, they repeated the act in a damaging loss.
The 49ers are now 5-0 with a road-win tiebreaker over both the Rams and Seahawks. Look at their schedule. It’s a tantalising run for a team that has shown, somehow, that it can cope with back-breaking injury losses.
For the long term battle for the NFC West, this was more than just a mere disappointment. It impacts the division. The Seahawks have a far harder schedule than the 49ers coming up. It’s not a mountain to climb yet — but it could quickly turn into one if they’re not careful.
Let’s focus on the here and now though, rather than what might happen in the future. Seattle’s offense appears broken. Here’s why:
— Sam Darnold is playing badly. He’s throwing interceptions at a rapid rate. Tom Brady spent most of today’s game lambasting the way he played. He doesn’t look right — and it’s a concern. There will be people saying put in Drew Lock but this can’t be a musical chairs situation, all because Lock played a good game and a half in relief. What happens if Lock comes in and struggles? You’ve just created a load more drama within the quarterback room and it will seem like you’ve lost control. The Seahawks need their starting quarterback to up his game and get back on track. He simply has to improve immediately.
— The supporting cast surrounding Darnold also has to be way better. It felt like he was under pressure on every drop-back today — and that was without Nick Bosa playing. The offensive line had too many whiffs in pass-pro and wasn’t reliably mauling a banged-up opponent up front in the running game either. It still doesn’t excuse some truly baffling Darnold decisions but he surely has to be feeling the pinch given how often he had to try and extend plays today. This was supposed to be a unit ready to take the next step this year and after five games they’ve been a let down.
— The running back situation is a mess and we can safely say now that they’ve got this one wrong. They knew Zach Charbonnet wouldn’t be ready to start the season. I don’t think shopping in the bargain bin for insurance, simply to avoid losing a comp pick, was right. Emmanuel Wilson tries his hardest but he’s a thumping running back who hits the hole hard but never creates, pushes the pile or ever feels like he’ll produce explosive runs. Now he also has a fumble to his name. George Holani, unfortunately, doesn’t appear remotely close to being good enough. His fumble before half-time was back-breaking. Not only that, the way he dropped the football when faced with a potential touchdown catch-and-run was baffling. Granted the Seahawks complemented this duo with a first round pick but before they even got to the draft they should’ve added a better veteran than they did, to cover for Charbonnet. I suspect they’ll be deeply regretting that now. It wasn’t worth protecting a later round comp pick for this situation at running back.
— It’s a major concern that they seem totally and completely reliant on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They cannot get the other weapons involved. Holani was the second leading receiver with four catches for 24 yards. Rashid Shaheed had another quiet day with two catches for 23 yards. Seattle is paying him $17m a year — $3m more than the 49ers are paying Mike Evans. This was supposed to be AJ Barner’s big third year yet he was basically a non-factor again — three catches for 20 yards. Cooper Kupp had two catches for 15 yards. Elijah Arroyo had one target and no receptions — while Tory Horton barely got on the field. It’s understandable that they feature Smith-Njigba — but it’s not like he had 15 targets today and everything funnelled through him. They only threw his way eight times. It all just seems broken. Either JSN does something great or there’s a problem. They aren’t blending all of their weapons into a coherent plan. They aren’t challenging opponents in any way really other than ‘try to cover this one great receiver’.
— Questions will understandably begin to be asked of the offensive coordinator. The buck ultimately stops with Brian Fleury, even if he can’t carry and throw the football for his players. When you’re turning the ball over a lot, aren’t getting key players involved in the passing game, can’t run the ball very well and your blocking is very average (at best) — you start to wonder if the man tasked with leading the offense is capable of figuring all of this out in his first gig with no prior play-calling or repair work experience.
It’s not just about the offense though. For example:
— The defense in three consecutive games has given up some key late drives. They made amends last week with a sack-fumble but today they couldn’t. It was painful watching Mike Evans constantly abuse Josh Jobe 1v1 with seemingly no thought to try something (or someone) different to cover Evans. The 49ers had lost all momentum and were on the ropes and still found a way to put 10 points on the board late on. Credit to them as much as anything but it did feel like the Seahawks were one stop away from blowing things open — and that was the moment they suddenly had no means of covering a very talented but visibly banged up 33-year-old.
— I still don’t think there’s enough off the edge. Byron Murphy had two great sacks today and you know what you’re going to get from Leonard Williams. I didn’t feel DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu or Dante Fowler as pass-rushers. None registered a sack. I appreciate the Seahawks are creative, physical and find different ways compared to most to create pressure. You just need some quickness and speed at times. It’s not there.
— Sometimes you can be too aggressive. I understand why the Seahawks used their timeouts at the end of the first half, thinking they could steal one last drive when trailing 14-13. However, you’d played really badly on offense and the 49ers’ punter had been sticking it on the 10-yard line consistently. Just let the clock run out, regroup, have the first possession to start the next half and go from there. Seattle’s desire to be aggressive led to the fumble in the end zone and the game suddenly racing to 21-13. I know hindsight is amazing but be honest — didn’t you just think as they were handing off to Holani, ‘don’t fumble!’. Sadly it was all so predictable.
The biggest concern is how all of this adds up. It’s three messy games in a row. Last season when they had bad defeats they would bounce back. I don’t think they are — if anything, they’re getting messier with each week.
Twelve months ago they were throwing the ball very well and with Ken Walker and Charbonnet you felt there was always a chance they’d work out the run. I’m not sure how you fix this offense on the fly. It feels very difficult to say, ‘stop throwing picks, stop fumbling and block better’. That’s the whole operation.
I’ve also scoured the OurLads depth charts looking for impactful trade options and I have to say — I’m struggling. To the extent that I don’t want them to make some overly aggressive, foolhardy trade chasing this season.
In the past this would be the time to just run through Marshawn Lynch. When the Eagles got back on track two years ago, they leaned on Saquon Barkley (who, I’ll remind people who want to trade for him, is currently injured).
The Seahawks are already reliant and leaning on Smith-Njigba and alone it isn’t working. It feels like they need a top playmaker in the backfield. Can Charbonnet provide that? Or a combo of Charbonnet and Price? Possibly — but I’m not overly optimistic, especially given Price’s indifferent start and we don’t know if Charbonnet will be able to play at a great level fresh off returning from injury.
If Ken Walker continues to play at the level he is with the Chiefs it’ll be all the more painful. He is leading their rushing attack and frankly, right now, is just the type of feature back the Seahawks need. I understand why he isn’t still in Seattle and I backed the decision not to break the bank to try and keep him. But it’s OK to say maybe I got that one wrong — and perhaps so did the team.
I genuinely hope I’m wrong but I fear this season is already heading in a certain direction. They are far too talented to be a bad football team. They might have too much to do, however, to be a great team.
I’m surprised by how sloppy they are, though. They’re taking a wrecking-ball to their own foundations in the form of turnovers — with no capability so far to turn the machine off and start repairing. This is crushing their identity, philosophy and the connected nature that made them the most complete football team a year ago, and ultimately Champions.
It might get worse before it gets better. You better believe Sean Payton will be treating Thursday night’s trip to Denver like his own private Super Bowl, given Bensinger-gate from a few weeks ago. Then it’s the Bears and Chiefs.
I said recently this could be a 2014-type season — some early adversity but then finding a way to bring it all together when it matters, just in time for a run. At the moment I’m not confident that’s what we’re witnessing. I think some of the problems are going to be a lot harder to fix — especially when you can’t just hand it off to Marshawn.
This is a guest post by Curtis Allen…
Now comes the true test.
The first of four games against their division rivals is sure to be one to watch.
The Niners come into the game undefeated, clearly getting a boost from a signature win against the Rams in Australia to open the season. Despite losing a staggering number of personnel to injuries once again, they have been able to play effective football.
The Seahawks at 3-1 are not yet fully formed but are progressing. A Super Bowl hangover is not evident. Yet they need to keep establishing the run to balance their team play on both sides more at this point.
The last two matchups with these teams were decidedly in favor of Seattle. They were able to bottle up the Niner’s rushing game and force Brock Purdy to hold the ball in the pocket more than he likes to.
How consistent have they been? On designed run plays, the Seahawk defense held the Niners to 3.2 yards per rush in each of the three games last year.
Mike Macdonald has been able to contain Kyle Shanahan’s offense. How?
Let’s let Shanahan explain it:
This is the infamous Kyle Shanahan quote from #SB60 last season: “I know you guys want my expert opinion, but I haven’t scored a touchdown the last two times we’ve played them…” The last #49ers TD vs. #seahawks was the winner in week one in Seattle from Purdy to Tounges on 9/7/25 or 397 days ago. 1:21:34 of game time.
— John Lund (@JohnLundRadio) October 9, 2026
With a lighter defense that is still tough against the run, the Seahawks are set up very well to contain this offense. Throwing deep or outside the numbers is just not Brock Purdy’s strong suit. He is superb about getting the ball out quickly and using his feet to buy time. He also relies heavily on receivers gaining yards after the catch.
The Seahawks are able to stack the box and the middle of the field with defenders. They trust their corners to work with Julian Love to keep a lid on deep throws and San Francisco just does not have a real scary deep threat to give their underneath game some breathing room to work with.
It is not for lack of trying. Stribling and Pearsall are currently on Injured Reserve. Mike Evans is a great player but a bit of an odd fit in this offense. Speed is not his top weapon and he is not a dynamic ‘yards after the catch’ player. He can make contested catches with the best of them, but the offense has to really be working to get into position to use that skill regularly.
With versatile, quick and intelligent defenders populating the middle of the field, they are regularly able to take away Brock Purdy’s bread and butter pass: the in-breaking route.
Look at what the Seahawks did against him in Week 18 last year:
One incomplete pass over the deeper middle of the field. One! You take away a player’s best play and you have him beat.
Left to his own devices, Purdy’s timing gets disrupted and he either has to check down to get ball out quickly, or he has to wait for his second or third option to open up and by then the pass rush has caught up to him.
Notice the stark difference in effectiveness when he has to wait:
Taking away his early reads with tight coverage and zone placing that makes him think twice about angles can be very effective. Even more so when you have effectively shut the running game down and put him in a position where he has to make regular gains to carry the offense.
His average time to throw in the pocket is a league-low 2.3 seconds and his pressure rate is a miniscule 13%. You can’t pressure the quarterback if he is regularly getting the ball out before you can even engage your blocker. Therefore, blitzing may actually be a ‘medicine has a worse effect than the disease’ type situation.
Again, we are talking about a strong area here for Seattle. They get 25% pressure on average with only 17% blitzing. And Purdy is susceptible to interior pressure more than edge pressure. He is able to tap dance away from edge rushers and get in space to buy a moment to square up and throw. But when the pressure comes from the middle, he is not your classic tall, strong-armed quarterback that can stand there all day and throw bullets while getting manhandled.
Having Kyle Juszczyk out can really be a challenge. He picks up blitzers, runs routes and clears the way for McCaffrey. All very key things for this offense.
Some Other Things of Note
— Sort of a good news/bad news situation with Sam Darnold. He has been dreadful under pressure so far this year in a smaller sample size than the other Quarterbacks. The good news is the Niners are league-average in pressures and Nick Bosa will not play. That is not to say Darnold will have all day in the pocket, but a mix of a good run game, adequate blocking from the Offensive Line and effective playcalling could produce a ‘signature’ game for Darnold.
— What will help? Targeting the Linebackers in the passing game. Fred Warner is giving up 8.7 yards per completion but is only being targeted 2.9 yards deep. That means he is giving up almost six yards after the catch. That is a wide disparity for a player of his caliber. He is 30 and coming off a major injury. It is possible he is a half-step slow. Dre Greenlaw meanwhile does not have a pass defended and throwing it him in coverage is a pretty sure proposition (87.5% completion rate). At any rate, it gets those two moving away from the line of scrimmage rather than towards it. I think we can agree that is always beneficial.
— I am certain Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have his typical good game against San Francisco but with those defenders vulnerable in the pass game, it feels like if Brian Fleury can get A.J. Barner, Elijah Arroyo or even Cooper Kupp matched on them, that could really be productive.
— The Niners have been good at defending the run (conceding only 3.7 yards per attempt, a top-10 number) however the team strategy concept has been working to great effect so far this season. The defense in four games has only had 19 snaps where they were behind on the scoreboard. That naturally leans teams toward passing. A real test would be if the Seahawks could get a lead and then lean on the run game, even if we do not expect explosive runs from a unit that is currently battered a bit.
This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…
Record: 3-1
Thoughts
In many ways, this quarter mirrors the 3-1 first quarter of 2025.
In those four games:
- The Seahawks had a preventable loss (San Francisco / Washington)
- Two wins were harder than they should have been (Pittsburgh & Arizona / New England & LA Chargers)
- There was a dominating blowout (New Orleans / Arizona)
They were adjusting to a new Offensive Coordinator. The running game was a mess.
The Defense was excellent overall and dominant at times.
Injuries to key players hurt.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved to be even better than we thought he could be.
Why does it feel so different than last year’s first quarter, then?
Mainly it is perception.
Last year’s team entered the season after finishing 10-7, having a very good season but missing the playoffs. In the offseason, the team was radically retooled with players at key spots and was supplemented by a fantastic draft class.
A 3-1 start was a good sign that progress was being made. A new era was welcomed like a breath of fresh air. This was finally, fully 100% Mike Macdonald and John Schneider’s team.
They kept improving, stacking 3-1 quarters to enter the stretch run at 9-3. They peaked at the right time, running the table to bring home the team’s second Lombardi Trophy.
This year?
The team entered the season the reigning champions, with an impressive amount of their roster intact. However, the rookie class has taken hits with two of their top three picks landing on Injured Reserve and the third slowly working his way into the lineup.
They are also playing with more of a target on their back as the reigning champs. Plus their main division rivals look as tough and resilient as ever.
The road to the Super Bowl is considerably easier as the #1 seed.
To get there, they will in many ways have to emulate last year’s processes: improve the running game steadily and measurably, maintain defensive structure, continue to successfully integrate depth players around injuries and round the offense into a shape that operates without turnovers at key times.
MVP
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Easiest choice on the report card. Smith-Njigba has exploded out of the gate. Look at his trajectory against his Offensive Player of the Year season if he can somehow manage to keep this breakneck pace up:
He has done this with two games of backup Drew Lock and two games of less-than-peak Sam Darnold as his Quarterbacks. You would think a receiver putting up video-game numbers would be paired with a legendary Quarterback, but he was not.
He is so open, so frequently that there is in-game discussion of why the Seahawks are not feeding him even more targets.
Keep progressing at this rate, and he could take a step into Calvin Johnson territory as the dominant Wide Receiver of his day.
2. Leonard Williams
The Seahawks made another major investment in Williams recently, locking him up through his age 35 season with a $90 million contract to keep him in Seattle.
Most Interior Linemen will begin to decline in the early 30’s. Leonard Williams is still ascending.
His power and speed are intact.
In four games, he has three sacks, six more Quarterback hits and five tackles for a loss.
His leadership, his fire and his pure athleticism are the engines that make this defense so dominant.
3. Julian Love
In the three games he played this quarter, he has two brilliant interceptions, four passes defended and two tackles for loss.
While many things contributed to the Week One win against New England, Julian making key play after key play after key play was truly the difference.
His spatula-under-the-pancake interception against the Cardinals was a thing of beauty.
All three levels of this defense have leaders who can affect the game in different ways. Love is the back end’s and the Seahawks felt it when he was out in Week 3.
Rookie of the Quarter
1. Jadarian Price
Price has looked very good in short stints. His ability to accelerate and stop on a dime is as advertised. He had several good runs, but you could sense he was just a step or two away from breaking a big one. It is coming.
Unfortunately, he has fumbled twice and reinjured his shoulder and chest and is on Injured Reserve. Combine that with an inability to get some push when bottled up and there are some things to work on while he recovers.
2. Beau Stephens
As Anthony Bradford has landed on Injured Reserve, the fifth-round rookie has performed a job share at Right Guard with Christian Haynes. The staff has regularly mentioned that they want to get Stephens reps to accelerate his development.
Good idea, as both Haynes and Bradford are Free Agents in 2027.
He has proven to be more than just a hype man.
While Haynes has done fine, Stephens is arguably the future and getting him reps now could pay big dividends in terms of continuity into later this season and next.
3. Everyone else
Bud Clark is on IR, Julian Neal took Special Teams reps and Avery Smith and Montorie Foster Jr have gotten a few snaps here or there. Not much to report.
Successes
1. 2-0 under Drew Lock
The banner was raised. The fireworks went off. The Super Bowl win was celebrated one last time.
Five minutes later, Sam Darnold lay on the ground in a heap and was taken to the hospital. The stadium was full of foreboding. It felt a little like a cross between a cruel joke and some kind of karmic tax collection.
Lock came in and looked rusty early on.
After halftime, he found his rhythm and confidence. Quickly getting the ball to his offensive weapons proved successful, and some tougher throws executed with precision turned the tide.
The defense stepped up and made life miserable for Drake Maye and for a moment, all was not lost.
The following week against Arizona, the Seahawks would play their most complete game of the quarter, modeling their team approach for everyone to see: study your opponent, test your jab a little, adjust accordingly and then attack without mercy. Take the ball away, build up a lead and then close the game in punishing style with an epic 9-minute drive that featured run after run.
It was made possible because of a masterful game by Lock. On his second snap of the game, he immediately clocked that Jaxon Smith-Njigba had broken through the Cardinal coverage and got him the ball. No fear. No hesitation. Pure confidence and a beautiful arcing pass.
Later, the game called for precision lasers. Lock delivered again and again.
What happened? Brian Fleury had tapped into Lock’s potential in a way other Offensive Coordinators could not.
In a league where a game or two can make all the difference, we may very well look back on these two games where Lock stepped in a pushed the season to the heights it hit.
2. Defensive Continuity
Fifth overall in points conceded. First overall in yards conceded. First in passing yards conceded and interceptions.
25% pressure generated overall, but with only a 17% blitz rate.
I made this point last year. There can be a tendency to copy & paste last year’s tremendous numbers into this year and focus on other things.
Just ask the 0-4 Houston Texans how that is working out. They are #26 in scoring, #28 in passing yards conceded and #22 in plays faced.
It is far harder than just plugging in the same players and running the same system.
Offenses adapt, and you must adapt as well.
Mike Macdonald is doing that, taking maximum advantage of ‘guys who don’t look like they can play that position’ like Drake Thomas, Nick Emmanwori and others to vary his attack with the same personnel.
And it is working.
3. No Super Bowl Hangover
Champagne was poured. Cigars lit. Parades were had.
Gaudy rings were handed out at a lavish dinner.
$370 million in cash was spent this summer to bring most of this team back. They signed the highest-paid Wide Receiver in the game. The second highest-paid Cornerback.
Derick Hall, Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jobe got paid.
Jake Bobo and Drake Thomas got extensions.
Leonard Williams got a healthy extension.
The Seahawks got major Hollywood attention with a Hard Knocks season that was arguably the best of the series.
Can you feel any of that in the building right now? At all?
Some snickered at Smith-Njigba talking about being happy to put the Championship year and the summer celebrations behind him and focusing on getting even better.
He’s done exactly that.
If you could script this team’s attitude to open this season the moment they walked off the field in Santa Clara with the Lombardi, I do not know if it could have been composed any better.
It is fair game to point at how teams like the Rams, Texans, Patriots and the Chargers handled their offseasons after very successful years. The Seahawks compare favorably in many ways, be it attitude, execution or drama (or rather, lack thereof).
This team is no less hungry than it was last year.
Struggles
1. Third Downs
The offense currently rates a miserable #31 in the NFL on Third Downs.
Closing games out and chipping into deficits would be so much easier if they could just convert a handful more to get to the middle of the pack.
The running game is the big culprit here. Last year in the first quarter, they had more run plays for zero or negative yards than anyone else in the NFL.
This year? They have improved one spot to #31.
Last year in the first quarter, they had twelve runs of ten or more yards. This year? Eleven.
It is slow going. They need the kind of improvement that last year’s team down the stretch provided. Many remember Zach Charbonnet’s tough running and Kenneth Walker’s slashing runs through gaps late in the season. But it took some time to get there, from the play calls to the execution. The first quarter was dreadful.
This year is only slightly better.
The Seahawks have a longer to-go average yardage on Third Down than all but seven NFL teams currently.
Running successfully more often will help mitigate that. Third and four opens the playbook far more than third and eight.
2. Penalties
The Seahawks have been flagged for 35 penalties through four games. That projects out to 149 over the course of the season.
How did they do last year?
Do you really want to know?
Okay.
100. They had 100 penalties.
They are on course to have almost 50% more penalties this year than last year.
One thing to get out of the way: the league as a whole is a penalty mess right now. The numbers are out of control.
That said, the Seahawks have been flagged for several penalties that they can control.
If the Seahawks do not get flagged for several key penalties against the Patriots, that game has a whole different look. Seattle cruises to a blowout and the reigning champs look even more formidable.
The Commanders game. The Chargers game.
Both were materially affected by penalties that the team is responsible for.
If there is one little crack in the armor of the Super Bowl Hangover, it is that they may have gotten a little sloppy.
Do you have any doubt Mike Macdonald will tighten things up? That the league may finally settle and normalize a little?
I do not.
3. Darnold INTs
Darnold had back-to-back games with very poor choices that led to interceptions that could easily have been avoided.
It was the nail in the coffin that sealed the loss against the Commanders, and a golden opportunity to steal a possession from the Chargers at home and build an even more insurmountable lead was lost.
To be fair, in that Commanders game, Darnold responded to his interception with a red-hot drive to scale the length of the field in less than a minute. It featured consecutive completions of 18, 11, 15, 17, and 7 yards.
We know how this script goes. If Darnold plays well and avoids turnovers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the defense can be the difference in the game. If he does not, the game is up in the air.
This may be a bit of rust that did not get worked out due to the injury. It may not be.
Right now, as it stands, Smith-Njigba is so regularly getting open, the defense is so frequently shutting things down, and the running game is getting just-enough production, Sam Darnold does not need to play hero ball to win the game.
A couple of frustrating series where he wisely throws it away on Third down may tip the balance back to the Seahawks’ favor and allow them to close out games more effectively.
Quarter Two Games
This is a tougher stretch indeed — and the Seahawks will have to answer the call. They have done it before. They have also responded to lacklustre games with good, proper ones before as well.
Two small schedule things to note that are positive:
- The Seahawks get a mini-bye after the Thursday Week 6 game, a nice break in a tough stretch. Also because their Bye Week is not until Week 11
- After they come home from the Denver game, they stay in Seattle for almost a month. No travel for a month in the NFL is a great time to get healed up and prepped for the stretch run
Week 5 – SF
Week 6 – @ Denver (Thursday Night)
Week 7 – Kansas City (Sunday Night & Throwback Uniforms)
Week 9 – Chicago (Monday Night)
Second Quarter Goals
1. Beat San Francisco
We all know what needs to be done, we don’t need the lesson that beating the current best team in your division means.
As much as we love to think about those two beatdowns in Week 18 and the Divisional Round last year (with Kyle Shanahan joking at the Super Bowl that why is anyone asking him how to beat Seattle’s defense a particularly satisfying moment), it is time to put those into the history books and turn to the task at hand.
San Francisco is 4-0 despite being hammered with injuries once again. Brock Purdy plays incredibly well.
The game is in Seattle. The Seahawks need to hold serve and get into the Niners’ heads once again.
The loser of this game will be looking over their shoulder at the Los Angeles Rams, and Myles Garrett is not far off from coming back.
Mike Macdonald needs to once again draw up genius plans defensively to keep the offense in check. Brian Fleury will need to seize all his intel about how to find a weakness in San Francisco’s defense.
And the team must execute. No turnovers. No game-swinging penalties.
2. Connect the Offense Further
Right now, the offense is the Jaxon Smith-Njigba Show. And that’s fine. If he keeps getting open and producing at this rate, we can gladly accept cries of how the team is not distributing properly.
The problem would come when Darnold decides a risky chance on a throw to him is preferable to a near-guaranteed chance for other players. Thankfully, he has proven to be a good distributor of the ball.
But it could tip and sway very quickly if Fleury, Macdonald and Darnold are not careful.
Getting the Offensive Line more connected in the running game will help tremendously.
Winning some more Third downs will alleviate things as well. If you convert, there are at least three more offensive touches guaranteed.
3. Tune Up the Special Teams
This is the one area that could really make the difference down the stretch again. The Rams somehow seem worse than they were last year. If they come into that late stretch with problems still, Seattle must take advantage.
Right now, Jason Myers is fine but had a shaky game last week against the Chargers. The Seahawks need him back at his near-perfect best.
The kicking coverage units have been average.
And Michael Dickson has had a few punts with chances to pin opponents deep that do not accomplish their task.
This is something that can be worked on and improved in-season. Hopefully, Special Teams aces like Chazz Surratt and Irv Charles return to health and contribute to the level we know they can.
