Seahawks Analysis: 3 Areas Team Must Improve Coming Out of Bye Week

Winning three of their first four games, the Seattle Seahawks have gotten off to a strong start as they pursue a return to the playoffs. Where can they get better to improve their odds of hanging in the NFC West and emerging as contender in the NFC after their bye week?

Riding a three-game winning streak and sitting alone in second place in the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams each losing on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks sit idle this weekend during an early Week 5 bye before heading into the meat of their 2023 schedule.

Looking forward to the final 13 games of the season starting with a tough road test against the Bengals in Cincinnati next week, where do the Seahawks need to improve the most as a team? Here are three clear deficiencies that must be addressed in coming weeks for the team to stay in the hunt in the NFC West:

1. Continued Improvements in Situational Football

Since the early stages of Seattle's offseason program, Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff have prioritized making strides converting on third down and finishing in the red zone on offense and defense and for good reason. Despite making the playoffs last season, the team finished 27th in red zone scoring percentage (48.3 percent) and 20th in third down conversion rate (38.3 percent) offensively and wasn't much better on defense, finishing 23rd in red zone scoring percentage and 27th in third down conversion rate.

So far through four games, the extra emphasis has manifested on the field with improved offensive red zone efficiency. With running back Ken Walker III already scoring five touchdowns inside the opposing 20-yard line, the Seahawks currently rank a respectable 13th in red zone touchdown percentage at just under 60 percent. But there's still room to grow in that department, particularly in the passing game, as Geno Smith has only completed 50 percent of his red zone throws, which ranks 20th among qualified quarterbacks.

Geno Smith ranks among league leaders with five red zone touchdowns, but he has room to improve efficiency wise with a 50 percent completion rate :: © Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

While Seattle has been more efficient in the red zone offensively, however, the same can't be said on defense. Opponents have scored a touchdown against coordinator Clint Hurtt's squad on an NFL-worst 87.5 percent of their drives inside the 20, capping off drives with six points at an alarming rate. Third down hasn't gone well on either side of the ball, ranking 31st out of 31 teams in conversion percentage on offense as well as defense with dismal success rates.

For the Seahawks to compete against the NFC's elite such as the 49ers and Eagles and potentially make a deep playoff run in January, the team must demonstrate marked improvements sustaining drives on offense and getting off the field on defense coming out of the bye week. They will also have to sharpen up their execution in the red zone, specifically on defense where opponents have been able to walk into the end zone at a near 90 percent clip.

2. More Explosives on Offense, Less Explosives on Defense

After being one of the most explosive teams in the NFL last season, though the Seahawks still have a top-10 scoring offense, Smith and company haven't been quite as dynamic during the early stages of the season.

On his way to winning Comeback Player of the Year, no quarterback in the NFL proved to be more prolific turning deep balls into touchdowns than Smith, who led the league with 14 touchdown tosses traveling 20 or more yards through the air. Through four games, that magic with explosives hasn't translated into this year despite having an abundance of weapons around him such as DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as he has yet to throw a touchdown of more than 20 yards.

On the ground, Seattle has been in the middle of the pack for explosive runs with nine carries of 12 or more yards. Individually, Walker entered this weekend tied for seventh among NFL backs with eight rushes netting 10 or more yards and designed runs of 15 or more yards, while rookie Zach Charbonnet has four runs of 10 or more yards and a single run of 15-plus yards in limited action.

Ranked just 17th in total yardage, the Seahawks will have to find a way to scheme up big plays in the passing game to take advantage of their talented stable of receivers. Getting healthier along the offensive line with tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas close to returning should help achieve that goal by providing Smith a bit more time in the pocket and allowing coordinator Shane Waldron to confidently dial up a few more shot plays.

One of three 20-plus yard touchdown passes allowed by Seattle's defense, Devon Witherspoon got caught flat-footed against a flea flicker for a touchdown in Detroit / © Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

As for the other side of the ball, contributing to a mediocre 17th overall scoring defense ranking propped up by giving up only three points to the New York Giants in Week 4, Seattle has been far too charitable surrendering chunk plays in the passing game.

Despite returning Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen and safety Quandre Diggs and adding top-five pick Devon Witherspoon to the equation, the team has allowed a league-leading 19 pass plays of 20 or more yards. This has been a major factor in the team's struggles getting stops on third down. More concerningly, they have allowed the fourth-most explosive passing touchdowns (3) in the entire league, frequently getting burned for six points on long plays on a weekly basis.

If there's a silver lining, the Seahawks have done a fantastic job bottling up ball carriers in the run game this season. After giving up 47 runs of 10 or more yards a year ago, Hurtt's defense has only yielded six such runs in the first four games in 2023, which has been a crucial ingredient to the team rebounding from ranking 30th defending ground games last year to a stellar sixth ranking this season.

3. Clean Up Self-Inflicted Wounds on Both Sides of the Football

As expected during the early stages of any NFL season, the Seahawks have had their share of issues with penalties in the first four games. But it's the type of penalties that are the biggest concern, as mental and discipline-related errors have been a bit higher than Carroll and his staff would prefer.

According to NFLPenalties.com, Seattle has been penalized 32 times in four games, with more than a quarter of those flags coming on pre-snap infractions. This includes false starts, offsides, encroachment, and illegal formation penalties, which the team has been dinged for by officials 12 times already. This includes six false start penalties, which have likely been happening more frequently due to the musical chairs along the offensive line with multiple starters being injured.

Finding a way to cut down on penalties, particularly the pre-snap variety that tend to be mental miscues, would work wonders in regard to helping Seattle stay on schedule and improve effectiveness sustaining drives.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks have been sloppy at times getting ball carriers to the ground. Before Sunday's slate of Week 5 games, per Pro Football Reference, the team had combined to miss 36 tackles, tied for the sixth-highest total among NFL teams. Many of those issues have cropped up in the back seven with Pro Football Focus charging safeties Julian Love and Diggs with six missed tackles apiece and linebacker Jordyn Brooks missing five tackles so far.

Still yet to play the 49ers within the NFC West and facing tougher competition down the line with talented teams such as the Cowboys and Ravens on the schedule that can run and create after the catch in the passing game, the Seahawks will have to shore up their tackling fundamentals in a hurry. Doing so could be part of the solution to their season-long third down woes and allow for shorter possessions to turn the ball back over to Smith and the offense.