Seahawks Halftime Observations: Geno Smith, Offense Start Hot vs. Rams

With Geno Smith dishing dimes and Ken Walker III running well off the edge, the Seattle Seahawks erased an early deficit to take a slim six-point lead into the half in their regular season opener.

Though they missed a chance to expand their lead late in the first half, the Seattle Seahawks built a 13-7 halftime advantage over the Los Angeles Rams behind strong starts for Geno Smith and Ken Walker III in Sunday's season opener at home.

Completing 75 percent of his passes in the first half, Smith threw for 89 yards and hooked up with DK Metcalf on a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Out of the backfield, Ken Walker III paced Seattle's rushing attack with 53 yards on nine carries.

Here are three quick takeaways at intermission at Lumen Field:

1. Geno Smith picks up right where he left off leading three scoring drives.

Wasting little time showing out for critics who questioned if Smith could continue playing at a high level, the veteran quarterback immediately marched Seattle into the red zone, only for a blown up screen play to lead to a 36-yard field goal by Jason Myers. On the signature play of the drive, he pump faked before bailing to his right and hitting DK Metcalf along the right sideline for a 28-yard gain, finishing the possession completing seven out of eight passes, including a first down connection on a crosser to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba to move into the red zone.

After the Rams answered with a touchdown to take the lead, he masterfully led a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive of his own, capping off the possession with a 10-yard pass to a wide-open Metcalf while throwing off his back foot with pressure bearing down on him. Moments later, aided by excellent starting field position, the Seahawks tacked on another field goal to extend their advantage to six points late in the second quarter.

2. Quality pass protection and run blocking fueled Seattle's strong offensive start.

Facing their long-time nemesis Aaron Donald, the Seahawks didn't have a perfect half protecting Smith by any means, but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron did a fine job dialing up quick pass plays and moving his quarterback out of the pocket. With protection holding up well most of the first two quarters and the signal caller unloading the ball when he needed to, he was only hit by Rams defenders twice on 32 plays. Unfortunately, protection did break down after a blocked field goal by Jarran Reed set the team up with excellent field position and Myers clanked a 39-yard field goal off the right upright inside two minutes to play in the half.

As for the run game, after Los Angeles snuffed out Walker's first couple of runs on the opening drive, Seattle started to find success getting the speedy back off the edge on the second drive on. With the front line creating push and opening up consistent run lanes, the second-year runner rushed for 38 yards on his final four carries, helping lead to 10 points with Metcalf's touchdown and Myers' second field goal.

3. Mixed results for Seattle's new look defense defending run, stopping third downs.

Looking to demonstrate marked improvements with a new-look defensive line and the return of linebacker Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks started their first defensive drive with a bang as the veteran linebacker blew up Cam Akers for no gain on the first play. But from there, Matthew Stafford carved coordinator Clint Hurtt's unit up with a quick passing game in the middle of the field, hooking up twice on third down with tight end Tyler Higbee as the Rams went a perfect five for five converting on third down on a 16-play drive that lasted more than nine minutes.

Run defense also proved to be a problem on that opening touchdown drive, as backup Kyren Williams exploded through a massive hole on a 3rd and 4 run for nine yards to help move deeper into Seattle territory. Akers also busted a 12-yard run earlier on the drive when cornerback Coby Bryant lost the edge and was sealed inside by a block. On the plus side, Wagner and Uchenna Nwosu combined to make three tackles together netting zero or negative yards, but for the half, the Seahawks still allowed 5.6 yards per carry and missed too many tackles.