Seattle Seahawks Halftime Observations: Offense Sputters as Baltimore Ravens Build Lead

Undone by turnovers and third down ineptitude, the Seattle Seahawks should consider themselves fortunate to only be down 14 at the half against a talented Baltimore Ravens squad on the road.

Outgained by nearly 150 yards and producing only three first downs, the Seattle Seahawks fell behind two scores early and went into halftime trailing the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 on the road.

Here are three quick observations from an ugly first 30 minutes at M&T Bank Stadium:

1. Stuck in neutral for two quarters, the Seahawks nearly had as many turnovers as points offensively.

In a matchup pitting two of the best defenses in the NFL against one another, Smith and Seattle's offense couldn't get untracked for nearly 30 minutes. Starting with a three-and-out on the game's opening possession, the road team produced 50 net yards on its first five possessions, punting four times and also turning the ball over when Smith and Tyler Lockett weren't on the same page on a third down throw, leading to an interception for Baltimore safety Geno Stone. Continuing a season-long trend, the Seahawks converted on just one out of eight third down opportunities and Smith had three passes swatted down at the line of scrimmage.

But after the Ravens took a 14-point lead closing in on the two minute warning, Smith stepped up in the pocket with pass rushers coming after him and hit DK Metcalf on a crosser for a 50-yard gain. Unfortunately, the explosive play turned into only a field goal by Jason Myers as the red zone offense faltered. Moments later, Tre Brown forced a fumble on Odell Beckham Jr. in plus territory, only for Smith to get sacked twice and cough up the football to lead to a Justin Tucker field goal. By halftime, they had amassed three first downs and two turnovers in an offensive display of offense football.

2. Defensive turnovers proved to be the only thing keeping the score somewhat close for Seattle.

Entering Sunday's game with a sack in five consecutive games, a red-hot Boye Mafe looked to have his sixth sack lined up early in the second quarter. But as Jackson has done to countless pass rushers over the years, he turned on the jets with the second-year defender in pursuit, running away from him and racing off tackle for a 23-yard gain to turn a potential sack into an explosive. Luckily for the Seahawks, Mafe got his revenge two plays later, whipping tackle Ronnie Stanley before collapsing in on Jackson, strip-sacking him and recovering the fumble for a critical turnover.

Seattle's defense came through with a pair of turnovers, but Geno Smith and the offense couldn't capitalize on either opportunity with points / © Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Following Myers field goal that finally got Seattle on the board, Baltimore came out aggressive with two timeouts left as Jackson hit Beckham Jr. for a first down catch. But the veteran rolled over Brown as he was being tackled and coughed up the football, allowing Bobby Wagner to recover it for what could have been a game-changing turnover in Ravens territory. Unfortunately, that fumble recovery turned a three-point swing in favor of the home team with Smith returning the favor only three plays later to set up Tucker for a field goal before halftime.

3. Containing Jackson failed as Ravens racked up rushing yards in bunches.

One of the best athletes to ever play the position, the Seahawks knew coming into Sunday that they would need to find a way to bottle up Jackson as a runner. But the game plan didn't produce positive results in the first half with the 2019 MVP winner rushing eight times for 61 yards to lead a dominant Ravens run game that gashed the visitors for 121 yards on 20 carries for a six yards per carry average. On multiple occasions, including running away from Mafe for his longest run of the half, he evaded pressure to turn potential losses into positive gains. He also found success on designed quarterback runs, taking advantage of soft edge setting by the Seahawks and strong push by the Ravens offensive line.

For Seattle to have any shot at getting back into the game in the final two quarters, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt will have to orchestrate a way to slow down Jackson and limit his effectiveness on the ground. Once he gets rolling, it opens up the rest of the playbook and creates significant schematic limitations for any defense.