Adjustments Needed For Ryan Grubb, Seahawks' Offense

Scoring more than 20 points on offense just once in their previous five games, the Seahawks have yet to soar as hoped with Ryan Grubb at the wheel.

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb talks with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) during pregame warmups against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Though the Seattle Seahawks entered Sunday night's prime time contest against the Green Bay Packers riding a four-game win streak, much of that success had been fueled by outstanding defensive play holding opponents to under 14 points per game.

As for the offensive side of the ball, while there have been flashes of brilliance with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb calling the shots, the unit has been dogged by inconsistency, failing to score more than 20 points in three of the four previous wins. That trend unfortunately continued on Sunday with the Seahawks scoring a single touchdown in a 30-13 blowout loss to the Packers, marking the fifth time this season where they were held to 20 or fewer points.

At the center of those struggles, Seattle has been one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL for most of the season, with a Week 14 win in Arizona being the lone exception when Zach Charbonnet ripped through the Cardinals defense for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Some of that has boiled down to Grubb not sticking with the ground game long enough, as the Seahawks averaged five yards per carry against the Packers but only had 15 carries from running backs in the defeat.

Seattle also has had major issues finishing in the red zone, exacerbated by Geno Smith's league-leading four interceptions inside the opposing 20-yard line. The team currently ranks 24th out of 32 teams in red zone touchdown rate (52.8 percent) with Smith throwing eight touchdowns compared to his four picks and the run game being increasingly less effective in that area of the field as the season has progressed after a strong start.

But as further illustrated on Sunday, Grubb hasn't helped his quarterback in the play design department, including in the red zone. Smith's latest pick in the red area came on a play where tight end Noah Fant appeared to be coming open on a corner route, but cornerback Carrington Valentine was able to work off of defending Tyler Lockett on an out route and pick the pass off due to the lack of spacing between the two players.

On two other instances where the Seahawks faced 3rd and 4 and 3rd and 2 conversion opportunities in the first half, Smith wound up taking sacks with just one quick outlet past the sticks, in both cases not able to throw to Fant or Lockett because they were covered well. Unable to transition to his second read with poor pass protection and long-developing routes not yet coming open, he had to eat the ball in both cases, ending promising drives with punts.

What seems to be holding Seattle back most on offense? And what adjustments need to be made by Grubb in the final three games for the team to have a shot at an NFC West title?

On a new episode of Locked On Seahawks, hosts Corbin Smith and Rob Rang investigate a new issue aside from the failure to establish a consistent run game that has grounded Smith and the passing game to this point, dish out their Tell The Truth Tuesday takeaways, including a surprise position of needed heading towards the 2025 offseason, and take a first look at what's new with the surging 12-2 Vikings.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in entirety here or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.

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