'Answer-Based Offense' Will Keep Seattle Seahawks Humming Despite Slow Ground Attack

Getting the ground game going is a priority for Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. But they have proven they can win without it.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) celebrates with quarterback Geno Smith (7) after catching a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

On the heels of their worst performance running the ball since, ironically, facing Mike Macdonald’s Baltimore Ravens last season, the Seattle Seahawks will face a middle-of-the-pack Miami Dolphins rush defense at home on Sunday.

Miami is coming off a 31-10 loss where it allowed 108 yards rushing to the Buffalo Bills — mostly coming from James Cook’s 78 yards on the ground via just 11 carries.

Seattle couldn’t crack a New England Patriots front that has given up 80.5 yards on the ground per game through three games (sixth in the NFL), rushing for just 46 total yards in Week 2.

“That’s just defensively how [New England] set up,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Thursday of the Patriots’ run game struggles against the Patriots. “They’ve been good for a long time and stats would’ve told you before the game that their weakness was throwing the football and I thought that in the end that was what we had to exploit, and we did.”

Grubb is right about New England being stout against the run on a perennial basis. The Patriots have had a top-10 rush defense in six of the last 10 seasons and each of the previous two. In 2023, New England ranked third in rush yards allowed.

It was advantageous for Seattle to revert to throwing the football. As a result, Geno Smith completed a career-high 33 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks won the game in overtime.

They handed to running back Zach Charbonnet when it made sense — like on the final offensive play of overtime when Charbonnet picked up nine yards on 1st and 10 after Smith threw the ball seven straight times. Eventually, the defense has to respect it.

“For us, at the end, that was certainly the case that we had some doors open there for looks where we could have switched or checked to a run, but they kept giving us the throw looks,” Grubb said.

If a defense is selling out on the run, you throw the ball — especially with the pass-catchers Seattle has. DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba commanded 30 targets, and both went over 100 yards receiving versus the Patriots.

It was the first time two Seahawks receivers surpassed triple-digit receiving yards since Metcalf and Tyler Lockett did so in 2022. Counter one extreme with another.

“I think anytime you have a situation like that, you want to be an answer-based offense and be able to respond,” Grubb added, “and we’ve got a lot of talented guys and I think that if they take one thing away and try to focus on that, you have to be able to fall back on whatever the other side is. So if they want to challenge you in the run game and you feel like the advantage is throwing the football, then you have to attack that and stay aggressive."

Eventually, of course, Grubb wants the run and pass to be complementary. An increase in play action would allow that, but the balance isn’t there yet. It’s been one or the other.

“Yeah, certainly the run game is a big part of that,” Grubb said of the absence of play action in Seattle’s offense through two games. “And then obviously how you’re protecting and the ball going a little bit further down the field. But we certainly work play action every day and it’s a big part of the offense and we’re hoping that lights up pretty soon.”

Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws a pass against the New England Patriots in overtime at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Kenneth Walker III’s continued absence also has consequences for the diversity of the Seahawks’ rushing attack. Walker is the big-play threat who can exploit any small imperfection in an opponent’s gap discipline and edge integrity. Charbonnet is the downhill runner. Remove one, and Seattle is much easier to gameplan against.

Grubb made the necessary adjustments in the run game versus the Denver Broncos in Week 1 to spring Walker in the second half. That won’t be so seamless every week.

In summary: Don’t panic about Seattle’s rushing attack. The offensive line is a concern, but we’ve already seen Grubb effectively scheme lanes open in a pinch.

Against Miami, the biggest question will be whether Seattle’s offensive line can push to the second level to negate linebackers Jordyn Brooks — the former Seahawk — and David Long Jr., who have both been excellent against the rush so far in 2024.

The initial push after the snap has been the Seahawks’ biggest struggle so far. That doesn’t play to Charbonnet’s strengths. Walker flourished in the second half against New England when Grubb began getting him and the offensive linemen in space on the edges.

It might be another pass-heavy game for Seattle if the creases in Miami’s defense are limited. Smith and his stable of receivers have proven they can still win games regardless.