Is the Seattle Seahawks' Skid Reversible With Current Roster?

On a three-game slide, the Seattle Seahawks believe the players and coaches they have in-house will be enough to turn things around when they return from the mini-bye.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald reacts to a call during the second half against Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks looked like a playoff contender in their first three games of the season. But in the last three games, they’ve looked like an NFC bottom-feeder.

What’s going wrong with the current Seahawks group? Are injuries that much of a factor? Was the opening schedule just that easy? Is a turnaround possible with the current players and coaches in the building?

According to the team, they have everything they need in-house. With a grueling three-game, 11-day schedule that resulted in three consecutive losses complete, it’s time for the Seahawks to take a hard look in the mirror during their mini-bye week.

“We have the people in the building — our players, our coaches — to become a really good football team. Right now, we’re just coming up short,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after Seattle’s 36-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. “That’s obvious based off the tape and what's going on … we’re just not doing the things that good football teams do to win football games, and so we’re going to attack it.”

Macdonald has a difficult task ahead of him as a first-time head coach. He began on the highest of highs for a rookie coach, as his defense — which was his calling card in the hiring cycle — was playing like one of the best units in the NFL. Now, he has to prove he can guide the team through adversity.

From Weeks 1–3, Seattle was allowing just 14.3 points per game and 248.7 total yards per game. Since then, the defense has given up 35.7 points per game and allowed 430.7 yards per game on average.

In losses to the 49ers, New York Giants and Detroit Lions, opposing quarterbacks have completed 73.8 percent of their passes for 804 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Additionally, Seattle gave up an average of 173 rushing yards to those teams.

“It’s very fixable,” Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins said after Thursday’s loss. “Everyone just has to be open. I think we got the right guys. I think that is the case. But we just have to really hold each other accountable, and we can’t beat around the bush.”

The offense is yet to have an all-around poor performance, but turnovers in key spots, slow starts to games, an inconsistent rushing attack and up-and-down offensive line play are significantly hampering the unit. There’s no consistency.

Six games into the season there's still no stability at Seattle's offensive guard positions. Veteran Laken Tomlinson has been bad at left guard, and the coaching staff can't settle on Anthony Bradford or rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes at right guard. Haynes hasn't made a start, but he's played at least eight offensive snaps in four games and a maximum of 36 in Week 4.

Whereas quarterback Geno Smith was previously playing arguably the best football of his career before, he’s now inspiring questions about his play after a poor showing against the 49ers — maybe the worst game he’s played since taking over as Seattle’s starter in 2022 (30-for-52 passing, 312 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions).

The Seahawks are minus-five in the turnover margin the last three weeks and minus-six on the season, which is tied for second-worst in the NFL.

“When you play against good teams, well-coached, you can’t shoot yourself in the foot,” Smith said. “Those are the things we’re doing right now. That’s to be totally honest with you. Just getting in our own way. We got to stop doing that.”

But how does that get fixed? “Practice harder, work harder [and] better,” Smith said.

Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) fumbles the ball after being sacked by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill (54) in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Injuries, of course, are a factor. On defense, only linebacker Tyrel Dodson, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safeties Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins have started all six games for Seattle. Even then, Love missed the second half of the game against the Detroit Lions and entered Thursday’s game as questionable. Jenkins has been playing with a club on his hand.

Through the first three weeks, the defense displayed their potential with most or all of the starters healthy. It’s tough to know how much of the fall-off has been because of an ever-changing starting lineup, legitimate regression in their execution of the scheme, or both.

The teams Seattle beat from Weeks 1–3 have a combined record of 6-9 (.400). The teams they’ve lost to have a combined record of 8-7 (.533). There isn’t much of a pattern to their losses, but they’re yet to beat a bonafide playoff contender. Until they do, it’s tough to know how good this team actually is.

One thing is certain: The current state of the offense and defense will not sustain the Seahawks to a playoff run, or even contention.

“There are one of two options: Give up or fight like heck to make it right,” Macdonald said. “That’s what we’re going to do. We’re six games into the season and there is a lot of football to be played … But we’ve got the right guys for the job, guys that are in it. We’re going to do this thing together and fight forward, [going] to Atlanta next week.”

The health of the team coming out of the mini-bye will dictate whether Seattle makes any moves before the trade deadline. However, for now, Macdonald and his players believe — at least publicly — they have the pieces to make it right.

You can’t fix everything overnight … There [are] good things on tape. The effort was there. The guys are trying to play physical. Trying to play the right way,” Macdonald said. “We’ve got to look at what we’re asking and how we’re coaching it and how teams are attacking us, and then go from there. That’s really just going to be the thought. Kind of like a mini bye week so [we are] going to be looking at ourselves a lot over the next few days and then go back to work on Monday.”