'Not There Yet': O-Line Continues to Prevent Seahawks From Reaching Potential

Geno Smith threw two critical red zone interceptions and deserves some blame for Sunday's latest loss, but poor line play continues to be a far bigger issue.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - As he has done several times throughout his three-year tenure as the team's starting quarterback, Geno Smith took the blame following the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Apologizing to fans, teammates, and the city of Seattle, Smith certainly made his share of critical mistakes as the Seahawks lost a 10-point halftime lead that warranted such an apology, uncorking two bad interceptions in the red zone in the fourth quarter. The first of those two picks, which the quarterback said he was trying to throw away before his arm was hit by a defender, was returned 106 yards for a touchdown by rookie safety Kamren Kinchens on a 14-point swing.

"They put a lot of trust in me with my decision-making, and when they put the ball in my hands, when my teammates play the way they played today and to give us a shot to win the game, I've got to make sure we do," Smith said. "The things I did today, mistakes that I made, they affected us negatively and really cost us the game today. Me knowing myself, I know how much this is going to hurt. I'm going to step it up, though. That's how I feel about it. I'm going to step it up."

Throwing three interceptions on the day, Smith can't be absolved from culpability in Seattle's latest meltdown, as his decision making wasn't where it needs to be for the Seahawks to win games. His two crucial fourth quarter mistakes turned what should have been a multi-score win into a heartbreaking overtime defeat that dropped the team into last place in the NFC West, and he owned up to those miscues as he needed to.

But as coach Mike Macdonald pointed out moments before Smith took the podium, as has unfortunately been the case all season, he didn't have much time to work with in the pocket as the Rams swarmed him from the opening drive until the end of overtime. The defense sacked him a season-high seven times and racked up 11 quarterback hits, making it incredibly difficult to operate the offense cleanly while under constant siege with poor pass protection in front of him.

"We're not there yet by any stretch of the imagination," Macdonald said of Seattle's o-line play. "I thought the guys played hard. We've been playing hard up front. But that's going to be part of what we're looking at over the next week. I just say it's fair to say in all three phases it's kind of all on the table right now of adjustments, things we need to move and shake and really being evaluating everything. So that will be a big part of it."

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Rams generated a 59.1 percent pressure rate against Smith, easily the highest by any defense in Week 9. Many of those pressures happened instantly off the snap, as the opposition posted 12 quick pressures with a 27.3 percent quick pressure rate, leaving the quarterback hanging out to dry with pass rushers immediately swooping into the backfield.

On the right side of the line, the Seahawks hoped the return of George Fant from injured reserve would bolster their protection of Smith. But the veteran lasted just seven passing snaps before exiting with a reaggravated knee injury, forcing rookie Mike Jerrell back into the lineup midway through the first half.

Between Fant, Jerrell, and right guard Anthony Bradford, per Pro Football Focus charting, the trio combined to allow 10 pressures, four sacks, a quarterback hit while also being penalized three times, including a hold on Jerrell that wiped out a 40-yard completion to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the third quarter. Such numbers simply aren't acceptable and make trying to orchestrate an offense in the NFL near impossible.

In the run game, the Seahawks had quality blocking in spurts on Sunday, including three carries by Ken Walker III of five or more yards on their lone drive in overtime, which was a stark improvement from the previous week in a loss to the Bills. However, consistency continues to be a major problem, particularly when it comes to creating push up front in short yardage situations such as the 4th and 1 run that the Rams blew up to end that drive.

When asked on Monday about Seattle's third and fourth-down packages for short yardage situations and the poor results, Macdonald said it isn't on par with expectations and he, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and the rest of the coaching staff have to find a way to improve their conversion rates during the bye week.

"This is a team effort," Macdonald explained. "These are things that we practice throughout the week, review as a staff. It's not good enough right now. We're not converting on these short yardage situations and it makes it difficult to do those decisions in real time. You want to be confident and excited about those plays, so right now, we're not converting at the percentage we need to be converting to be a championship-caliber team."

Given those ugly numbers on both a macro and micro level in both the pass and run game, it's no wonder Seattle can't find any consistency on offense. The skill players, particularly Smith and Walker, don't stand a fighting chance with the offensive line functioning like a turnstile every snap, which makes evaluating either player much more challenging for Macdonald and his staff.

With a week off to do some much-needed soul searching, the Seahawks could have some reinforcements coming soon, as Macdonald indicated tackle Abraham Lucas could make his season debut against the 49ers in Week 11. But even if he does come off the PUP list following offseason knee surgery, the team doesn't know what to expect in his first game action in nearly a calendar year and still has other issues to deal with at other positions.

At center, Connor Williams has not been the difference maker that Seattle thought he would be when he signed a one-year contract in August, launching four bad snaps in the last two games and struggling to win at the line of scrimmage in the run game. As for right guard, after being named the full-time starter over rookie Christian Haynes last week,, Bradford's dismal outing on Sunday may force the team to re-open the competition.

Given the litany of issues plaguing a perpetually maligned offensive line, Macdonald said "everything will be on the table" when it comes to improving protection for Smith and shoring up the run game in the trenches. Whether it is personnel, scheme, or general coaching points, nothing will be exempt as the coaching staff combs through what has gone wrong as the Seahawks have dropped five out of six games looking for answers.

Still just one game out in a tight division race full of mediocre teams thus far, Macdonald remains confident the Seahawks will find a solution to get things rolling in the second half and a healthy Lucas has the potential to be a major game changer. But with just eight games left on the schedule and the majority of those contests coming on the road, those fixes will have to be initiated fast with or without Lucas or the opportunity to play back into contention will evaporate as quickly as the pocket has been collapsing on Smith.

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