Seahawks' Offense is Scoring Consistently, But Not Enough

Through six games, the Seattle Seahawks don't have a consistency issue trying to put points on the board. But that output hasn't been enough.

Oct 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes the ball while defended by New York Giants defensive tackle Elijah Chatman (94) during the second half at Lumen Field. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

While the Seattle Seahawks’ offense hasn’t been bad, it hasn’t been good either — at least not running the football. The team is scoring points consistently but never pouring it onto opponents.

Through six games, the Seahawks are one of 10 teams in the league yet to crack 30 points in a single contest, and one of just three teams in the NFC. The New York Giants — who Seattle lost to in Week 5, 29-20 — and Los Angeles Rams are the only other two teams in the conference yet to reach that mark.

Not including the Seahawks, the other nine teams yet to score 30 points in one game have a combined record of 19-31 this season.

Seattle hasn’t scored less than 20 points, either. The Seahawks have seemingly been one score away from turning the tide in each of their three straight losses, and they’ve had chances to take late leads. They have almost been consistent to a fault.

In fact, of the 10 teams yet to score 30 points in a game, Seattle is averaging the most points per game at 24.3 — ranking 13th overall in the NFL. That’s even more than the Kansas City Chiefs (23.6 points per game), who are the league’s last undefeated team at 5-0.

The defense is obviously a huge part of the issue, as the Seahawks are allowing 25 points per game. But, again, the offense has had chances to take late leads and squandered those opportunities.

Seattle is the only top-15 scoring offense that isn’t averaging 100 rushing yards per game. The emphasis has been on Geno Smith’s arm, and the receiving talents of DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett and the rest of the team’s pass-catchers. That’s led to an unsustainable circumstance where the Seahawks have the league’s top passing offense (276.7 yards per game) and not much else.

Smith has 27 more pass attempts than any other quarterback in the NFL this season. Now that Seattle’s offense is on tape, teams are selling out on the pass knowing the offensive line — which has been bad — won’t hold up for 60 minutes. That's not a knock on Smith, it's just an unsustainable offensive complexion.

The receiving and passing yardage statistics look good on paper, but it’s not contributing to a functional offense. The Seahawks scored a season-high 29 points against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 when Kenneth Walker III rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Balance is desperately needed.

In Week 6, Seattle’s running backs ran the ball 19 times for 52 yards and a touchdown. That was an improvement from the seven combined carries the week prior, but the run game was simply ineffective.

“It’s really a team stat because if you’re behind multiple scores, deep into the second half, you’re not going to be able to run the ball. It’s just the way it goes,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday following the team’s 36-24 loss to the 49ers. “So we’re going to keep working on it. Finding our identity. I mean, that’s one on the list of things that we’re going to be attacking over the next week.”

Seattle is piling up 373.2 yards of offense per game (seventh in the NFL), but it’s not translating to wins as of late. The offense has to get better in certain situations, including closing out games. As Macdonald said, the offense needs an identity outside of airing it out on seemingly every play. The unit has the potential to score well above 30 points.

The Seahawks conclude their 10-day break and have a chance to snap a three-game losing skid versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 20. Both the offense and defense will need to play better to get back in the win column.