Russell Wilson and the Seahawks fell to the Minnesota Vikings 17-30 in a game Seattle seemed to have control of early on. The Seahawks were looking to extend their lead late in the second quarter when their kicker, Jason Myers, missed a 44-yard attempt. Not only would the field goal have extended Seattle’s lead 20-14, but it was Myers’s first miss in 37 attempts. It was from this point on that the Seahawk’s offense and game plan completely fell apart.
The Vikings went on to score 16 unanswered points as the Seahawks flailed. Pete Carroll’s defense couldn’t stop the Viking’s run game or Kirk Cousins’s pinpoint passing. Minnesota dominated the time of possession in the second half, won their first game of the season, and handed Seattle their second consecutive loss dropping them to 1-2. The last time the Seahawks started a season 1-2 was back in 2018.
Now last in the division, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have some serious ground to make up. Next week they face their 2-1 division-rival 49ers, who, despite their injuries, could realistically be undefeated. Not to mention they still have to play both the (currently) undefeated Cardinals and Rams twice. If you think Seattle’s defense is horrible now, just wait until they face Kyler Murray and the new Matthew Stafford Rams.
With no big-ticket-free agents on the market or any trades to be made, the Seahawk’s hopes live and die with Russell Wilson and the offense.
Pete Carroll Has to Change
Pete Carroll isn’t much of an analytics guy, but it’s time to start being one. In Pete’s picture-perfect world, the Seahawks run the football 40 times a game and win outright while playing great defense. Unfortunately, this is the real world, where the NFL game isn’t built for that style of play anymore, and Seattle’s defense is awful. Against the Titans, the offensive game plan made zero sense.
#Seahawks first down production yesterday.
— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 20, 2021
Rushing – 11 Carries – 29yds – 2.6yds Per Attempt
Passing – 7/9 – 119 yds – 12.2yds Per Attempt
Even though Pete Carroll isn’t the offensive coordinator, this playcalling has his influence written all over it. Instead of letting Russell Wilson cook when it’s working the most, he’s an afterthought. Instead of playing more efficient football, the Seahawks game plan is often archaic. Even Pete’s defensive philosophy dates back to the birth of the NFL.
Seattle is leading the NFL by doing this over 92% of their defensive snaps https://t.co/IRMZHiea6q
— Eric Eager ?? (@PFF_Eric) September 27, 2021
In a world where offensive and defensive schemes are getting more complex, the Seahawks stay vanilla. For the Seahawks to have any hope of making it to the playoffs, they must put an emphasis on their passing game, and their defense must improve to at least top 20.
