The Seahawks finished the season with a strong 10-7 record, which usually results in a playoff spot.
However, they fell short and missed the postseason by one game.
Based on how the Wild Card round of the playoffs went, though, they unlikely would have survived.
How the Seahawks Stack Up Against Playoff Teams
The Ravens, Eagles, Commanders, and Bills all succeeded in the Wild Card round. While all of these teams are well-rounded, with the Eagles Super Bowl bound, they’re tied together by one common denominator— trenches.
These teams dominated on both sides of the ball, paving running lanes and giving quarterbacks time to throw while stuffing the run and having efficient pass rushes. The four aforementioned teams averaged 190 rush yards while only giving up 79 yards/game and averaged 2.25 sacks while only giving up 1.25 sacks a game.
Even with just base metrics like sacks and rushing yards, it is apparent how much the trenches contribute to success in playoff environments.
https://twitter.com/The33rdTeamFB/status/1880002137889075595
The Need For Better Trenches
The notion that the development of the trenches leads to success in the playoffs is not new. When the going gets rough, the temperature gets colder, and the games get more physical, it’s no surprise that the most physical areas of football determine playoff games.
The principal issue that has plagued the Seahawks since John Schneider became their GM is his staff’s inability to find and develop trench talent. While he’s excelled in the skill positions and second level of defense with players like Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and more, it’s hard to think of a high-caliber player like that on either side of the line.
Schneider has taken shots on players like Derick Hall and Boye Mafe with premier picks, and while they’ve developed to be solid pieces, it’s nowhere close to the caliber of skill position players in his resume, and neither has posted a 10+ sack season yet.
Offensively, it hasn’t been much better. Charles Cross and Abe Lucas headline a group of offensive line misses that have led to subpar play. This year, Seattle ranked 26th in sacks allowed, giving up 3.2 a game, which is an astounding number. Both of these pieces are solid but nowhere close to being in the upper echelon of offensive linemen and have yet to contribute to even a mediocre offensive line.
The Seahawks have a multitude of shiny pieces in Kenneth Walker, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet, and others on offense and Devin Witherspoon Riq Woolen on defense. Yet outside of Leonard Williams (someone they didn’t even develop as a prospect), their interior seriously lacks talent.
According to ESPN, the Seahawks don’t rank inside the top 12 in any relevant trench stat, including pass block win rate, run block win rate, pass rush win rate or run stop win rate. Neither of their blocking win rates are even in the top 20.
Suppose you’re wondering why the Seahawks never could seem to win any games against playoff teams like the Rams, Vikings, Packers, or others. In that case, it’s because they have a shiny exterior but a soft middle that can be exposed by talented coaches with aggressive schemes.
Seahawks Are In NFL Purgatory
Their failure to hang with the best of the best in the conference and their ability to beat worse teams cement their spot in football purgatory and among the league’s middling teams.
For the Seahawks to truly make a dent in the playoffs, developing the trenches is not a recommendation but rather a requirement. John Schneider has shown a clear lack of ability to scout and develop the trenches, so the simple solution seems to be to invest in prospects that have already been developed and scouted, such as the free-agent market.
It will be extremely difficult to view the Seahawks as a competitive team until they can figure out their issues on both sides of the offensive line.
However, there is light ahead. Mike MacDonald has stated that he wants to develop a more physical running game, and this will mean investing in the offensive line, which is a great step in the right direction.
Leave a comment