3 Takeaways from Seahawks’ Week 7 Loss

0 of 3

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks couldn’t quite finish the job against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. While Seattle took an early lead and played a tough, physical brand of football all evening, a few key mistakes ultimately cost them.

Quarterback Geno Smith, filling in for an injured Russell Wilson, struggled with the pre-snap process and cost Seattle critical timeouts. Kicker Jason Myers missed a 44-yard field goal early in the third quarter. The Saints made their fair share of mistakes too—including seven penalties for 90 yards—but when Seattle had one final drive to try tying the game, New Orleans shut it down.

So, Seattle walked away losing two straight without Wilson and is 0-3 at home to start the season. The silver lining is that in losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Saints, the Seahawks have shown that they’re going to put up a fight with Smith under center.

Here’s what else we learned during Seattle’s 13-10 loss in Week 7.

1 of 3

John Froschauer/Associated Press

If the Seahawks are going to start getting wins out of Smith instead of just close losses, they need to be more aggressive in the passing game. Smith was a respectable 12-of-22 for 167 yards and a touchdown on Monday night. He posted a rating of 94.3. However, he rarely tested the defense deep, and more than half of his yards (84), came on a first-quarter catch-and-run by DK Metcalf.

Metcalf had only two receptions on the night, and speedster Tyler Lockett was only targeted three times. The Saints second was repeatedly flustered—and caught multiple personal foul calls—but Seattle didn’t attack it.

Instead, the Seahawks consistently ran into a defense that was obviously prepared to stop the run. Alex Collins led the team with 35 rushing yards, and it took him 18 carries to get there. Overall, Seattle averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and picked up just four first downs via the run.

While Smith certainly isn’t the big-play creator that Wilson is, the Seahawks aren’t going to win with such a one-dimensional offense. It didn’t work against the Saints, and it might not even work against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are coming off their first win of 2021 and the bye week.

2 of 3

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

If the Seahawks are going to commit to the run so heavily, they need to find a way to create bigger plays. Collins was ineffective most of the night, as was Rashaad Penny—who nine yards on six carries.

The sledding won’t always be this tough, of course. The Saints rank first in run defense and second in yards per attempt allowed. Repeatedly running up the middle and hoping for a fourth-quarter spark simply isn’t going to work without Wilson under center.

“He’s a fantastic positive factor and always has been. That’s his time. That’s when he shines,” head coach Pete Carroll said of Wilson, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Seattle got creative exactly twice on Monday, once on a designed run by tight end Gerald Everett. It gained 12 yards. Wideout Freddie Swaim also carried once for six yards. Moving forward, Seattle might want to try involving Lockett and Metcalf on sweeps and reverses—plays that if not broken for big yardage would at least keep defenses guessing.

3 of 3

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

No one is going to argue that Seattle has a top-shelf defense. The Seahawks rank 31st in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed on the season. However, the defense has been good enough in back-to-back weeks to win.

A week ago, Seattle held the Steelers to 345 yards and 23 points. Pittsburgh only got the winning score after a Smith fumble in overtime. The defense was even better on Monday, holding New Orleans to 304 yards one touchdown and two field goals.

A key red-zone stop helped preserve an early lead, and a third-quarter takeaway gave Seattle the chance to tie it late. Had Seattle gotten just a little bit more out of the offense, it would be sitting at 3-4 instead of 2-5.

Hopefully, the defense can keep up its intensity next week against Jacksonville, because that is a game the Seahawks cannot lose if they hope to get back into the playoff mix upon Wilson’s return.