3 Takeaways from Seahawks-Packers
How much do we love Sam Howell?
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Before we get into the takeaways on the field, I need to rant about Seahawk fans and the Seahawk organization. During the Sunday Night Football broadcast, Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico referenced the great crowd and the home field advantage at Lumen Field. They are living in the past. We are all living in the past. The mystique in Seattle and the dominance at home is long gone. The lower bowl, yet again, was full of opposing fans as chants of “Go Pack Go!” could be heard through the television.
The Seahawks are 23-20 at home since the start of the 2019 season. Season ticket holders who once filled the stands are now sitting at home. Other season ticket holders are selling their tickets to make a profit. The result is an embarrassing home field situation. There should be no fear entering Lumen Field and the Seahawks organization is to blame. They have priced out fans who want to attend games with their family and no one seems to care. Is this a rant on capitalism? Maybe. If you want more of that, listen to our latest podcast episode.
I am not alone in this observation or frustration obviously as Hawks fans and bloggers unite over this issue. Hawk Blogger is actually trying to facilitate a solution. Steve Ballmer (yes that Steve Ballmer) is trying as well. There are ways to make this work, but the Hawks organization will need to put their home field advantage over their profits (as will Hawk fans).
On to the three takeaways this week.
A Mess of an Offensive Line
There was a narrative going around the Seattle sports circles that the offensive line had improved in the past four weeks. As the Hawks rolled to a 4-0 record against decent competition, the work of rookie guard Sataoa Laumea and center Oli Oluwatimi were referenced as reasons for the change in mentality and execution. Well, that came to a quick thud on Sunday night.
Laumea got absolutely dominated by the Packers defensive line, giving up 10 quarterback pressures. That is 10. By himself. His Pro Football Focus pass block grade was 1.6. I didn’t even think that was possible. As a collective group, the offensive line gave up 24 quarterback pressures and 15 hurries. They were horrific and continue to plague this franchise.
The Future of the QB Position
I will admit that at times I get frustrated with Geno Smith. I am not sure there is a Seahawk fan that can honestly say that they don’t get frustrated with a man who leads the NFL in red zone interceptions. And I will also admit that at times, I wonder what Sam Howell could do and whether he is the answer moving forward at quarterback.
Sam Howell is not the answer.
Howell put up one of the worst performances in NFL history on Sunday night. No, seriously. As referenced by many different users on X, Sam Howell had five net yards against the Packers. That is the ninth worst game by any QB with 15 or more drop backs in any game since the year 2000. Of any game.
For the Seahawks to have any hope on Sunday against Minnesota, Geno Smith has to play. But what do the Hawks do beyond this year? They have to invest in the QB position with draft capital. There is no guarantee that young QBs will work out so just keep drafting one every year until you find a gem. Start in 2025 and keep Geno on his contract through that year.
The Defense Looked Average Again
The Seahawks defense had a very nice four week stretch. In the four game winning steak, the Seahawks were third in the NFL in points allowed and were dominating on run defense against the Cardinals and Jets in particular. However, that came crashing down in the first half against the Packers. Josh Jacobs had 31 yards on the ground in the first drive alone as Seattle looked unprepared for Green Bay. On the second drive, Jacobs ran off for carries of 19 and 21 yards respectively. The Hawks were down 14-0 and it felt like the game was over with the way the Packers were moving the ball.
Unfortunately, the Hawks don’t have enough talent on defense. Mike McDonald did a nice job in the second half to rally the defense, but it was too little, too late. Rookie Tyrice Knight had his worst game as a professional after four great weeks in a row. Riq Woolen is out here getting eviscerated on social media for his lack of effort and rookie Byron Murphy looks pretty average after a promising start (ranking 87th among DL in PFF grade). The Hawks need to find playmakers and depth on defense to compete with the likes of Green Bay. They simply don’t have it right now.