Seattle Seahawks Recent Struggles Under Spotlight Heading Into 49ers Matchup

The Seattle Seahawks opened this season with three consecutive wins under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. This represented the best three-game start for a new Seahawks head coach in the history of the franchise.

There were still major questions surrounding this team. Those three wins came against the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins — squads that boast a combined 6-9 record heading into Week 6.

We knew the level of competition was about to change, starting Week 4 against the Detroit Lions on the road. Seattle fell by the score of 42-29 despite putting up 38 first downs and 516 total yards of offense.

One loss. Not a big deal. Right?

I warned against Seattle overlooking what had been a lowly New York Giants squad at home this past Sunday. It was set to take on the division-rival San Francisco 49ers on a short week come Thursday. It’s human nature to look forward to that home game on national television.

What followed inside Lumen Field was disaster. Seattle fell to the previously 1-3 Giants by the score of 23-20. That included a 60-yard blocked field goal for a touchdown by the Giants with Seattle vying for a tie in the final minute.

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The overall performance was one that caught Macdonald’s attention.

"We got outplayed and outexecuted today. That's what happened. I thought we made some good adjustments as the game went on. I'm not sure what the numbers are saying, but when we did create third downs in the first half, we didn't get off the field.” Macdonald told reporters after the loss. “And then I think there were some penalties there in the second half. It's kind of all the way around—all three phases, all three levels of the defense, myself included. We got outplayed today on defense."

About those numbers? They were not great. Seattle’s defense yielded Giant season highs in total yards (420), rushing yards (175) and first downs (24). This was a Giants team that entered Week 5 averaging 15 points per game.

At 3-2 heading into Thursday night’s game, there are far more questions for the Seahawks than there were a mere two weeks ago. The Giants loss proved this to a T.

Seattle Seahawks Have A Lot To Fix Ahead Of 49ers Game

Unfortunately, the Seahawks don’t have much time to prepare for their home date against the defending NFC champions. It will create a lot of issues for Macdonald and the coaching stuff.

I focused on the struggles we saw from Seattle’s defense last week. But there is a lot more to look at when it comes to losing to a team of the Giants’ ilk at home.

A lack of balance on offense is one thing. Geno Smith dropped back to pass 51 times. He did complete 28-of-40 passes for 284 yards without a touchdown. With that said, the quarterback was sacked a whopping seven times in the process.

The common denominator Sunday was a lack of a rushing attack from Seattle.

"We all know we need to run the ball more," Macdonald told reporters this week. "Everybody knows that, our opponents know that. Our players in our locker room know that, (offensive coordinator Ryan) Grubb knows that, our coaches do, and I do.”

Smith put up a career-high 72 yards on four rush attempts. The rest of Seattle’s backfield went for 30 yards on seven attempts, including Kenneth Walker seeing a mere five carries (19 yards).

That was as much schematic as it was the performance of the actual players on the field. Hence, Macdonald’s mention of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

What Can The Seahawks Fix Thursday Night?

It’s not like San Francisco is heading into this game riding high. Kyle Shanahan saw his squad blow a 10-point fourth quarter lead at home against the Arizona Cardinals last week. The 49ers head into this game with a mere 2-3 record and boasting many more questions than answers.

Seattle has an ability to take advantage of a few things come Thursday evening. The 49ers’ defense has given up some big plays, including a 50-yard touchdown run to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray last week. They also yielded a 97-yard touchdown catch to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson back in Week 2.

It’s going to be all about the Seahawks executing on that side of the ball while getting it to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett through the air. Though, finding the right balance has to be seen as the biggest key.

None of this will matter if the Seahawks’ defense plays like it did last week. A 49ers skill-position group consisting of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk catching passes from Brock Purdy would prove to be too much.

Execution. Playing smarter football. Improving the rushing attack. Tightening things up defensively. These will be the biggest keys on a short week.