Seahawks ‘don’t have time to wait’ to get better after Week 1 drubbing

RENTON, Wash. – Proof of what a team effort – or, maybe it should be said, noneffort – as Seattle’s 30-13 loss to the Rams was on Sunday is illustrated in the rankings this week for the Seahawks’ offense and defense.

After one game, each ranks 30th, Seattle’s offense having gained just 180 yards against the Rams, fewer than all but two other teams, and the defense allowing 426, more than all but two other teams.

So what are offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt doing this week in practice in response as Seattle prepares to play at Detroit on Sunday?

While the specifics will obviously be hidden, each said what they are not doing is panicking.

“We are never going to come in here and make it seem like the world is coming down,” Hurtt said when he talked to reporters during his weekly news conference Thursday. “There is a lot of football left to be played.”

Waldron sang a similar tune when he talked after Hurtt.

“For us, the mindset right now on offense is not letting one bad half of football really trickle into the season or trickle past what it is, which is one half where we know we can do a better job,” Waldron said. “That’s where it comes back to. We don’t need to go outside the framework of what we have been practicing and what we have been putting on tape, as far as training camp, OTAs, all the offseason work that the guys have done. Just staying within ourselves and just trusting that we do have good players on this offense, and a good group of players that really play hard for each other moving forward.”

Each tried to emphasize what they felt were the good things in the game.

For Waldron, that was Seattle not punting in the first half and scoring on three of its four drives – the other ending in a missed field goal – before a disastrous second half in which Seattle had just 12 yards and only one first down, which came via a Los Angeles penalty.

For Hurtt, that was a run defense that held the Rams to 92 yards on 40 carries, and just 2.3 per attempt, less than half the 4.9 the Seahawks allowed in 2022 when they ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed. While Seattle held down the run, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 334 yards, the third most any NFL team allowed in Week 1.

“We don’t do the moral victory thing,” Hurtt said. “But you’ve got to find the positives and say, ‘OK, let’s hang on to this, and we’ve got the other area that we’ve got to be able to make our strides in and get better.’ So that’s how you’ve got to approach it.”

As for specifics of what went wrong, Waldron said, “Just being able to execute at a high level through four quarters.”

What obviously was also a big factor was losing both starting offensive tackles – left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abe Lucas (Washington State) – to injury after halftime. Lucas is on IR and will miss at least four games. Cross did not practice again Thursday and seems unlikely to play.

Jake Curhan (right) and Stone Forsythe (left) are likely to start instead, though Seattle also signed 19-year veteran Jason Peters this week. He went through another practice Thursday. It’s unclear if he will be on the active roster or will play, though Waldron said he “looks like he’s ready to play right now.”

Hurtt noted the obvious – that a pass rush that had just two QB hits and no sacks in 39 dropbacks has to get better. He also cited the need for better communication in the back end, as a few Rams receivers broke wide open at times when there was some hesitation among the Seahawks about responsibilities.

“You saw some guys getting work in the secondary that are still getting used to each other playing together,” he said. “Guys that have missed some time. And same with rushers and new additions and all that.”

Where the issues showed up most were on third down as Seattle’s offense was 2 of 9 – and missed on its last seven – while the defense allowed 11 of 17. Seattle’s offense was 0 of 7 on third downs of longer than 4 yards, while Seattle’s defense allowed 8 of 13 on third downs of 4 yards or longer.

“Whether it’s rush or coverage, that’s what third down is, that’s what two-minute is, is the ability to win one-on-one situations,” Hurtt said of the third-down issues.

Waldron said Seattle’s task is to turn more of those third-and-longs into third-and-shorts.

“The more times that we can get into those third-and-6 or less situations throughout the course of the game, just percentage-wise in football the better chance you are going to have,” he said.

In other words, the Seahawks need to play better – and by extension, coach better – on all three downs.

Hurtt sounded confident that will happen.

“We don’t have time to wait,” he said. “It’s time to go, and they understand that. They’ll respond.”