Analysis: Grading the Seahawks’ first half of the 2024 season
SEATTLE – The first half of the first half of the Seattle Seahawks’ season began with promise – three wins and a competitive loss at Detroit that could be attributed in part to them missing key defensive players.
But the second half of the first half? Not so much. A 29-20 home loss to the Giants six days later began a perplexing stretch of four consecutive losses at Lumen Field, the longest such skid for the Seahawks since 2008.
The upshot is a 4-5 record after nine games, with eight remaining following this week’s bye. The Seahawks will have a tough row to hoe just to match the 9-8 records of the previous two seasons. A better record than that probably is needed to reach the postseason.
It’s a first half that hardly deserves a glowing assessment. But some position groups have obviously played better than others.
Here are our first-half grades.
Quarterback
To reiterate, these are grades for the season. The past two games have been ugly for the offense and quarterback Geno Smith. He threw four of his 10 interceptions the past two weeks, including two that helped turn games in the second halves of those losses. But Smith leads the NFL in passing yards (2,560), completions (233) and attempts (342), and he has been forced to carry a heavy load due to an inconsistent (at best) running game. And he’s done it under as much pressure as anyone in the NFL. Via NFL Next Gen Stats, Smith has faced pressure in under 2.5 seconds more than any other QB. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has Smith rated 10th this week among QBs and sixth in its passing metric. He has not been perfect, but he’s probably taking more of the blame than is deserved. Grade: B-minus.
Running back
The struggles of the offensive line make it tough to gauge the running back spot, other than to state the obvious – Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet haven’t had a lot of room to run. Walker ranks third among 85 running backs by PFF this week. But his average of 4.0 per carry is the lowest of his career, and his longest run is 28 yards – he had eight games the past two years with a run of 30 or more. Walker in particular proves often that running backs matter. But they still need help. Grade: B.
Receiver
The Seahawks’ receiving corps was expected to be a strength, and in general it has been. There have been too many mistakes, though, such as DK Metcalf’s two fumbles and a few drops. The Seahawks have 18 drops, according to PFF, tied for fifth most in the NFL (though as Smith’s attempts show, they’ve also passed more than any other team). Most encouraging is the breakout of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose 50 receptions are tied for eighth in the league. One other issue is the lack of production beyond Metcalf, Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett, though maybe Cody White can be that guy. Grade: B.
Tight end
Noah Fant was on the way to his best season as a Seahawk before suffering a groin injury that held him out last week, with 27 catches for 285 yards. Fourth-round draft pick AJ Barner has come on of late with 14 catches for 132 yards. But the blocking at this spot has lagged at times. The hope was Pharaoh Brown would take over much of that responsibility – his $3.2 million salary-cap number is more than twice the amount of any season in his seven-year career. But Brown has just a 54.7 run blocking grade from PFF and an overall mark of 45.7 that is the lowest of his career. Barner grades out better. Overall, the Seahawks need a little more from this spot. Grade: C-minus.
Offensive line
Not to keep citing PFF, but it is an objective, respected source. And this week it has the Seahawks’ offensive line ranked 30th of the 32 in the NFL. That seems close to what the eye test would determine. One bright spot has been third-year left tackle Charles Cross. But right tackle has been a revolving door, and the guard spots have underachieved. Though center Connor Williams’ blocking has generally seemed OK, the bad snaps of the past two games are inexcusable. He might not be at fault for them all, but regardless of that they must be fixed. Grade: D.
Defensive line
The interior – especially Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy II – has generally been a strength. Williams ranks fourth on ESPN’s pass-rush win rate and leads the Seahawks in QB hits with 14 despite missing a game. He’s been worth every penny of his three-year, $64.5 million deal. Reed has been solid, and Murphy’s stats don’t adequately indicate his impact. Grade: B-minus.
Outside linebacker
The Seahawks are tied for 18th with 2.3 sacks per game, and their pass-rush win rate is 17th at 41%. Conversely, their 172 QB pressures are the third most in the NFL. So yes, the pass rush has been a little hit or miss. The best news has been the strides of second-year player Derick Hall, who leads the team with five sacks, and Boye Mafe, who has followed last season’s breakout with four sacks. The Seahawks, though, are missing the injured Uchenna Nwosu. And they could still use more from Dre’Mont Jones. Grade: B-minus.
Inside linebacker
The Seahawks made an admission – that their inside linebacking plan wasn’t working – when they traded Jerome Baker to Tennessee (and a fourth-round draft pick) for Ernest Jones IV, installed him in the middle and moved Tyrel Dodson to the weakside. The Rams game offered a promising glimpse, with Jones seeming to be a better fit as the run-defending thumper the team needs in the middle. Grade: C.
Safety
Julian Love has been the steadiest player on the back end, if not the defense, and his PFF grade is 10th out of 88 safeties. Coby Bryant has been a revelation the past three games while stepping in for Rayshawn Jenkins, undoubtedly earning a role when Jenkins’ returns. Bryant’s PFF grade is 26th among safeties. Grade: B-minus.
Cornerback
Injuries have hurt here and made the performance a mixed bag. Devon Witherspoon has been especially good in run defense but has just three pass defenses in nine games, compared with 16 in 14 as a rookie last season. Opponents surely are staying away from him some, but that seems to indicate the Seahawks must create more turnovers. They have forced just nine turnovers and have a margin of minus-six that is better than only six teams. Riq Woolen has likewise had a lot of good moments but a few plays he’d like back. Grade: B-minus.
Special teams
A couple of key mishaps bring down the grade here – the blocked field-goal attempt that ended any chance to defeat the Giants and a missed PAT against the Rams that changed the end of that game. True, not all kicks are made and in general Jason Myers has been fine 12 of 15 field goals and 22 of 23 on PATs. It feels symbolic of where the Seahawks are that the one missed PAT came back to haunt them. Dee Williams has shown potential as a returner, and Laviska Shenault’s kickoff return for a TD helped prevent the 49ers game from looking a lot worse. Grade: C-plus.
Coaching
Coaches are ultimately judged on their team’s record, so rookie coach Mike Macdonald and his staff aren’t going to get high marks right now. Something must be done to rein in the penalties and other attendant sloppiness. Macdonald, though, deserves credit for his calm, steady persona during the recent losses and public statements indicating a willingness to adapt and tweak his processes as he grows into the job. Grade: C-minus.