Seattle Seahawks

Our team assessment

Article cutoff 2026-10-06

Seahawks | 3-1

Seattle's most convincing recurring strength is making opposing offenses work for ordinary gains. Opponents have kept pace with the down on only 35.1 percent of their plays, and Seattle has allowed 14 long gains against 24 of its own. The offense has scored at least 30 in three straight games, but those totals disguise changes in how the points arrived. Sunday brought its lowest share of useful plays, 35.7 percent, along with seven long gains and four extra possessions from mistakes.

Mike Macdonald acknowledged “a lot of room for improvement”. Fourteen penalties for 150 yards and a 27-6 lead that became a 30-23 win support him. Three of Sunday's recoveries or interceptions were defensive plays; the fourth was a muffed punt. Seven of eight season takeaways belong to the defense. The finishing has repeatedly been productive, but Seattle should not expect either opponent mistakes or long gains to make careless operation harmless. The rebound was useful. The bill for the penalties was still enormous.

After opponent punts or failed fourth downs, Seahawks possessions have begun at their own 25.1, on average, across 23 competitive drives. The weekly average has stayed in a fairly narrow band, from their own 22.0 to their own 28.0. The latest game averaged their own 28.0. The resulting possession started at midfield or closer to the end zone in 3 of those 23 cases. These are actual starting spots, including punt returns, rather than a measure of the defense alone. The return unit has added 79 punt-return yards over the season. Pre-snap changes before the first run or pass affected 2 of these drives; those changes are excluded from the listed starting spots. Starts following turnovers are counted separately: 6 competitive possessions at their opponent 41.0 on average.

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