The Seattle Seahawks Just Exposed Their Glaring Weakness
The Seattle Seahawks have raced out to an encouraging start through the first half of the 2020 season behind Russell Wilson‘s MVP-caliber play. However, the Seahawks have stumbled over the last couple of weeks that has drawn some pressing concern. The Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills has just further underlined that lingering issue.
Seahawks can’t keep up with the Bills
The Seattle Seahawks had another primetime matchup in Week 9, facing an emerging AFC powerhouse in the Buffalo Bills.
With an opportunity to garner potentially more separation in the loaded NFC West, Seattle fell well short 44-34 on the road against the Bills. Russell Wilson struggled to find his consistency through the first half with two interceptions but managed to finish with 390 passing yards and two touchdown passes.
The Seahawks pulled within 27-20 to begin the fourth quarter, but it was their defensive woes that piled up once again. Buffalo lit up their unit despite star safety Jamal Adams returning, totaling north of 400 total offensive yards.
Quarterback Josh Allen put together a masterful performance with 415 passing yards on 31-of-38 completed passes with three passing touchdowns and a 138.5 passer rating. Seattle’s secondary couldn’t keep up with the Bills’ passing game. Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs hauled in nine catches for 118 receiving yards while John Brown secured eight receptions for 99 receiving yards.
The Seahawks’ struggles defensively continue to pile up in a concerning manner that could threaten their Super Bowl odds.
Seahawks’ defensive woes becoming more troublesome
Entering the 2020 season, the Seattle Seahawks knew there would have some significant issues with their defense.
The loss of Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney over the offseason took a significant hit to their pass-rushing ability. Despite that, their initial hope was that acquisition of star safety Jamal Adams could help mask their secondary problems, but that hasn’t proved to be the case.
Seattle has struggled tremendously against the pass ranking last giving up 358.7 yards per game before Week 9. Those numbers will rise again after Josh Allen torched their secondary on Sunday afternoon.
The Seahawks also ranked last with 132 total passing first downs allowed, fourth-worst giving up 29 passing plays of at least 20 yards, and tied for worst with seven passing plays allowed of at least 40 yards. It also hasn’t helped that Adams has missed much of the season due to a nagging hip injury.
These statistics only further underline the significant problems defensively for Seattle through the first eight games. The Seahawks may remain in the driver’s seat in the NFC West, but the rest of the division competition is certainly well in the mix.
Rest of NFC West could be ready to pounce
Following an eventful offseason across the NFC West, the division has lived up to the massive hype in the 2020 campaign.
It’s currently the only division in the NFC with at least three teams holding a .500 or better record, joining the AFC North as the only ones to hold that honor in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals have continued to meet the offseason hype with a 5-2 record through their first seven games. Meanwhile, the LA Rams experienced a couple of slip ups but hold a 5-3 mark through their first eight contests.
The San Francisco 49ers shouldn’t be counted out despite their slew of notable injuries sitting at a 4-5 mark in their first nine games. The Seattle eahawks may have the top quarterback in the division, but it’s their defense that could open the door for the rest of the NFC West.
A playoff berth is extremely likely, but the division title is more than up for grabs in the second half of the season.
