With last night’s 17–14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks have now lost three of their last four games, matching their entire loss total from last season. Their only victory during that stretch came against the winless Los Angeles Chargers, which isn’t exactly impressive.
Things aren’t getting any easier, either. Seattle’s next opponent is the Kansas City Chiefs, and that certainly won’t be an easy game.
There have been far more negatives than positives for the Seahawks this season. For a team that entered the year hoping to repeat as Super Bowl champions, sitting at 3–3 after six games is concerning.
So what’s gone wrong? I believe there are three major issues.
1. Letting Kenneth Walker Walk Has Hurt the Running Game
Let’s start with what I believe was one of Seattle’s biggest offseason mistakes: allowing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to leave for Kansas City.
Through six games, Seattle’s running backs have combined for 539 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Walker has rushed for 537 yards in only four games with the Chiefs.
Think about that for a second.
One player. Two fewer games. Just a two-yard difference.
That’s extremely concerning.
Walker wasn’t just another running back. He was a major part of Seattle’s championship offense, someone who could break off a big run at any moment and force opposing defenses to respect the ground game.
Without him, Seattle hasn’t been nearly as effective running the football. That puts additional pressure on Sam Darnold, who now has to carry more of the offensive responsibility.
Another major issue with Seattle’s struggling running game is the lack of an effective play-action attack. When you can’t run the football, why would any defense respect the possibility of a run? Not a single defense is going to reasonably believe you’re handing the ball off when you’ve consistently struggled to gain yards on the ground.
That’s what made Walker so valuable. Defenses had to respect his ability to break off a big run, which opened up opportunities for Darnold through play action. Without that threat, defenders can focus more on covering receivers rather than worrying about stopping the run.
Seattle isn’t just missing Walker’s rushing production. They’re missing everything his presence did for the passing game.
And when your quarterback is already struggling with turnovers, the last thing you want is an ineffective running game making his job even harder.
Seattle needs to find a way to establish the run again. Otherwise, opposing defenses will continue to focus on stopping the passing attack.
2. The Offense Has Taken a Step Back Without Klint Kubiak
Another major issue is the departure of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who left Seattle to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Last season, the Seahawks had one of the most explosive offenses in football. Through their first five games, they were averaging 422.4 yards per game, ranking first in the NFL, while scoring 31.8 points per game, second in the league.
Fast-forward to this season, and the difference is noticeable.
Through five games, Seattle ranked 17th in offensive yards per game while averaging 26.8 points, eighth in the NFL.
Those aren’t terrible numbers, particularly the scoring average, but they’re a significant decline from what we saw last season.
Kubiak clearly took some of that offensive creativity with him to Las Vegas.
The Seahawks still have talented players. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been outstanding, Cooper Kupp remains a reliable target, and Rashid Shaheed gives them another dangerous receiving option.
But having talented players doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have a great offense.
Seattle needs to do a better job getting everyone involved, creating manageable situations for Darnold, and finding ways to sustain drives without relying on one player to make something happen.
Right now, the offense simply doesn’t look as dangerous as it did during last year’s championship run.
3. Sam Darnold Has to Stop Turning the Ball Over
This brings me to the biggest issue of them all: Sam Darnold.
Darnold has thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. Compare that with his first five games last year, when he had nine touchdowns and just three interceptions.
That’s a significant difference.
And the problem isn’t simply that he’s throwing interceptions. It’s when those interceptions are happening.
Take last night’s game against Denver.
The Broncos could barely move the football offensively, particularly in the second half. Seattle’s defense kept giving the offense opportunities to win, and the Seahawks eventually fought back to force overtime.
Then Darnold threw an interception that gave Denver excellent field position.
A few plays later, Wil Lutz kicked the game-winning field goal.
That’s on Darnold.
Against Washington, he threw a pick-six that helped put the game out of reach. These are the types of mistakes that can completely change the outcome of a game.
Darnold has to stop putting his defense in terrible situations.
Seattle’s defense cannot be expected to spend the entire game on the field, get exhausted, and still carry the team to victory. At some point, the offense needs to do its part.
There’s also something I’ve repeatedly noticed while watching Darnold this season: he stares down his intended receiver far too early in the play.
When a quarterback locks onto one receiver immediately, he’s giving defensive backs an opportunity to read his eyes, cover ground, and potentially break up the pass or intercept it.
Darnold needs to do a better job going through his progressions and taking what the defense gives him.
If JSN is open, throw him the football. But if he’s double-covered, look elsewhere.
You have Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, and AJ Barner. Trust those guys to make plays.
Not every pass needs to go to your favorite target, and not every play needs to produce a massive gain. Sometimes taking the easy completion is the best decision.
Darnold has already proven that he can win big games and lead a team to a championship. This isn’t meant to be an attack on him.
But that doesn’t mean he’s above criticism.
If Seattle wants another Super Bowl, Darnold has to take better care of the football.
Can the Seahawks Turn Things Around?
Absolutely.
Despite everything I’ve discussed, I still fully expect Seattle to turn things around. This is a talented football team with an excellent defense, a championship-winning quarterback, and several dangerous offensive weapons.
But the issues are real, and they need to be corrected.
You could make a legitimate argument that Seattle should be 5–1 instead of 3–3 had it not been for two costly interceptions from Darnold.
That’s how small the margins can be in the NFL.
The running game needs to become effective again. The offensive coaching staff needs to find ways to recreate some of the production Seattle enjoyed under Kubiak. And most importantly, Darnold needs to stop giving the football away.
The Seahawks have already matched last season’s loss total, and we’re only six games into the year.
That doesn’t mean their championship window has closed. But if they want a realistic chance of repeating, they cannot continue making the same mistakes.
Seattle has the talent to compete with anybody. Now it’s time for the offense to start playing like it.
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