The Seahawks will succeed with their run-heavy offense only if they have a rock-
solid defense to complement it. This D lacks the depth and front-line effectiveness to be great.98
× THE OFFENSE REMAINS RUN-FIRST.
There’s zero question that Russell Wilson
is best suited to this type of attack. The
Seahawks rode running back Marshawn
Lynch from 2010 to ’15, then were up and
down for much of the two years after his
retirement, when Wilson
was the centerpiece. Last
year, after an 0–2 start,
coach Pete Carroll and new
coordinator Brian Schot-
tenheimer pivoted back
to a run-first approach,
and the team won 10 of 14
games to make the playoffs.
Seattle builds on that in ’19.
Newly signed left guard
Mike Iupati is unreliable
but has the mauling profile
this team desires. Playing
a sixth offensive lineman—
usually tackle George Fant—on 20% of
the snaps creates additional run gaps
and variables in their north-and-south
ground game. Being run-heavy also sets
up Wilson’s superb downfield and out-of-
pocket passing, especially on play-action,
while curbing his captivating but often
rhythm-killing tendency to break down
plays unnecessarily.× THE RECEIVING CORPS SURVIVES THE
LOSS OF DOUG BALDWIN. The recently
retired Baldwin brought crucial slot crafti-
ness to Seattle’s old scheme but was not
as vital to the new one, which, as with
many run-based offenses, features verti-
cal routes. Second-round rookie receiver
D.K. Metcalf (Ole Miss) is nowhere near
the player Baldwin was, but he brings a
perimeter downfield threat that has been
lacking, and he allows Tyler Lockett to
handle more of the slot duties.
×POOR D-LINE PLAY HURTS THE DEFENSE.
Seattle no longer runs a pure Cover 3
scheme, as Carroll and defensive coordi-
nator Ken Norton continue
to incorporate two-deep
zone and match zone, as
well as one-deep man cov-
erage. But they still need a
potent four-man rush. With
top defensive lineman Jar-
ran Reed suspended six
games for a domestic vio-
lence incident, Frank Clark
departed to Kansas City
and first-round rookie L.J.
Collier (from TCU) miss-
ing training camp with
a right ankle sprain, the
Seahawks simply have no pass-rushing
juice, especially early in the season. Qual-
ity linebacker play, plus the emergence
of nimble nose-shade tackle Poona Ford,
gives Seattle a strong run D, but the line
still needs to make noise on third down.
To generate pressure, Seattle must blitz,
which often means forcing top coverage
linebacker Bobby Wagner to rush.WHAT LIES AHEAD
SI’S 2019
PREDICTION
7 – 9
2018 RECORD 10– 6
SEP T. 8
VS. CIN
SEP T. 15
@ PIT
SEP T. 22
VS. NO
SEP T. 2 9
@ ARI
OC T. 3
VS. LAR
OC T. 1 3
@ CLE
OC T. 2 0
VS. BAL
OC T. 2 7
@ AT L
NOV. 3
VS. TB
NOV. 11
@ SF
NOV. 17
BYE
NOV. 24
@ PHI
DEC. 2
VS. MIN
DEC. 8
@ LAR
DEC. 15
@ CAR
DEC. 22
VS. ARI
DEC. 29
VS. SF
WeaknessQB
11
RB
14
WR/TE
26
OL
16
FRONT 7
27
DB
26
JAM
IE (^) S
CHW
AB
ERO
W (^) (
(^2) )