Evaluating the NFC West: Seattle Seahawks - What do the stats tell us? + Practice Updates

Looking at the division leader after 7 weeks. What you need to know, what you already know, and what you do not know.

Oct 29, 2020

(Santa Clara) - Before we knew it, half the season was already over. That’s right, it’s already getting to be Week 8 and the trade deadline, and while this has been a weird year, the craziness of the NFL and its unpredictability has not changed one bit.

Around The NFL

Antonio Brown, the troubled WR - has signed with the Buccaneers as they create an offensive juggernaut. Two WR1s are rare, three is incredible. Tom Brady is going to have a lot of fun barring a Brown meltdown.
Dontari Poe and Daryl Worley, two decent veterans, were released by the Cowboys who are sellers at the deadline. Aldon Smith anyone?
Rams safety Terrell Burgess is out for the season with a broken ankle. Hope for a speedy recovery.
The Dolphins extended their backup tight end Adam Shaheen through 2022.
The Bengals traded DE Carlos Dunlap, two time Pro Bowler, to the Seahawks in exchange for a 7th round pick and the backup center, BJ Finney. This was a steal for the Seahawks, who get a good upgrade at DE, albeit an aging one.
Trade Rumors:
- The Packers are part of a group of teams that have called for Texans WR Will Fuller V, as the Texans fire sale begins. Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills have also been discussed. You have to wonder, after this season - is DeShaun Watson next?
- The Saints and Seahawks have been rumored to have inquired about Texans DE JJ Watt. I have no idea how the Saints would fit him, but Seattle does have some remaining cap space. They don’t have many assets remaining. Normally some rumors are somewhat palatable - this one is not.
- Stephon Gilmore, DPOY, has put his house on sale in New England. NE was reported to have brought his name up during trade talks during the offseason, and now they have clearly answered calls about Gilmore in the past week or two. Curiously, his house has all offers due on Tuesday at 5 PM - exactly one hour after the trade deadline.
Chris Curtis @_ChrisCurtis
From the listing: . All offers if any due on Tuesday, November 3rd @ 5PM. Gilmore is gone!!!
The Greg Hill Show @TheGregHillShow
Breaking: Stephon Gilmore’s house is on the market.
12:22 PM ∙ Oct 28, 2020
97Likes30Retweets
- Saints WR Michael Thomas, a top 3 WR in the league, has had attitude issues and the Saints have also considered offers for him - but nothing will happen on that front. At least til Brees retires this offseason.
- Takkarist McKinley, the former 1st round EDGE from Atlanta, has also been brought up in trade talks. McKinley is talented but has dealt with inconsistency and injuries.
- Quinnen Williams has also been involved in trade talks. The #3 overall pick in 2019 has just spent one year with the Jets - Adam Gase alienating another mega-talented player is not what I had on my 2020 bingo.
- Steelers CB Cam Sutton has also posted some cryptic messages on his social media and has been rumored to have been shopped.

49ers Practice Injury Report:

DNP

LB Kwon Alexander (ankle)
WR Richie James (ankle)
WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
S Jaquiski Tartt (groin)
CB Jason Verrett (not injury related)
S Jimmie Ward (quadricep)
RB Jeffery Wilson (ankle)

Seahawks Injury Report:

DNP

S Jamal Adams (groin, illness)
S Ugochukwu Amadi (hamstring)
RB Chris Carson (foot)
CB Quinton Dunbar (knee, resting vet)
CB Shaquill Griffin (concussion, hamstring)
RB Travis Homer (knee)
RB Carlos Hyde (hamstring)
G Mike Iupati (back)
DE Benson Mayowa (ankle)
WR Freddie Swain (hamstring)

Limited

T Duane Brown (knee)
WR Tyler Lockett (not injury related)
WR DK Metcalf (not injury related)
DT Jarran Reed (not injury related)

The 49ers also got really good news on the injury front. Tevin Coleman, Jordan Reed, and K’Waun Williams have had their practice windows opened, indicating all three are ahead of schedule and could play on Sunday.

“I think all three of those guys have a chance this week, but they're not going to be going today, so we'll see how much, I know [RB] Tevin [Coleman] will get a little bit today, but not very much. So, we'll see at the end of the week with him. I'm hoping more for the Green Bay game, but I'm still holding out hope for this week.”

View the full transcript and video of Shanahan’s presser today here.

With it being past Week 7 now, you can start to make evaluations on teams and their chances to make the playoffs, their chances to compete for a ring, and their chances to get the number one overall pick. Unfortunately, competing for a ring seems to be the case with the Seattle Seahawks this season - who are 5-1 and rolling right now, despite a tough loss to Arizona. The 49ers play Seattle at CenturyLink on Sunday, and I thought now would be a good time to review the stats and performance of our biggest divisional rival.

Seattle Seahawks

The primary adversary of the 49ers of the last decade, and presumably the adversary for the next decade, the Seahawks have been a thorn in the 49ers’ side for years, dating back to the Kaepernick-Harbaugh days and continuing to now, with Shanahan and his guy, Jimmy Garoppolo.

But these Seahawks? These Seahawks are a little bit different than previous years. “Let Russ Cook” has been the prevailing phrase, and boy have they done that. Wilson is the leading MVP candidate through Week 7, showcasing incredible ability with his arm, deep ball, and legs - he has single handedly made the Hawks contenders. And while the Legion of Boom years are over, the Seahawks seemed to always be a run-first, defense oriented team. That also is not the case this season.

Offense

The Seahawks are #2 in offensive DVOA, are #1 in yards per game, and are in #1 in points scored - this is arguably the best offense in football. And while they do have weaknesses: they have been terrible on 3rd down, partly due to bad performance and partly because they barely play on 3rd down anyways (least 3rd down attempts), there’s a reason they are so good.

DK Metcalf has progressed in his sophomore season, and he is tied for 5th in the league in receiving TDs while also leading the league in yards per reception. Metcalf is on his way to being the next superstar WR - and he has the tools to do it. But he overshadows the other main weapon on the offense, Tyler Lockett. Lockett is tied for 1st in the league in receiving TDs, is 9th in receiving yards, and has generally been Russell Wilson’s favorite target despite Metcalf being the premier deep threat in the league right now. It’s really impressive what Seattle has done on offense, and it is helped out by having a talented RB like Chris Carson as well. Greg Olsen is good for 2 or 3 catches a game, and he is also not to be dismissed although not nearly what he was in years prior. However, the real success lies with the QB and the OL.

Seattle’s OL has been notoriously bad, for many years - but for the first time, this does not seem to be the case. Duane Brown is still a very good LT, no doubt about it. Mike Iupati, our old friend, has not allowed a sack all season and has a quite good PFF grade, at 70.1. Ethan Pocic has been an average starter, but still much better than what Seattle had there in years prior and has progressed since first being drafted. Their starting RT - Brandon Shell, is the worst starter on the OL, and is penalty-prone, but still, as mentioned, is a big upgrade over Germain Ifedi who they had there last season. But the biggest addition is Damien Lewis, the rookie guard out of LSU. Lewis has played outstanding for a rookie, albeit with some mistakes - he has 6 penalties which according to PFF, is tied for first in the league. But regardless, Lewis has been very good and will be a building block on that OL in years to come.

This, not Russell Wilson progressing even further (although he has), is why Seattle’s offense is so potent. For the first time, they tried to protect Russell Wilson instead of letting him fend for himself, and it has paid off in a big way. Seattle is #5 in pass block win rate this season. Wilson is the leading MVP candidate and for good reason, he leads the league in passing TDs with 22 despite throwing just 6 interceptions, is top 10 in passing yards, top 5 in QBR, top 5 in completion percentage, and has the best passer rating in the league.

Defense

Here is where Kyle Shanahan is looking at and salivating. Seattle allows the 4th most yards per play, the 2nd most passing yards, the most passing yards per game. Advanced stats confirm this: Seattle is top 10 in net yards allowed per attempt, top 10 in adjusted net yards allowed per attempt, top 10 in yards per attempt, top 10 in yards per completion.

I don’t need to add more stats - we all know by now, Seattle’s defense is terrible, not what it was, and it’s not going to change anytime soon, although the impending return of Jamal Adams (whose status is up in the air for Sunday) may change that. But, there are some characteristics that make one pause - even with Seattle having the 28th ranked defense by DVOA. Pete Carroll is famous for his bend not break defense, and that was especially clear throughout the LOB days. There are some familiar characteristics with this defense as well.

Seattle has forced the 3rd most turnovers in the league behind Cleveland and Kansas City. The percentage of drives that end with a turnover vs. Seattle is 17.4%, 5th best in the league.
They are tied for the 5th most interceptions in the league. 2nd in passes defensed.
They have allowed 11 passing TDs which is in the bottom half of the league at 17th most.
They have allowed 7 rushing TDs which is 16th in the league.
They allow 4.1 rushing yards per attempt, tied with SF! 25th in the league.
They are in the bottom 10 of penalties and have surrendered the 5th fewest yards to penalty, in addition to the 6th fewest 1st downs to penalty. For reference, SF is #13, #11, and #6 in those same categories (in order).
And finally, although Seattle struggles to get sacks, they also are able to do this (below) while blitzing at a below average rate (20th).
- 16th in hurry percentage, 16th in QB knockdown percentage, and 20th in QB knockdown percentage.

So their pass rush is not the league’s worst by any metric - but I have full confidence that our improving OL can take care of them.

Seattle’s defense has got by because they have played the ball exceptionally well. While their pass rush and DL largely hurts them, their secondary has done a very good job of forcing turnovers and bending but not breaking - at least as compared to their yard totals and more. And even though by no measure is Seattle a good defense, they aren’t going down without a fight either. Shanahan and Garoppolo must limit turnovers and not let Russell Wilson get into a rhythm.

This is a winnable game, no mistake. But Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan need to be on their a-game, and they need to help their defense out. Controlling the ball and making the most of drives will be key. They cannot make mistakes.

Leave a like and comment to support us if you like the article and our content, or if you have criticism, or simply for discussion. Check out our best content by clicking the “top button” at the bottom of this article, including Part 1 and Part 2 of an in-depth look into Jimmy Garoppolo.

For The Niners

Discussion about this post