This first appeared in the latest edition of Sportsnet Magazine
The Seattle Seahawks have been a juggernaut the past two seasons. They’ve won 18 of their past 21 regular-season games and became one of the youngest teams ever to win a Super Bowl, which they did in dominating fashion. They have a young star quarterback in Russell Wilson to go along with the power running of Marshawn Lynch and a historically good defensive unit that ranked first in just about every category last season. But history rarely repeats itself in the NFL.
The majority of the core is still in place, but the roster isn’t perfect and the Seahawks were hit hard in free agency. They lost important depth players—right tackle Breno Giacomini, receiver Golden Tate, cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond III—and were forced to release starting defensive ends Chris Clemons and Red Bryant because of their bloated salary-cap numbers.
To make matters worse, they failed to make any personnel improvements to an offensive line that struggled in 2013. A lot of that had to do with injuries to left tackle Russell Okung and centre Max Unger, but the group as a whole remains a major point of concern. “Three of the five starting spots are worrisome,” says Ross Tucker, NBC Sports Network analyst and former NFL offensive guard. “It’s not typical for a Super Bowl team.”
That’s where the Seahawks can be exploited—especially at the guard position, where Seattle will be forced to rely on 2011 pick James Carpenter and third-year player J.R. Sweezy, an unproven pair that has had its share of issues in pass protection. “Carpenter has struggled as a first-round pick. He needs to be more reliable and stay in shape,” Tucker says. “I like Sweezy, but he is still learning the position. His technique needs work and this league is all about technique.”
The three teams that beat Seattle last year—Arizona, San Francisco and Indianapolis—used fairly different strategies. The Colts were able to take advantage of Browner’s inability to keep up with speedy receivers, while Arizona forced Wilson to beat their tight coverages from the pocket. Teams like the St. Louis Rams have also given Seattle trouble with dominating defensive-line performances. Because of their pass-protection issues, the Seahawks can be both overpowered and beaten with speed at the line of scrimmage.
Maybe the most important key to beating the Seahawks is stopping Lynch. In a pass-happy era, Seattle still builds its offence around the run, keeping the clock moving and their top-ranked defence on the sidelines for long stretches. The run also sets up the air attack. Seattle ranked 31st in total passing attempts in 2013, but was still among the league leaders in yards per pass thanks to the threat of Lynch’s ground gains, which allowed for big yardage off of the play-action pass. If opposing defences take away that threat, the Seahawks become a one-dimensional offence. And they aren’t built to play that way.
