Seattle Seahawks: What team needs to do to make playoffs
By Samuel Teets
Continue rushing for 100 yards a game
When the Seahawks have a player rush for 100 yards or more they are 2-1 with that one loss being by just two points. Needless to say, the Seahawks play better when the running game is working. Going into Week 6 on a streak of three consecutive games with a 100-yard rusher, the team seems to have found the key to running the ball effectively.
Last year, the focus of the offense was almost entirely the passing attack, but this year things have been a lot more balanced thanks to the emergence of Chris Carson and the contributions of Mike Davis. Rookie Rashaad Penny has been almost a non-factor but that doesn’t really matter this season as long as Carson and Davis continue to produce.
The run game should see a lot of success in the future. The Seahawks still have to play the teams that have allowed the most, second most, fifth most, and ninth most rushing yards per game.
Usually, one of the biggest benefits of a successful run game is that it takes a lot of pressure off of Russell Wilson. He’s has been sacked more than 40 times in every year of his career except his rookie season. Even with his great mobility that’s a lot of beating to take. For reference, the last time Tom Brady was sacked over 40 times was in 2013 and it was just the second time in his career he’s been sacked that many times.
An effective run game can do a lot to put defensive linemen on their heels and buy more time for a quarterback. Wilson has been sacked just twice in each game where the Seahawks had a 100 yard rusher. In the two games (Week 1 and 2) where Seattle failed to run the ball effectively Wilson was sacked a combined 12 times.
During those first two weeks, Wilson threw the ball 69 times and had a competition percentage that was below 60 percent. Since then he has thrown 73 passes in the last three weeks and has a competition percentage of just over 65 percent. Wilson also threw three interceptions in the opening two weeks but hasn’t thrown one since.
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For the sake of their quarterback and their season the Seahawks need to find a way to keep running the ball effectively and consistently. The team seems to have found their rhythm after a miserable first two weeks of the season. This week the Seahawks play the 1-4 Oakland Raiders, it’s a matchup they can’t afford to lose if they want to stay in playoff contention.