Film Study: Seahawks Chew Up Chiefs' Man-Heavy Scheme With Third Down Mastery
Entering Week 7 as one of the NFL's worst offenses on third down, the Seahawks finally found their groove on "money" downs at the perfect time, defeating the Chiefs behind a balanced offense that excelled at moving the chains. What clicked for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and company?
For the first six weeks of the season, under the direction of a first-year offensive coordinator in Brian Fleury, few teams struggled to move the chains more than the Seattle Seahawks.
Prior to kicking off against the Chiefs at Lumen Field on Sunday Night Football, the Seahawks ranked 29th out of 32 teams in third down conversion rate, picking up a new set of downs on just 32.4% of their "money" down opportunities. A myriad of factors contributed to those struggles, including persistent trouble running the football on early downs that often put the offense behind the sticks.
But against a well-coached Kansas City defense, Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and company turned a new leaf and then some, converting on 11 out of 16 third down opportunities to help fuel a 20-3 victory. This success came despite the fact that they faced 3rd and 7 or longer on six of those conversions, which remains an area of improvement for upcoming games.
Darnold, who threw for 257 yards and tossed a touchdown to Smith-Njigba, picked up eight of those first downs either with his arm or as a runner. Several of those conversions resulted from positive yards after the catch, with the quarterback emphasizing greater trust in his skill players to be able to make plays for the Seahawks throughout the week leading up to Sunday.
"Learning from the last few weeks, just putting the ball in play, letting our great athletes go out there and try to make guys miss, maybe run for a first down," Darnold said post-game. "Even if it's 3rd and 9, like the one to Cooper [Kupp] that we converted early in the game, throw it to him for four or five yards, then he's able to go get the rest. I think my mindset being that way throughout the week really helped me in the game."
Looking at all 11 of the Seahawks third down conversions from Sunday's massive win over the Chiefs, here's how Darnold, JSN, Fleury, and the rest of the offense righted the ship with clutch pickups to frequently extend drives:
1. Darnold pass short middle to Smith-Njigba to SEA 28 for 9 yards
Situation: 3rd and 5; 11:17 1st Quarter
Football can be a complex sport, but sometimes, it's incredibly simple and boils down to one player being better than the other. In other words, sometimes it's more about Pros versus Joes than X's and O's.
There's nothing fancy on this first third down conversion for the Seahawks, as Smith-Njigba wins inside leverage quickly and with ease off the snap on a slant against a manned-up slot defender with the Chiefs running Cover 2 Man. Reading the two-deep shell with man coverage underneath, Darnold delivers a strike to him in stride and he easily picks up enough yardage after the catch to move the chains for the first time on the night. That's like stealing candy from a baby.
