Sunday Musings: Final Observations From Seahawks’ 33-16 Win vs. Chiefs
The Seattle Seahawks are now 1-0-1 on the preseason after a 33-16 demolishing of the Chiefs. In a game that was rainy throughout, the Seahawks came to play on both sides of the football, racing out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and leading by as many as 23 in the second half.
In this latest preseason tuneup, fans got an early preview of what Klint Kubiak’s offense will look like heading towards Week 1: running the ball down opponent’s throats, the usage of fullbacks and tight ends to open up running lanes, and the implementation of play actions and screens.
The Seahawks Want to - I Mean Really Want to - Run the Football
Through two preseason games, the Seahawks have made it clear that running the football will not optional like yesteryear, backing up tackle Abraham Lucas’ comments on the rushing attack being non-negotiable this season. Against the Chiefs, they ran the ball 48 times and the previous game against the Raiders they ran the ball 32 times. Through two games combined the Seahawks have run the ball 80 times for 438 rushing yards, averaging almost 5.5 yards per carry and scoring four rushing touchdowns.
These numbers are very telling as to what direction Seattle’s offense wants to go this year. It’s clear the identity on offense is to be a very physical run first team and that coaches and players alike weren’t blowing smoke about their intentions earlier in the offseason.
First Team Offense Looks Prepared For 49ers
One of the bigger concerns throughout this offseason was how the Seahawks were going to respond to the departures of Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Geno Smith. It’s safe to say Friday’s first glance looked quite promising.
Led by Sam Darnold, the first team offense honestly couldn’t have made a better first impression, as they started from their own 19-yard line and then beautifully orchestrated a 12-play, 81-yard drive while using 5:29 of the clock. Throughout the entire drive, they had only one third down play to convert, properly executed play action and rollouts, and displayed beautiful run blocking to open up holes for Zach Charbonnet.
What I found the most interesting watching this drive, was how smoothly Darnold was able to navigate the offense. While in the pocket, he looked calm and poised and was able to find his passing targets when needed. In the one offensive series that he played, he completed all four of his pass attempts for 34 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per attempt while displaying accuracy both from in the pocket and on rollouts.
All around, it was a good first impression by a new-look offense that has been questioned all offseason. The efficiency Kubiak’s offense showed on that drive was a delight to watch, but now the real challenge will be finding such success come Week 1 when Seattle hosts San Francisco.
Seizing Control of the Time
Time of possession has been a persistent area of concern in recent seasons for the Seahawks, as they have ranked 32nd and 28th in that category over the past two years. Through two preseason games, however, they have done a 180 degree turn.
Against the Chiefs, the Seahawks had the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game, holding possession for 38 minutes and 38 seconds. The previous game against the Raiders, they had possession of the football for 31 minutes and 8 seconds. In the two games combined, they won the time of possession by close to 10 minutes, or almost five minutes per half.
What team had the best time of possession differential last season? The Eagles with an average of 32 minutes and 21 seconds of time per game. If the Seahawks can even improve to middle of the pack in this department in the regular season, it will make such a huge difference throughout the season.
The Play of the Offensive Line
For the second straight game, the offensive line had its hand in guiding the Seahawks’ offense down the field, resulting in a bruising run game and an efficient passing game that only had to convert a single third down on a 12-play scoring drive.
For starters, the run blocking was flat out incredible. Whenever it seemed like the Seahawks wanted to run the ball on the left side, it almost always seemed like there was a lane for a truck to drive through. Four out of five of the running backs that logged at least five carries on Friday night averaged at least 4.5 yards a carry. Four out of five of those running backs also had at least 45 rushing yards and produced at least one 15-plus yard run.
My takeaway from these stats is that the system in place for the offensive line is really working. It’s not a coincidence that you’re seeing veteran swing tackle Josh Jones give out pancake blocks while Anthony Bradford dramatically opens up running lanes on the right side with his raw athleticism. What we saw was a product of the system that has been put in place by Kubiak and his staff that is tried and true.
Special Teams is Still a Work in Progress
This game didn’t draw many concerns, as the Seahawks clearly dominated on both sides of the football. However, there was a glaring outlier in the third phase of the game as Seattle struggled on special teams.
The kickoff return coverage for the Seahawks, to put it nicely, was subpar at best. On five kickoff returns, the Chiefs averaged a ridiculous 33.4 yards per return. In some games, if you’re giving up that much per return it could be enough to single handedly cost you the game due to the field position issues created, and that number could have been much worse if not for a touchdown-saving tackle by kicker Jason Myers.
The punt return coverage somehow was worse, at least after halftime. The coverage on the first two punt returns was good as the Chiefs didn’t have any room to return the ball. However, on the last punt return, poor pursuit angles cost the Seahawks and Skyy Moore returned the ball 88 yards for a touchdown.
The kickoff and punt return coverage units must improve and very quickly. Luckily, there are still a couple weeks before the season starts to make those adjustments.
Final Thoughts
The Seahawks played a good game against the Chiefs. Both sides of the ball dominated as the stat sheet indicates, posting over 450 total yards of offense and giving up under 150 yards to Kansas City on the night. This team showed an ability to run the ball consistently well and to keep the quarterback well protected in the pocket and on bootlegs. The one thing that must improve though is the coverage on special teams, which still has a couple weeks left to shore things up. If that remains problematic, it could wind up costing Seattle in games that count.
