NFL Week 4 Byes: Looking back, looking forward
By Andrew Garda
Seattle Seahawks, 2-1
The San Diego Chargers seemed to be the only team which really wanted to challenge this defense (including on occasion, cornerback Richard Sherman) and consequently managed to be the only team to beat the Seahawks in the opening frame of the season.
That it happened in San Diego and now Seattle factors in a bit (they are 10-0 during the regular season since the beginning of 2013), and the Denver Broncos gave them a run for their money late on Sunday once they decided to attack as well.
In general the offense and defense have both been solid, though if there is one issue with this team right now, it’s the offensive line.
This is a long-standing issue, and one which is going to be hard to change over the bye week. It’s not necessarily a schematic thing—you can’t just tweak a player the way you can move a receiver or change a linebacker’s angle of attack.
Luckily, the issues along the offensive line haven’t killed the offense as both Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson are able to manage things the way they usually do. Lynch is having very little issue running the ball and Wilson normally has enough time to complete passes. If sometimes Wilson tries to do a little too much with his feet and holds onto the ball too long, that might reflect badly on the line when it comes to the average fan but most know that’s on Wilson, not the line.
Seattle has what appears to be a relatively easy schedule coming off their bye week. Washington, Dallas and St. Louis all have issues and should be games Seattle wins. So they have a little more time before they head to Carolina and take on the Panthers, a team which looks like it is poised to make another NFC South run.
Seattle should be in excellent shape by the time they meet the Panthers and have ample time to make any adjustments they need to make, even if they’re just minor ones.