Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks lost to Los Angeles Thursday night in a game that shouldn’t have been as close as the final score implied. But it wasn’t due to backup quarterback Geno Smith.
Russell Wilson came out of the game in the fourth quarter due to a dislocated finger when his hand hit Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, following through on a pass attempt. When 12s saw Geno Smith enter the game, most of them thought, “that’s it, we’re done.” As it turned out, they were wrong.
Smith led impressive drives for scores, had a few Wilson-like escapes, and the offense ran smoothly under the second-stringer. Number 7 was everything Seahawks fans hoped for in a backup quarterback, and he gave the team a chance at an unlikely victory.
After the Seattle Seahawks defense made a huge (and unlikely) third down stop, Smith had a chance to lead the team on a drive for the win. Unfortunately, Tyler Lockett tripped and one of the most anti-climactic interceptions I can remember sealed the game. That was it. The Seahawks are now 2-3, and their franchise quarterback is out for the foreseeable future.
So what does Smith’s impressive performance mean for the team while Russ recovers from surgery? In all likelihood, the offense is going to hold its own. 12s aren’t going to see moonball bombs that Russ threw several times a game or the same explosive plays.
What you might see is a more boring but efficient offense, and that’s a good thing. Seattle has become an all-or-nothing team under Wilson. With him out, we may finally see them run Shane Waldron’s actual offense.
The timeline for Russ’s recovery is somewhere between 4-8 weeks. The team’s next three games are winnable, even with Smith running the offense. There’s also a bye and a likely loss to Green Bay regardless of who is at QB. So for five weeks, playing without Wilson shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle. In fact, I think there’s a much more likely culprit to take Seattle down.
Seattle’s defense is abominable regardless of who’s running the offense. In particular, their secondary, with the exception of Quandre Diggs, has been horrific. There’s miscommunication, blown assignments, and flat-out getting beat on play after play. The defensive back’s inability to cover has hurt the pass rush and run defense by forcing Seattle to keep more players in coverage and out of the box.
Due to the porous pass defense, safety Jamal Adams has to play in coverage more. Defending the pass is the most average part of his game and poor use of his talent. Forget Adams blitzing because defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. can’t leave any of his corners in man coverage.
Against Pittsburgh, it won’t be an issue. At this point, Ben Roethlisberger is more of a memory than an effective passer. Jacksonville, the next week is a train wreck. But New Orleans, the week in between will be a problem for the defense.
That’s where Smith’s limitations will become an issue. I think he can win games if the defense can hold opponents to 21 points or less. I’m not sure they can do that against the Saints. Meanwhile, the Green Bay game will be rated NC-17. No minors permitted to watch Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams eviscerate the Seattle defense.
In 2021, the Seattle Seahawks righted the ship defensively around mid-season, with the acquisition of Carlos Dunlap II. This year I don’t see reinforcements coming to help the beleaguered unit. They passed on Richard Sherman, didn’t seem to be interested in Stephon Gilmore, and already cycled through every cornerback on their roster.
Shaquill Griffin may have been expensive to re-sign, but Pete Carroll and John Schneider need his man-to-man coverage skills. When they passed on bringing him back, Seattle’s brain trust failed to have a workable replacement plan.
The season was likely over after losing to Los Angeles, regardless of Wilson’s mangled finger. There were at least five likely losses still to come, and 9-8 won’t get them into the playoffs. If Wilson is only out for six weeks, Geno Smith will be okay and might go 3-2.
When we write an epitaph to the Seattle Seahawks season, it won’t be Russell Wilson’s injury or Geno Smith’s play that is the Seahawks’ cause of death. It will be the defense that killed the Seahawks. And to add insult to injury, Seattle won’t have a first-round pick. They sent it to the New York Jets for Adams.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.