Upon Further Review: 3 Seahawks stats that stand out from Week 1

The Seattle Seahawks were up and down offensively, but a stellar defensive showing certainly made their Week 1 win feel like a real step forward.

Rost: Seahawks’ season-opening win is a give and take

It’s a difficult and ill-advised process to extrapolate too much from a single week, particularly the first of the season, but there’s plenty to like from Seattle’s defensive efforts against the Broncos. Considering that this is a fanbase that’s been starved for excellent defensive play for several seasons now, who am I to tell anyone to pump the brakes?

So, let’s take a closer look at a few keys from Sunday’s win (including one offensive key) and figure out what we can, and can’t, carry into Week 2.

• 3.3

Pick any category here, but the 3.3 yards allowed per play was tied for the second-best among defenses in Week 1. If you’re looking to filter through what’s real and what’s not from Week 1, file this under the latter. That’s not to say there aren’t marked improvements on defense, but 4.6 opponent yards per play was the single best mark by a defense last season, and even 5.0 yards per play would be better than Seattle’s 5.5 from 2023. So, all-in-all it’s good news. But you’ll also not see many performances like that from an opposing passer. Per the Associated Press, Bo Nix’s 5.3 yards per completion was the third lowest of any quarterback who completed at least 20 passes in a game.

• 99

The Broncos rushed for 99 yards on 25 total rushing plays, with just 64 coming from running backs, which was most certainly a welcome sight for a front office that spent months attempting to fix one of the league’s worst rushing defenses (this defense had just five games last year allowing under 100 rushing yards).

They’ll get a test in Week 2 against the Patriots. New England has a shaky offensive line on paper but still saw 120 yards on 25 carries from Rhamondre Stevenson (they bolstered the protection by bringing in tackle Caedan Wallace as an eligible tight end for 18 snaps).

There’s reason to think improvement here is real, though. The ultimate test will be consistent performances over time, but year-over-year leaps against the run are possible. Just look at the Detroit Lions – they finished 29th against the run in 2022 and jumped up to second overall in 2023.

• 94.8

All’s not lost with what was a horrible first half for the offensive line. There’s improvement to made on the interior, particularly at either guard spot, but Charles Cross finished with the highest grade for any tackle. That kind of day is important ahead of a stretch of games against some quality defenses, including a Week 4 matchup against last year’s leader in pressure rate (Detroit).

More Seattle Seahawks analysis

• Salk: The Seahawks played their best defensive game in years
• Inside Seahawks’ decision to pass on game-sealing play
• Bump: The play-calling change for Seahawks OC Grubb to make
• Macdonald shares how Seahawks’ Witherspoon excels in key facet
• Brock: An unsung hero from Seahawks’ Week 1 victory
• Seahawks’ Macdonald relishes first win, but real tests to come

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