Huard: An alarming Seahawks stat through three games

Sep 27, 2024, 1:07 PM

Quarterback Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked during a 2024 game against the Miami Dolphins. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

There has been a lot that has gone right for the Seattle Seahawks through their 3-0 start.

Macdonald previews Seahawks’ Monday night showdown in Detroit

Seattle’s defense has looked revitalized under new head coach Mike Macdonald. The unit leads the league while allowing a miniscule 4.7 yards per pass attempt and is tied for fifth with 11 sacks. Plus, the run defense that’s been an Achilles heel for multiple years has put up respectable numbers near the middle of the pack while allowing 349 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry.

On offense, Geno Smith has been is usual uber-accurate self and wide receiver DK Metcalf is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games. The pair have helped Seattle produce the fifth-most passing yards in NFL (787).

But one big challenge the team still faces is navigating the difficulties of the NFL season with an offensive line that has had its share of struggles.

Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard saw an alarming stat shared on social media by reporter Brian Nemhauser that illustrates the difficulties the group has had thus far.

Nemhauser wrote that when Smith throws passes in under 2.5 seconds, he’s still being pressured 19.7% of the time, the third-highest mark in the league. Meanwhile, quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Derek Carr and Josh Allen have all been pressured under 7% of the time in the same situations.

“When that ball is out in one thousand one, one thousand two, you’ve got to be almost beaten clean (to give up a pressure),” Huard said. “It’s almost like not picking up the stunt. In order to get pressure on the quarterback that quickly, it is a massive breakdown. That is something that’s going to have to be cleaned up, and it’s going to be a point of emphasis, I’m sure, come Monday night because of that monster you’ve got to block off the edge.”

The monster

The monster Huard is referring to is Lions defensive end and NFL sack leader Aidan Hutchinson. The 2022 No. 2 overall pick already has 6 1/2 sacks, which includes a 4 1/2-sack outing in Week 2 against Tampa Bay.

Hutchinson also leads the league with 25 total pressures and has the second-highest pass rush grade at 94.2, per Pro Football Focus.

He will be matched up against a Seahawks offensive line that has the fourth-lowest pass blocking grade at 53.2 and is down to its third-string right tackle. Starting guards Laken Tomlinson and Anthony Bradford and tackle Stone Forsythe all rank in the top 50 of most pressures allowed.

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.