‘We have to just play better’: Seahawks’ defense struggles again
Oct 6, 2024, 6:51 PM | Updated: Oct 7, 2024, 6:34 pm
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE – After shutting down undermatched opponents in its first three games, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense has taken a step back over the past two weeks.
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Last week, that could largely be attributed to a slew of injuries that left Seattle shorthanded against a high-powered Detroit Lions attack that’s among the best in the league.
But on Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants, those caveats mostly didn’t apply.
The Giants entered as one of the NFL’s worst offenses. On top of that, they were missing their top two playmakers in rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Devin Singletary. And though the Seahawks were still without two key defensive players – plus two more who went down during the game – they were healthier than they were last week.
And yet, the defensive issues cropped up again. Seattle struggled against both the run and the pass, allowing 420 total yards in an ugly 29-20 loss to New York on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.
“We just didn’t execute,” Seahawks linebacker Jerome Baker said. “No matter how you look at it, we didn’t execute. We need to get off the field. We just didn’t do enough.
“They just played together better than us,” he added. “At the end of the day, it’s still football, so if you play your technique and your assignment better than us, you’re gonna win. So that was the outcome.”
The Giants (2-3) entered the game ranked 30th in the NFL at 15.0 points per game and 23rd at 296.8 yards per game. And without Nabers and Singletary, they came to Seattle missing 55.6% of their offensive production in terms of total yardage.
It appeared to be a favorable matchup for the Seahawks’ defense. But instead, New York had its best offensive performance of the season.
Daniel Jones picked apart Seattle (3-2) with a heavy dose of short passes, completing 23 of 34 attempts for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Darius Slayton had a big day, hauling in eight catches for 122 yards and a TD.
And the Giants punished Seattle on the ground, rushing for 175 yards at a clip of 5.1 yards per carry. That was significantly above New York’s season average of 85.3 rushing yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry.
“We’ve gotta call a better game,” Seahawks first-year head coach Mike Macdonald said of his team’s run defense. “And when we are in those plays, we have to execute better and tackle and leverage the ball better. It’s fundamental football that we’re coming up short. That’s what’s disappointing right now.”
It marked the third time in five games that Seattle has allowed more than 100 rushing yards. The Seahawks gave up 185 rushing yards to the New England Patriots in Week 2 and 116 rushing yards in their 42-29 loss to the Lions last Monday night.
“That’s something that we have to seriously address,” Seattle safety Julian Love said. “Obviously it’s been shown on tape a few times. We’ve gotta get our fits clean and just guys gotta bow up. … We’ve gotta close that pandora’s box and just execute.”
The Seahawks also struggled again on third downs, allowing the Giants to convert 7 of 16 attempts. That comes after the Lions went 5 of 10 on third downs against Seattle last week.
“I think we had to be stick-aware,” Love said. “A lot of those routes or concepts were at the sticks. And just leaky yards. I think we have to clean up our tackling. I think we’re just allowing too much free-access things. … And that’s all of us. I’ll take accountability for the back end. We have to just play better.”
NFC West Check-In: 49ers collapse in fourth quarter against Cards
The Seahawks don’t have much time to fix things. They have a quick turnaround this week, with the defending conference champion San Francisco 49ers coming to town on Thursday night for a massive NFC West showdown.
The 49ers fell to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday to fall to 2-3, but they once again have one of the league’s best offenses, with star power all over the field.
“We’ve gotta spend extra time, whether you’re in there early, staying late, as a group, just to correct it,” Love said. “And just be accountable. Every one of us has to look inward and figure out what they can do better. … It just takes commitment right now. It’s a short week, and so we’ve gotta go in and just really attack the week.”
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