SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Disastrous goal-line gaffes doom Seahawks in ugly loss

Oct 27, 2024, 5:56 PM | Updated: 9:51 pm

Seattle Seahawks Kenneth Walker III errant snap Buffalo Bills 2024...

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III scoops up an errant snap against the Bills on Sunday. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

SEATTLE – The Seattle Seahawks were thoroughly outplayed by the Buffalo Bills on both sides of the ball in a 31-10 loss Sunday afternoon. And even in the few brief moments when things went well, the Seahawks shot themselves in the foot with costly miscues.

None were bigger than a pair of disastrous goal-line gaffes by center Connor Williams.

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On back-to-back possessions in the first half, Seattle had the ball inside the Buffalo 5-yard line. The Seahawks came away with a total of just three points on those two scoring chances, thanks to an errant snap by Williams and a fourth-and-goal play where Williams stepped on Geno Smith’s foot and sent Seattle’s quarterback stumbling to the ground.

Those two plays summed up an all-around ugly performance by the Seahawks, whose 21-point loss to Buffalo marked their worst home defeat since a 42-7 debacle against the Rams in 2017.

“We had too many self-inflicted wounds,” Smith said. “That’s kind of been our story this season. We got down there in the red zone twice, had a shot at points and came away with (just) three points.

“Those are things that we’ve gotta be better at,” he added. “And I’m looking at myself first (to) see what I’ve gotta do better.”

‘Extremely frustrating’ day for Seahawks’ defense against Bills

The first goal-line miscue came near the midway mark of the second quarter. The Seahawks had just got their offense rolling, with Smith driving them downfield on five straight completions for first downs.

But on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line, with a steady rain falling, Williams’ snap sailed way over Smith’s head and trickled all the way back to the 29. Running back Kenneth Walker III picked up the loose ball and ran it back to the 22-yard line, but it still marked a 19-yard loss that ultimately forced Seattle to settle for a field goal.

A few minutes later, the Seahawks had another golden opportunity to reach the end zone. Practice-squad callup Josh Jobe had just intercepted Josh Allen and returned the ball to the Buffalo 7. Seattle then ran the ball three straight times to the 1-yard line, setting up a 4th-and-goal.

The Seahawks elected to keep their offense on the field, but the play was over before it ever really began. With Smith under center, Williams snapped the ball and then inadvertently stepped on Smith’s foot. Smith immediately fell to the ground for a 6-yard loss and a turnover on downs that preserved the Bills’ 7-3 lead.

The game quickly spiraled out of control after that. Buffalo answered with a 93-yard touchdown march and then added a field goal on the opening drive of the second half. By the time the Seahawks took their next non-kneeldown snap, they were facing a 17-3 deficit.

Would the game have gone differently without those two blown opportunities inside the 5-yard line?

“It’s hard to tell if it flips, but you feel like you’re right in it,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said. “So again, it’s a story of red zone … and (not) being able to run the ball inside the 5-yard line. So we need to be better there for sure.”

On a day where the Seahawks were outgained 445-233 in total yardage – including 164-32 on the ground – they simply had no room for crippling mistakes.

And yet, Sunday’s game was a parade of errors for Seattle – headlined by the two red-zone miscues.

“That’s the result of a good football team that outplayed us in three phases,” Macdonald said. “And then it gets out of hand when you’re doing the things we did today when we didn’t help ourselves as well.

“It’s a laundry list of things. … But the long and short of it is we got outplayed, we got outcoached and we’ve gotta go make it right.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• The area Brock Huard wants to see Seahawks’ JSN improve
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Disastrous goal-line gaffes doom Seahawks in ugly loss