Rost: Answering three important Seahawks questions

Nov 1, 2024, 10:05 AM

Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks looks on against the Buffalo Bills during a 2024 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

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The Seattle Seahawks are one game away from entering the bye week for some much-needed recovery time. While they focus on a win against the Rams, let’s turn to X.com to see what Seahawks fans are focusing on ahead of Week 9:

Seattle Seahawks Injury Report: One key player returns, another still out

@bean2030: If Geno Smith is the solution and the answer, why is his career record a losing one?

You know who else has a losing career record? Justin Herbert. I don’t say this to equate Herbert and Smith — nor to make the case that the 34-year-old Smith is a long-term solution — but rather to point out that wins and losses aren’t always the best measure of the talent or impact of a single player on a team sport. Quarterbacks carry the burden of lifting their team to more success, and the very best ones do. But they’re also affected by the pieces around them, and Smith has never been part of a top-10 roster.

The Seahawks were 25th in points allowed in Smith’s first two seasons. They were 26th in yards allowed in 2022 and 30th in 2023. They were 30th against the run in 2022 and 31st in 2023. That’s not a Geno Smith problem. In fact, one of Smith’s best games as a pro (a three-touchdown, zero-interception performance with a 139 passer rating against the Saints in 2022) was a loss because the defense allowed over 100 rushing yards apiece to Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara.

Smith is responsible for making good decisions, getting the ball to playmakers, and not turning the ball over. To critique aspects of his game this season in those areas — particularly turnovers — is fair. He can’t throw a pick in a must-score situation, which is what happened last week against the Bills. But even that ignores the context of him being one of the most pressured and most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. More simply put: Smith isn’t one of the league’s best passers, but a better team could win with him.

You can want an upgrade at quarterback. But to think that’s the biggest problem with Seattle’s roster — or that any quarterback would make up for massive performance issues elsewhere — is misguided.

@gtumancollins: Eight games in, season on the line this weekend, do we win or lose? Also, do we improve or is this what we have for 2024?

You can call me overly critical, but I’m not feeling optimistic about a Seahawks win against the Rams Sunday (you don’t want me to lie to you, right?). It would be great to see one! I just don’t see Seattle’s issues against the run as being easy fixes over the course of a week. And it’s no longer sounding certain that DK Metcalf will return Sunday; Mike Macdonald told Steve Raible on 97.3 KIRO FM on Friday, “It’s still a little bit cloudy on what’s going on on that front.”

But I also don’t think that means the season is lost. A healthy 49ers squad probably runs away with this one, and a healthier Rams offense looked stellar against the Vikings’ very good defense. But that’s not currently what’s happening. The 49ers aren’t healthy. The Rams did look great, but are still a game back. This is a very close NFC West race, and there’s a world where a 9- or 10-win team wins the whole thing. Ultimately, you want progress. You want to win the bulk of your second-half games. If not, we’ll have another conversation.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t consequences. If the Seahawks lose, not only are they a half game behind the Rams, but they also will have lost five of six. Gross.

For the record, my co-host Michael Bumpus does think this one is must-win territory. So there’s a case to be made either way.

@KScores: I take it no more trades coming or going before the deadline?

The deadline is Nov 5, and it would be great to see something happen – if only because I love a good breaking news story and it’ll bring some excitement on the bye week.

But the Seahawks are probably set here. They added depth to the defensive line by acquiring Roy Robertson-Harris from the Jags, and replaced their starting middle linebacker with Ernest Jones IV in a trade with the Titans. You’ll rarely see more than one or two trades from a team at the midseason deadline, so it’s likely a wrap.

That’s also because one thing I think the Seahawks are counting on is the return of injured players. Why trade for a tackle if you’ve got one coming in a week or two? And that may end up being more impactful than the new faces they’ve added. Their offensive line has been giving up the third-most pressures and fifth-most sacks. That’s impactful. But they’ve also been starting third- or fourth-string right tackles for the entirety of the season. Mike Macdonald has sounded optimistic about a return of starting right tackle Abe Lucas, and if his play is anything like it was his rookie season, that’s a huge deal.