Clayton: Where the 3-3 Seahawks sit coming out of their bye week
Oct 22, 2018, 10:34 AM
The Seahawks' Russell Wilson has the fifth-best QB rating outside of the pocket. (AP)
(AP)
The bye week is over, so the Seahawks report back to work Monday.
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As the week progresses, Pete Carroll has to decide whether K.J. Wright, Rasheem Green and Ed Dickson are ready to return to the lineup. J.D. McKissic, who still needs two more weeks on the injured reserve list, could also start practicing.
At 3-3, the Seahawks are back in the wide card race, but the schedule over the next five weeks will be tough. It starts with Sunday’s game in Detroit.
With no game to review, here are some thoughts about the season as Week 7 concludes.
• Don’t expect much action from the Seahawks as they approach next Tuesday’s trade deadline. Sure, general manager John Schneider will check around for a pass-rusher, but chances of landing one in a trade will be difficult. From the sounds of things, wide receivers seem to be getting the most action, and the Seahawks are settled at that position.
• Ed Dickson’s return is important. Nick Vannett couldn’t play because of a sore back in London, so the Seahawks got by at tight end with Tyrone Swoopes and George Fant. Vannett’s back problems should have cleared up during the bye week, but they have been bothering him for some time. Dickson was the best blocking tight end available in free agency, and he’s finally primed to see the field for the first time this season.
• It’s interesting to see how some former Seahawks are doing. Michael Bennett has had three sacks in the past four games for the Philadelphia Eagles. Richard Sherman had to sit out Sunday’s 49ers game against the Los Angeles Rams, but he’s had only 11 passes thrown on him this season, with just three completed. Kicker Jason Myers, who competed with Sebastian Janikowski in training camp and the preseason, has made 17 of 18 field goals for the New York Jets and had seven field goals last week.
• Heading into Week 7, the Seahawks’ base 4-3 defense was tied for eighth-best in yards per play allowed at 4.7, according to ESPN Stats and Information. They were tied with the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
• Russell Wilson ranked as the fifth-best QB making plays outside the pocket entering the bye week. His quarterback rating is 106.8, with only Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz ahead of him.
• Teams have been blitzing the Seahawks’ offense a lot. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Wilson has been blitzed on 27.1 percent of his dropbacks, 10th most in football. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck are the least blitzed.
• In case you missed it, quarterback Alex McGough is making more than any other player on the Seahawks practice squad. Practice squad players make $7,600 a week, which amounts to $129,200 over 17 weeks. Sensing other teams were after him following his release in September, the Seahawks opted to pay McGough $476,000, which is only $4,000 below the rookie minimum salary.
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