Moore: Seahawks’ pass-rush issues still a concern despite 10-3 record

Dec 10, 2019, 8:08 AM

Seahawks DE Rasheem Green is tied for the team lead with three sacks. (Getty)

(Getty)

Former Seattle Sports Host

The Seahawks did not record a sack for the second consecutive game Sunday night against the Rams, leaving them at 23 for the season, tied with the Falcons as the third-worst pass-rushing teams in the league. The only teams with fewer sacks are the 1-12 Bengals with 21 and the 3-10 Dolphins with 17.

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But there isn’t necessarily a direct correlation that a team with a terrific pass rush is also going to have a terrific record. And the Seahawks are proof that you don’t have to have a great pass rush to have a really good record since they’re 10-3.

At the top end of the sacks rankings, the Steelers are No. 1 with 48 and have an 8-5 record. And guess who’s No. 2? Carolina, this week’s Seahawks’ opponent, with 47. But the Panthers have lost five in a row and are 5-8, out of playoff contention.

Aside from each of two games when they recorded five sacks against Cincinnati and San Francisco, the Seahawks have just 13 sacks in their other 11 games. They’ve had four with no sacks at all, and their sack-less streak has reached 10 quarters – Quinton Jefferson and Ziggy Ansah combined for the Seahawks’ last sack early in the second quarter against Carson Wentz on Nov. 24.

Another not-so-fun fact: Through 13 games, the Seahawks have three players – Jadeveon Clowney, Mychal Kendricks and Rasheem Green – tied for the individual sacks lead with three apiece. Think about that for a second. With only three games left in the season, the top Seahawk sackers have only three apiece. Three!

Chandler Jones of Arizona leads the league with 14 sacks, and he had four in one game against the Giants. But no one on the Seahawks has cracked the four-sack barrier to this point, and it’s fair to wonder if anyone will.

Kendricks missed the Rams game with a hamstring injury and figures to be limited, at least initially, when he returns. Green has been a pleasant surprise, producing a good pass rush in his second season, but it’s 50-50 if he gets another sack in the last three games.

Clowney is the one I’m most concerned about. He has some sort of core injury that will require surgery in the offseason. He missed the Eagles game, returned to look mostly disruptive against the Vikings last week but did little to nothing against the Rams. I’m wondering how effective he’ll be the rest of the way, nursing an injury that appears to be slowing him down.

In comparison, the Panthers have seven players with more sacks than any of the Seahawks. Seven! Mario Addison has 9.5, Brian Burns and former Seahawk Bruce Irvin have 5.5, Gerald McCoy and Vernon Butler have five, and Dontari Poe and Eric Reid have four.

I know some stat geeks are into toxic differential and other differentials, but I’m into sack differential, and the Seahawks are the worst in the league in that department. I haven’t run the numbers to know exactly how that affects a team, but let’s just assume it can’t be good if your quarterback is being sacked more frequently than your defense is sacking the opposing quarterback.

The Seahawks’ sack differential is minus-17. Russell Wilson has been sacked 40 times while the Seahawks have recorded 23 on defense. The Rams are the best in the league at plus-24. Jared Goff has been sacked 19 times while the Rams have recorded 43 sacks.

You could argue the merits of sack differential by saying: “Hey, Jim, the Seahawks might have the worst sack differential, but they’re still 10-3, and the Rams might have the best sack differential, but they’re 8-5.”

And I’d say: “Yeah, you’re right, but I don’t care, I’m almost positive to the point of being really sure that a team with the worst sack differential in the league has never won a Super Bowl. If you don’t believe me, do the research yourself. I’m too busy trying to figure out how the Cougs can slow down the Air Force running game so they can win the Cheez-It Bowl.”

I guess the point of this whole post is to emphasize how ridiculous this non-existent pass rush by the Seahawks has become. And if I hear Pete Carroll making excuses for it one more time, I think I’ll scream or grunt or shake my head or do something else to signal my disapproval of such nonsense. I heard it again Monday morning when Carroll said the lack of sacks against the Rams had a lot to do with Goff rolling out or bootlegging or whatever combined with getting the ball out quickly. I wonder if they’re saying the same stuff in Pittsburgh and Carolina. I highly doubt it.

But if you’re looking for some hope, and I’m guessing you are, here ya go: Carolina quarterback Kyle Allen has been sacked 44 times this year, and Cam Newton was sacked six times in the first two games before Allen replaced him. That’s a whopping 50 sacks given up by the Panthers’ offensive line in 13 games.

Think the Seahawks can make it 51 on Sunday? I wouldn’t bet on it either.

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