Rost: 3 noteworthy numbers from Seahawks’ first month

The Seattle Seahawks have a nice break before hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday (though TBD on the kickoff time given the logistical nightmare of the Mariners and Seahawks playing on the same day).

Huard: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold off to ‘phenomenal’ start

While it’s too early in the season to have a firm grasp on who this team will be and how far they can go, we’re just far enough to start seeing a few trends emerge.

Here are three noteworthy numbers from the Seahawks’ first month:

• 7 – The number of interceptions thrown by former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith this season. Smith is a better passer than he got credit for during his time in Seattle, but it sure looks like general manager John Schneider’s bet is paying off early. Yes, Smith reportedly requested the trade; his close relationship with Pete Carroll made the move a fitting (and frankly an easy-to-root-for) option for the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, the Seahawks could get out of committing money to a veteran quarterback in 2026.

Who knows if Smith would have the same numbers for Seattle through four weeks, but it’s certainly a boost for the perception of the Seahawks’ controversial offseason move that Smith has been turnover-prone (including two games of three interceptions), while Sam Darnold, who was critiqued for poor play under pressure, has been efficient. And while the Seahawks’ deal with Darnold saved them guarantees beyond 2025, their guarantees to him this year (and a salary that wasn’t drastically different than Smith’s) signaled at the very least a belief that he could be just as good. That belief brought plenty of criticism, but so far, it’s looking like a bet that’s paying off.

Schneider’s front office has already aced one controversial quarterback move (two if you count starting Russell Wilson over Matt Flynn). Is it about to happen again?

• 12.3 – Yards per completion for Seattle’s offense through four weeks, which is the most in the league and up from 9.7 in 2024 (which would be about 19th this year). No surprise with this additional note: Darnold’s longest completion in every game has been to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, which is especially impressive considering Smith-Njigba saw just five targets in Week 4 (and none in the first half) compared to 13 in Week 1. Even with the ball being spread around, JSN has been part of the most explosive pass play every week.

• 3.6 – The Seahawks are trying to run the ball more than almost anyone else, so they’re putting their money where their mouth is on that new offensive identity. They’re fourth in rushing attempts, up significantly from last season. But they aren’t seeing explosiveness translate to the run game; their 3.6 yards per carry are 28th. Surprisingly, an undefeated team is in a similar spot: the Philadelphia Eagles are top-four in rushing attempts and bottom-four in yards per rush.

The good news is that hasn’t overly limited Seattle’s offense. And additional context is that the Arizona Cardinals’ defense is top-10 against the run so far this season. But a team that wants its identity to be centered around the run is going to have to find a way to break out a few more big gains. For that matter, just average gains. Per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Seahawks lead the league in rush attempts with no gain or yardage lost. Week 5 brings a massive test from a Bucs defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Report: Mariners playoff games could impact Seahawks kickoff times
• Macdonald: Leonard Williams ‘deserves more love’ nationally
• Seattle Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu makes a statement in 3rd game back
• Observations from Seattle Seahawks’ last-second win over Cardinals

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