O-line regression a key part of Seahawks’ offensive woes

The Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line was expected to be a strength this season.

Instead, it’s been among the biggest reasons Seattle’s offense has sputtered out of the gates.

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The Seahawks have allowed 16 sacks through six games, including five sacks apiece in back-to-back losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. That comes after yielding just 27 sacks in 17 games last season, which was the franchise’s lowest mark since 2005.

Furthermore, Seattle has allowed the NFL’s fourth-highest pressure rate this season at 46.4%, according to Sumer Sports. That’s a big uptick from last year’s 36.6% mark, which was near the league average.

“The quarterback’s getting hit way too much,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said after Denver’s pass rush was credited with 17 quarterback hits on Sam Darnold last Thursday night.

“We’ve got to do a better job protecting him, and we got to be more decisive with the football to know that we don’t want to take those hits,” Macdonald added.

Seattle’s O-line returned all five starters from last season, but that continuity didn’t last long. Right guard Anthony Bradford got hurt in the season opener and eventually landed on injured reserve, sidelining him for the past five games.

Bradford isn’t known as a great pass blocker, but he allowed a 5.6% pressure rate last season. That would be a definite upgrade over backups Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens, who have rotated at right guard in Bradford’s absence. Haynes’s allowed pressure rate is 7.4% this season, while Stephens’ is 9.9%.

Meanwhile, right tackle Abraham Lucas and left guard Grey Zabel both appear to have taken a step back in pass protection. Lucas’ allowed pressure rate has climbed from 6.3% last year to 7.7% this year, while Zabel’s has increased from 4.9% to 6.4%.

Macdonald said last Friday that Bradford has a “good chance” of returning off IR this week. That could provide a boost both at right guard and along the O-line as a whole.

But as Macdonald emphasized, pass protection is only one piece of the offensive puzzle – and all the pieces are intertwined.

For instance, the Seahawks’ lack of a quality rushing attack has put them in more obvious passing situations, which has made pass protection more difficult. In turn, that’s contributed to heavier pressure on Darnold, which has been a factor in at least some of his seven interceptions this season.

“If you just point to a person or a position group, that’s not how football works,” Macdonald said. “It’s a team game. … It’s never just a one-person or one-group thing.

“Could the offensive line step their game up? Yes, absolutely. … Does Sam bear responsibility for taking care of the football? Do our runners take care of responsibility for fumbling the ball? Absolutely.

“It’s a team game, and how we set up our game plans and how we execute falls on all our shoulders.”

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