Big Ray Roberts: How Seahawks overthought the plan on offense

If the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line appeared to be on the right track coming off a performance in Week 14 against the Cardinals, their showing on Sunday night against the Packers would indicate something different.

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The O-line helped facilitate a season-high 176 yards on the ground while allowing zero sacks in Seattle’s 30-18 win in Arizona, but a week later the Seahawks managed just 80 rushing yards and gave up seven sacks in a 30-13 loss at home to Green Bay.

One issue may have been choosing to jump to another track entirely, something Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Ray Roberts saw early in the game.

“The Packers came in, and their offensive line and running game said, ‘This is who we are and we’re going to make you defend us,'” Roberts said Tuesday while guest co-hosting Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “I think the Seahawks came in and said, ‘Oh man, we did some cool stuff last week. They might be ready for that. Let’s switch it up a little bit.’ They didn’t really take the fight to ’em and say, ‘We are going to be a downhill, physical running football team, and you’re going to have to prove to us that you can stop that.'”

As a result, Roberts believes the Seahawks got away from their strengths.

“They kind of got a little too east and west with the running game instead of north and south, and I think the offensive line is better when they can be effective between the tackles and not outside where the tight ends and slot receivers are,” he said.

Was changing their game in anticipation of what the Packers might do too much of a step to take a week after what looked like a breakthrough game for the O-line?

“Sometimes you just overthink it and you over-coach situations,” Roberts said. “I think the Seahawks had a chance to go, ‘Here’s some plays that the offensive line feels confident blocking because they were super successful with it against the Cardinals,’ and I think they should have at least gone that direction first. And then the other place they ran should have been the counter-punches.”

While Sunday night could feel like a step back for the offensive line, its performance the week before coupled with pockets of success that Roberts pointed to – most notably the ability to get good movement with double teams of late – could suggest a bounceback is not far off. And that’s especially possible if Sunday’s step back was at least partially self-induced.

“I think (the Packers) are better against the run than the Cardinals were, but not so much that they scared you out of trying to run your stuff,” Roberts said. “You know, they kind of got talked out of being who they say they want to be.”

Hear the full segment in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Wyman and Bob from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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