Three Things from the Seahawks’ loss to Arizona

Sunday’s game embodied the storyline for this season, from the absolutely atrocious start to the comeback that stirred memories of the Seahawks’ success the past two seasons only to see their defense unable to hold onto a lead in the fourth quarter.

That’s only the beginning of what we learned from Seattle’s 39-32 loss to Arizona, though:

Three things we learned:

1. The Seahawks’ offense is not getting better.

In fact, there’s the distinct possibility that it’s getting worse. Hard to imagine it being worse than the first four possessions of Sunday’s game when the Seahawks gained 23 yards of total offense, lost 50 yards in penalties and scored two points – for Arizona. The fact that Seattle seems to move the ball most effectively when it goes up-tempo is concerning for a team that prides itself on a physical running game. The Seahawks’ offense did score a fourth-quarter touchdown for the first time since Week 1, but only because the defense gave Seattle the ball on Arizona’s 3-yard line.

2. Seattle’s defense wasn’t as buttoned up as it needed to be.

At least not in the second quarter when Arizona scored two touchdowns, each on a pass of more than 25 yards to Michael Floyd. The first was a heck of a throw-and-catch behind Cary Williams.The second came against a zone when Richard Sherman was caught nosing forward, thinking he’d sniffed out an underneath route only to leave Floyd open on the back end. Seattle had allowed only three touchdown passes of more than 25 yards through the first eight games and just one over the past six games.

3. The Seahawks are not going to win the division for the third straight season.

Not trailing the Cardinals by three games with seven left to play and having lost at home to Arizona. That doesn’t mean the Seahawks’ playoff hopes are all that much of a long-shot. There are only five teams in the NFC that currently have fewer losses than Seattle. Three of those teams lead their respective divisions, which means that only Atlanta (6-3) and Green Bay (6-3) are a game ahead of the Seahawks in the wild-card pecking order. Given the fact the Falcons and Packers already have six wins, it’s hard to imagine a nine-win team reaching the postseason, however.

Three things we’re still trying to figure out:

1. What is going on with Seattle’s turnover margins?

Through Pete Carroll’s first five seasons, the Seahawks were 17-2 when they had a turnover margin of plus-two or better. This season, they’re 0-3. The Seahawks have at times this season been unable to score touchdowns off turnovers. But against Arizona, the Seahawks scored two touchdowns off turnovers in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter and that still wasn’t enough for a victory. But it doesn’t matter which direction you look in terms of turnovers, Seattle’s record this season flies in the face of every trend the Seahawks have shown under Carroll. From 2010 to 2014, Seattle was 6-15 when it finished with a negative turnover differential. The Seahawks are 3-1 in such games this season.

2. Has Jimmy Graham been an asset for Seattle’s offense?

This isn’t a question of Graham’s talent, and it’s actually not that much about his production. He has caught 41 passes for 493 yards, leading the team in both categories. In fact, he very well may catch more passes this season than any player has during Carroll’s tenure. That doesn’t mean it has been a net gain, though, because it has impacted the nature of this team both in what it’s able to do at the line of scrimmage and what it does in the passing game. Seattle has taken one of the most prolific receiving tight ends from one of the league’s most precisely-timed offenses and plugged him into an offense that is not only run-oriented, but relies a great deal on the quarterback’s improvisation.

3. Why did penalties became such a problem for the Seahawks?

The Seahawks were penalized more often than any other team in each of the past two seasons, but they were markedly improved this year. At least they were until Sunday night when they were penalized 14 times, matching the most of any game in Carroll’s tenure. The most painful of those penalties came during offensive possessions as Seattle faced a first-and-20 or more on five different drives. It’s not a coincidence that those were five of the six drives in which Seattle failed to score.

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