The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of a dominating performance against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football, but many still seem to believe that this Seahawks team isn’t as dominant as they’ve been in years past. One common narrative perpetrated by the media has been, what’s wrong with the Seahawks? Although Seattle has struggled at times during this season, they seem to be struggling more than usual. The Seahawks have the potential to win the Super Bowl this year, which has been the case during every year of the Russell Wilson era. But some fans and members of the media haven’t been paying attention to recent Seahawks history.
Don’t Worry About the Seattle Seahawks Early Season Struggles
The Seahawks have notoriously been slow starters during the Russell Wilson era. Not only has it taken time for Wilson most years to find his rhythm, but he’s also notorious for being a slow starter during games. This has been the case again this season, and people seem to be forgetting what happens in Seattle during the end of the regular season. During Wilson’s rookie year, the Seahawks started 4-4 before winning seven of their final eight games. He was a rookie finding his stride, so this didn’t seem to be the start of a trend.
The 2013 Seahawks were different for many reasons. They started the year 11-1 before losing two of their final four games. Limping into the playoffs didn’t seem to matter because they finished the season with a 43-8 shellacking of the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.
The 2014 Seahawks reverted back to the status quo of having early season struggles. They started the season 3-3 before winning nine of their final ten games. The 2015 Seahawks started the year 0-2 without Kam Chancellor. They won their next two games, and the NFL world was sure that they were about to wreck the league. Then the Seahawks lost two straight games and the same NFL fans and media members that were praising Seattle two weeks earlier were convinced that their season was over. The Seahawks would only lose two more games that season.
The 2016 Seahawks struggled out of the gate with two lackluster performances. Although they won their opening game 12-10 over the Dolphins, it took some late-game heroics from Russell Wilson and a lucky dropped touchdown by Kenny Stills to ensure the victory. Seattle would lose their second game to the Rams while only putting three points on the board. The media and fans were convinced that the Seahawks were done, only to watch them win another NFC West crown.
This Seahawks team seems different because of their defensive struggles, but these struggles can be attributed to the offense. Seattle has given up a few long touchdowns late in games that have skewed their stats. Fans and media members are attributing this to the defense being old, but this isn’t the case. The Seahawks offensive line is horrible and is causing numerous three-and-outs per game. The defense is spending the majority of the game on the field, which is causing defenders to tire late in games. These long touchdowns are due to exhaustion because of putrid offensive play.
If the Seahawks offensive line can improve from horrible to not as bad, then the Seahawks will be back to dominating as they have in years past. The Seahawks offensive line has struggled in years past, but has always gotten better during the season. They haven’t ever improved to mediocrity, but they’ve always improved enough to allow the rest of the offense to put up enough points to win games.
This year, the Los Angeles Rams look like a potential playoff team. They are playing at a high level, but they’ve had an easy schedule thus far, and it’s far too early to crown them as playoff contenders. Even if the Rams continue playing at a high level, the Seahawks will likely make the playoffs. The Cardinals had an amazing season in 2015, but that didn’t stop the Seahawks from making the playoffs as a Wild Card team and winning their first playoff game on the road.
The Rams have dominated the Seahawks in head-to-head matchups in years past because of their defensive line. Aaron Donald is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and has the potential to dominate the atrocious Seahawks offensive line. Even if this trend continues in their head-to-head matchups this season, the Seahawks should still be favorites to win the division. They’ve done it before; they should have the benefit of the doubt.
The Seahawks have struggled during the first few weeks of the season during every year of the Russell Wilson era (except the Super Bowl year), only to turn it around and win their first playoff game. Many fans and media members are calling the Seahawks reign of terror in the NFC West over, but they aren’t paying attention. The team may be off to another slow start, but they are still the same old Seahawks.
