The Seattle Seahawks were perhaps a yard away from becoming the NFL’s next dynasty. Instead, quarterback Russell Wilson threw that fatal slant pass right into the hands of Malcolm Butler with 26 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX.
As heartbreaking as that was for the Seahawks, it wasn’t a moment that had to define them. They still had a great core of players, mostly elite defenders, together and ready to compete for more championships.
But the Seahawks haven’t even been back to the NFC Championship Game since then, and last season, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Heading into 2018, most of that core — Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Bruce Irvin — is gone.
If the Seahawks are going to add a second title this decade, it’s going to be with a new cast of characters. However, the formula can be the same — they must get back to dominating on the ground.
Seattle Seahawks Running Game Woes Holding the Team Back
From 2012-15, it was hard to find a team that ran the ball better than the Seahawks. All four seasons during that stretch, they finished in the top four in rushing yards. During the 2014 season, which was the last time the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, they were first in both rushing and yards per carry.
A lot of that success can be credited to former All-Pro back Marshawn Lynch. He was the best power back of his era, and during his first four seasons with the Seahawks (2011-14), he averaged 1,339 yards and 12 touchdowns per year. During both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Lynch led the NFL in rushing touchdowns.
But the Seahawks remained a dominant force on the ground in 2015 despite Lynch dealing with injuries. He missed nine games, which opened the door for Thomas Rawls. He emerged onto the scene and averaged 5.6 yards per attempt to again help the Seahawks to a top-four finish in rushing.
The following season, however, Rawls wasn’t the same after breaking his leg, and Lynch went into retirement.
Seattle Seahawks Offensive Line Problems
Another problem the Seahawks encountered was the salary cap. All great teams have to deal with it, and the Seahawks decided to dedicate all their money to their defense. Then Wilson received his big payday during the summer of 2015. Following that signing, the Seahawks had little money left over to dedicate towards their offensive line.
As a result, the Pacific Northwest has become an offensive line wasteland. The Seahawks have taken on numerous reclamation projects and even tried to develop a former basketball player, George Fant, who had just one football season of experience in high school and college. All of these risks were met with moderate success at best.
Even if they still had Lynch in his prime, the Seahawks probably wouldn’t have been able to run the ball effectively the last two seasons because of the very weak offensive line. It’s costing the franchise a chance to win another Super Bowl.
Seattle Seahawks Rushing Struggles Costing Games
Even with a dominant defense, the running game was so important to what the Seahawks did from 2012-15. A strong rushing attack controls the pace of the game, wears out a defense and keeps your defenders fresh.
Their rankings were still good, but the Seahawks defense hasn’t been as dominant in the last two seasons. While part of that is age, the bigger issue has been very little support from a running game to take pressure off the unit.
The Seahawks have also had a very unusual rushing split the last two years. At home, they have averaged 4.2 yards per carry, which isn’t great, but at least respectable. On the road, the Seahawks have posted a 3.6 yards per attempt average since 2016.
Seattle is known as a great home field advantage, and apparently, the crowd or something at CenturyLink Field helps the Seahawks establish a rushing attack. They don’t have the same advantage on the road, and it’s led to an 8-7-1 mark in away games the last two seasons. They are 11-5 at home during that time.
Seattle Seahawks Rushing Expectations for 2018
The focus for the Seahawks has been the departure of so many of their standout defenders this off-season. But even with them, they were not a playoff team last season. Again, a big reason why was the struggling rushing attack, which was so bad that Wilson recorded twice as many rushing yards than any Seahawks running back.
Getting back to running the ball effectively both at home and away will be the key to the Seahawks returning to the postseason. In the first round, they drafted San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny. The Seahawks plan for him to start and to use their other of backs — Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, Mike Davis and J.D. McKissic — situationally.
The Seahawks also hope some continuity on the offensive line will help. They acquired left tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans at the trade deadline last year, and the former All-Pro will protect Wilson’s blindside. Justin Britt and Germain Ifedi are remaining at center and right tackle, respectively.
2017 second-round pick Ethan Pocic will move to left guard, and the Seahawks took yet another gamble on a reclamation project in D.J. Fluker, who will start at right guard.
The Seahawks were right to dedicate so much of their off-season and their first-round pick on fixing the running attack. Fortunately, it does seem these units are headed in the right direction, but they might have to drastically improve to keep up with the logjam of playoff contending teams in both their division and the NFC.
