I will admit it. I was not very optimistic about the Seattle Seahawks’ 2017 NFL season. After disheartening losses to the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans, they sat at 1-2. Now they are suddenly 4-2. Three straight wins is an anomaly for the Seahawks, but this team has shown immense heart to improve to a winning record and I must say, I like it a lot.
It is time to reflect on this team’s status after Week 7 as they approach the halfway mark of the season.
There is an abundance of positive things to take away from the Seahawks’ performance in the last few games. The defense is still as stout and sturdy as ever, shutting down the running game whenever they need to. This was particularly evident in last week’s game against the New York Giants. Veteran defensive end Cliff Avril may be injured for the remainder of the year, but the heavyweights on the defensive line have stepped up in his place. Frank Clark and Jarran Reed have looked solid alongside veterans like Michael Bennett, and the line has been extremely effective as a collective unit.
No matter what came at them, the front seven stood their ground and stuffed the rush continuously.
The secondary, the famed Legion of Boom, has also been outstanding for the most part. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are still among the best in the league at the safety position. Star cornerback Richard Sherman is showing us all that he is not washed up yet, as he is still locking down opposing receivers. On Sunday, he even made a key pass deflection on a deep pass from Giants quarterback Eli Manning that prevented a go-ahead touchdown by wide receiver Roger Lewis.
Rookie corner Shaquill Griffin has shown a tremendous amount of promise lately, looking solid in coverage and occasionally making key plays. He has not been perfect, but he is a rookie; you can not expect him to be invincible. He is looking great for what he currently is.
Let’s get to the offense. Quarterback Russell Wilson is still inconsistent. He has made some solid throws over the past few weeks, but he still occasionally overthrows receivers who are wide open. The receiving targets themselves are doing a decent job overall. Doug Baldwin and co. are running solid routes and catching balls that are thrown to them.
The one fly in the ointment is tight end Jimmy Graham, who has been dropping perfectly thrown balls by Wilson in crucial situations. He needs to up his game if he wants to remain on the team. The running game’s existence is still questioned. The running backs simply can not consistently get the chains moving.
Star Chris Carson may be out for the rest of the season, but the others have not been stepping up in his absence. However, this is also due to the Seahawks’ seemingly eternally shoddy offensive line. They have slightly improved with pass protection in recent weeks, but their run blocking is still abysmal.
On top of that, they are committing penalties too often, particularly Germain Ifedi. There needs to be more improvement with the offensive line because I am not feeling very confident about their abilities, to put it lightly.
Overall however, I see a lot of positive things for the Seahawks in the weeks to come. There are some issues that need to be addressed, but I can definitely see this team winning the NFC West again. They must only execute.