We’re not going to sugarcoat Sunday’s loss in San Francisco.
The Seahawks looked bad. Like really bad.
Buuuuut there’s still time to turn the season around. They have 15 more games, and only one of those comes against the 49ers. This week, Atlanta comes into town, and who knows, maybe the Seahawks will find their offensive stride?
Here’s where national media rank the Seahawks after Week 2:
SI.com: No. 31
As podcast cohost Gary Gramling said on our Sunday review this week, the Seahawks have won their Super Bowl. We’ll check back in with them come draft time to see which quarterback they may be interested in.
ESPN: No. 27
Biggest early adjustment: Get Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III going
To do that, the Seahawks need to avoid falling into a big early hole like they did Sunday against the 49ers, who jumped out to a 20-0 first-half lead. With Penny and Walker, the Seahawks have the makings of one of the NFL’s better backfield duos. But Seattle’s running backs have combined for only 25 carries and 96 rushing yards through two games, not nearly enough to get defenses out of the two-deep-safety looks that are designed to prevent explosive passing plays. The result: Geno Smith ranked 27th in average air yards per attempt in Week 1, then completed only one pass Sunday that gained more than 17 yards. — Brady Henderson
The Ringer: No. 27
Bleacher Report: No. 30
It was a painful reminder that the 2022 Seahawks just aren’t an especially good football team. And it’s much more likely than not going to be a long season in the Emerald City.
The Athletic: No. 26
It’s best to understand Geno Smith as a lab-designed teaching example for the limitations of completion percentage. Through two games, he leads the NFL in completion percentage but has led only three scoring drives for a Seahawks offense that ranks 29th in EPA per drive. His league-low 5.3 air yards per attempt, per TruMedia, go a long way in explaining that gap. But even if that’s a reflection of Pete Carroll’s ideal offense, it seems a waste of DK Metcalf, in particular.
NBC Sports: No. 24
The only thing this team has in common with the ’72 Dolphins is its overall approach to offensive football.
CBS Sports: No. 29
Geno Smith and the offense didn’t do much of anything against San Francisco. That puts a big damper on what they did in the opener.
NFL.com: No. 24
Sunday brought a reality check for the Seahawks. The offense was held scoreless by the 49ers, and the defense couldn’t get enough stops to keep things competitive in a 27-7 loss at Levi’s Stadium. The game featured little in the way of positives, aside from a tremendous special teams play — the blocked field-goal try returned for a touchdown by Mike Jackson — that briefly gave Seattle life in the second half. That was it, however: The running game couldn’t get going, DeeJay Dallas was the focal point of a trick play that should never be spoken of again, and Geno Smith hasn’t led the offense to a point since the second quarter of the opener. We’ll always have the Russ Bowl.