RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks’ struggles this season can be traced back to one key issue: the offensive line. Sunday’s 26-20 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams highlighted how the offensive front is holding the team back from being true contenders.
Head coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged that while the players are giving effort, the offensive line must execute better and work together. Our guys are fighting their tails off, but we’ve got to help them out, Macdonald said. We’ve got to execute better and work together.
The bright spot has been left tackle Charles Cross, who has delivered a solid season. But the rest of the line has struggled. Geno Smith was sacked seven times, a season high, and there were two costly botched snaps with center Connor Williams. On the right side, Anthony Bradford and Mike Jerrell combined for five penalties, including three holding calls and two false starts.
Seattle ranks last in the NFL with 17 false start penalties and 29th with 20 holding penalties. Macdonald expressed frustration with the self-inflicted mistakes and promised a full evaluation during the bye week.
There’s no excuse for those penalties, Macdonald said. We’ve got to fix it, and we’ll look at everything to improve.
The potential return of right tackle Abe Lucas could help, but George Fant’s knee injury is a concern. The Seahawks might also explore other options at right guard, where Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes have struggled.
Despite the offensive line issues, Smith has continued to perform well, throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. However, his three interceptions, while not entirely his fault, were costly.
With a 4-5 record and four straight home losses, the Seahawks must quickly address their offensive line struggles to salvage their playoff hopes.
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