Against the Bills, we saw for the first time what Ryan Grubb’s Seahawks offense looked like without their leading deep threat. It wasn’t pretty, though, as Seattle scored a season-low 10 points as the running game got stuck in the mud and Geno Smith had limited pass-catching options. Now, in In addition to DK Metcalftight end Noah Fant left the game with a groin injury.

Fant continues to have his best season with the Seahawks, collecting 27 receptions for 285 yards in eight games. He never passed 500 yards in Seattle. Metcalf nearly matched his career-high in yards per game, averaging 81.4 yards per game in 2020, before spraining his MCL in Week 7. He was racking up 81.1 yards per game and was the league’s fourth-leading receiver.

While Metcalf’s raw production fuels the offense, his impact as a bait is just as important. The Bills had much less respect for the verticality of Seattle’s offense in Metcalf’s absence, and rightly so. If the running game struggles once again against the Rams, the Seahawks offense will have a hard time getting out of pursuit.

Metcalf’s absence further reinforces this fact. Seattle ranks 29th in rushing yards per game (89.3) and is coming off a season-low 32 rushing yards against Buffalo. That was the Seahawks’ fewest rushing yards since their 37-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 of last season.

If Smith is forced to carry the load, his lack of balance makes Seattle’s offense much easier to defend. Struggles on the offensive line made things worse, with pass rushers sticking their ears up and selling to the offense. We saw this against the Bills and at various points throughout the season even when Metcalf was on the field.

The Seahawks’ running back room is too talented to compete in that many eight games throughout the season. Grubb and his offensive coaching staff are aware of this, but they haven’t found a solution yet. This fix needs to be found as soon as possible for this crime to realize its potential.

This is especially true if the running game can’t get going. Smith’s up-and-down year took another down day in Week 8; He completed 21 of 29 passes for 212 yards and one interception. Center Connor Williams hasn’t helped his cause on multiple occasions, but Smith should ultimately be better regardless of his situation. porous offensive line.

Initially, Smith was one of the main catalysts of the team’s 3-0 start. Seattle has lost four of its last five games, producing some of the team’s worst performances since playing for the Seahawks in key losses.

Smith has just eight touchdown passes (seven interceptions) on the season, good for 16th in the league. Even though the forces are working against him, he needs to start putting points on the board. Seattle needs Smith at his best if this team is going to get back on track.

The Seahawks’ new linebacker got off to a solid start in Week 8, recording a team-high 15 tackles. However, he was only with the team for four days before match day. Ernest Jones IV has a chance to get much better against his former team, the Rams, with a week of practice.

The revenge part cannot be avoided either. Rather than give Jones a second contract, Los Angeles opted to trade him to the Tennessee Titans for peanuts. He was later traded back to the Seahawks.

“I was definitely surprised,” Jones said Thursday about the Rams trading him. “The word I used is definitely shocked by the decisions they made, but they taught me a lot along the way. He taught me a lot about business; No matter what you do, you can never be safe. That’s what I learned in this position.”

Veteran linebacker Jarran Reed said Wednesday the Seahawks were “angry but balanced.” They’ll need that energy on Sunday as the team looks to avoid falling below .500 for the first time this season.

There are problems on offense, but the defense should be better with Mike Macdonald in charge of the team. In order to go after Matthew Stafford, the Rams need to block running back Kyren Williams. Combined with the needs of the offense, these will be key to victory against Los Angeles.

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