Overreaction Monday: 5 Seahawks problems and their ability to solve them

So that happened.

We wondered how to interpret the first three games of the Seattle Seahawks . Unfortunately, now have the information we hoped wasn't the case.

Besides the Denver Broncos , the teams Seattle has beat look like barely-functioning squads, while the Seahawks themselves have been pretty well manhandled for consecutive games.

I've never done an overreaction post on here before, but let's look at the five biggest red flags from Weeks 4 and 5, and see if we can take a stab at what's a big problem and what's not.

Seattle's Stumbling Blocks: What's Real? Ryan Grubb - Real. That fourth-and-one buffoonery is going to get most the attention, but some different concerns stand out with Grubb's new offense. I do not understand what his opinion of a run game is. This is now the third game in which the team essentially didn't run in the first half, with Sunday being the most egregious of them all. Kenneth Walker is good, is he not?

Second, the complete lack of play-action goes hand-in-hand with this and is equally head-scratching. We've already looked at this conundrum , and it hasn't gotten better. No run, no play action, overwhelmingly Geno Smith around 50 drop backs.

Solution? I can't believe we're here, but the solution is run the ball. Clearly there's something about the offensive line that Grubb does not trust, but I've never seen that cause a discrepancy this sizable. They just come right out of the opening kickoff fully determined to throw 90% of the time. Today was 11 runs to 40 pass attempts.

DK Metcalf - Not real. Dangerously close, though. Metcalf's stat line hurts. Four receptions for 55 yards is fine. On seven targets? Less fine. Another fumble?? Far, far less fine. He still had a 22-yard gain, adding to his explosive play tally, in which he is near the top of the NFL. But like, if you're going to be that hard to tackle then you simply have to also be able to keep the ball. Yes Tyler Lockett hits the deck if a defender shows on screen, but he doesn't fumble.

I think Metcalf's penalties are not a problem (none today), his emotions are not a problem (none this year), and his big play ability is incredible. But both fumbles were some sort of momentum-changer in consecutive games that seemed to put the win out of reach. Can't have that.

Mike Macdonald's defense - No.Mike Macdonald's tackling - Yes. I have a theory that I cannot prove: The Seahawks were focused on the San Francisco 49ers this week.

Look, I'm just not overly concerned about a team - in Week 5! - looking a little disjointed with: a brand new head coach calling plays, a brand new defensive coordinator doing...whatever it is he does, with four never-played-together safeties and linebackers, and a defensive line that can't stay healthy. Sometimes they look very good, sometimes they look pretty bad.

However. This tackling is awful. And that's far more confusing and worrying, because this summer I would have bet money that one of the four things most improved in 2024 over 2023 would be the team's tackling. And it certainly is not.

Jenkins' fumble run was very nifty, but he had some of the worst missed tackles of the game as well. Not sure what got lost from August to now, or what they'll try to communicate going forward. It's not like they're going to be out there mid-week with full health doing any intense tackling ahead of the Niners in four days.

There are two options here. There wasn't enough time, or the process is still in...process, to get improved tackling on the field. Or else, they have a roster of players who aren't good tacklers.

I'm holding out hope that there can be a modicum of improvement, because it does, we won't see one step forward we'll see three.

The tackling is bad across the board, and this very much includes the fellas who do pop behind the offensive line and flail windmill-arms all over the backfield while decidedly not sacking the quarterback.

Blitzes have been quite effective at getting a guy in position. Said guy (all of them) have been abysmal at the sack.

If tackling can be fixed, I mean you've seen the 2-yard stops that turned into 20-to-40 yard gains. Furthermore, there should be an of 3rd-and-longs this defense is never getting to see.

It's bad bad bad, but I hope for better.

Tre Brown - Absolutely. That sucked. Please no opposing teams watch the tape and learn from this, dear Lord please do not.

Jerome Baker - I think so. Confused by Baker. Tyrel Dodson seems to be legit, although his presence hasn't been felt as strongly as it was in Week 1. Still, he's been far more consistent than his counterpart, who has been more affected by injury and seems to be playing slower.

Baker led the team with 14 tackles, had a sack and another QB hit, so it could be argued I'm off the reservation here. But the eye test for two back-to-back losses gives me the empty calorie tackles from the last two seasons more than anything else. Coverage was diminished, and before the goal-line stop in the first quarter he almost let Tyrone Tracy in the end zone after just kind of freezing.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - No. This one feels very easy to panic over, but I would implore patience. He's clearly talented, and he's clearly only able to do what the team and scheme and situation allows for him to do.

Unfortunately, none of those three have gone very well for Smith-Njigba after a year and an almost half. Even on his good games - which today was not - his average Yard per Catch and Average Depth of Target are often the lowest on the team.

Why do we do this? It's not Geno Smith, by the way. Geno trusts JSN.

Seattle has three days to flush this and possibly prove they were getting ready for Thursday Night this whole time.