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The Seattle Seahawks were one of the more surprising teams to race out to a 3-0 start in the 2024 NFL campaign, and it wasn't much of a surprise when they suffered a 42-29 loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions in Week 4. It was fairly surprising to see them lose to the New York Giants in Week 5, though, with the final score settling in at 29-20.
The Seahawks still sit atop the NFC West for the time being, but you can't help but feel like there are some serious red flags that were raised in this game that could come back to haunt them, especially with a huge Thursday Night Football contest against the San Francisco 49ers looming in Week 6. So with that being said, let's take a closer look at why the Seahawks are in trouble after their loss to the Giants.
Seahawks offense has no identity
Seattle's offense has a bevy of weapons, but they struggle on a weekly basis to develop a consistent identity. Case in point, a week after he ran for 80 yards and three touchdowns, Kenneth Walker III got just five carries against the Giants porous run defense, which only turned into 19 yards. Stuff like that simply cannot be happening if the Seahawks intend on winning.
Consistently getting guys like Walker and DK Metcalf involved seems to be a bigger struggle for the Seahawks than it should be, resulting in their offense looking like a completely different unit on a weekly basis. This has been a recurring issue during Geno Smith's time under center, and while he shoulders some of the blame, the coaching staff needs to do a better job finding ways to get these guys involved. Their inability to do so through five games isn't exactly a great sign for the unit's future this season.
Seahawks defense struggling to consistently limit opponents
While the Seahawks have won three games this season, they have received consistently mediocre play from their defense. Sure, they shut down the Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins, but they have allowed at least 20 points in every other game. That includes games against the New England Patriots, who have the worst offense in the league, and wishy-washy offensive teams in the Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
Injuries certainly haven't helped this team, but they have way too much talent on this side of the ball to be getting carved up like they have through five games. Getting healthy would help, but if Seattle intends on being a playoff-caliber team this season, they are going to need to be better on this side of the ball, although it's worth noting they have a tough challenge on their hands in Week 6 against the 49ers.
Seahawks wasted huge opportunity to take stranglehold of NFC West
The biggest issue the Seahawks currently face is the standings. Yes, the season is only five games old, but if Seattle beat a Giants team that was missing key pieces in Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary, they would be 4-1 and have a two-game lead over the rest of their division. Instead, they are 3-2 and have just a one-game lead over the 49ers, who they conveniently end up playing on Thursday night.
It may not seem like much now, but that's a swing that could eventually end up having massive playoff implications. If Seattle loses to San Fran on Thursday night, they would fall down to second place in the division, meaning they would have wasted the Niners slow start to the season. The Seahawks missed a huge opportunity to take a convincing lead atop the NFC West, and given how good San Francisco is, there's a decent chance they will end up regretting their Week 5 loss to the Giants quite a bit.
