Seattle Seahawks Looking to Avoid Familiar Problems vs. Washington Commanders

The Seattle Seahawks were completely dismantled against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, as they fell 37-3 in a game that was billed as their biggest test of the season so far. Both the teams entered M&T Bank Stadium on the backs of three-game winning streaks and were in the discussion for being one of the top teams in their respective conferences. 

The Seahawks will now hope that they've used the last week to fix some major issues headed into Sunday's meeting with the Washington Commanders at Lumen Field.

So what was the problem?

It became clear that the Ravens were a step above Seattle, as they overcame a scoreless first 15 minutes of play with a 17-point outburst in the second quarter to put them on top 17-3 heading into halftime. 

The slow start for Seattle offensively was a complete 180 from the first seven games. It's usually the Seahawks who set the tone early before suffering a second-half slump. However, that slump spanned almost the entire length of the game versus the Ravens. 

The Seahawks offense had just four drives that didn't end after just three plays. Only one of those four drives resulted in points, which was the 60-yard, seven-play drive in the second quarter that saw Jason Meyers give Seattle its only points of the game with a 33-yard field goal.

There wasn't just one recurring issue. Instead, it was a multitude of problems. One of those was the all too familiar struggles to convert on third-down. This had hurt the Seahawks in other games this season, but the ability to still find a way to win papered over the cracks. Against Baltimore, Seattle finished with its worst third-down efficiency of the season, converting just one of its 12 opportunities for first downs.

Another problem was the inability to have any semblance of balance offensively. The Seahawks run game struggled mightily, yielding a woeful 1.9 yards per carry, as they totaled 28 yards on 15 carries.

The inability to win upfront in the running game transferred over to the pass, as a Seahawks offensive line that is still hampered by injuries surrendered four sacks as the lack of a ground game allowed Baltimore's pass rush to pin its ears back. That one-dimensionality of the Seahawks' offense helped the Ravens, evidenced by Geno Smith being "under pressure" on 49 percent of his dropbacks, per ESPN.

Then, to continue his stretch of inconsistent play, Smith completed a season-worst 13 of his 28 passes (46.4 completion percentage) for 157 yards and one interception.  

Meanwhile, Seattle's best weapon, receiver D.K. Metcalf, was held to just one reception, albeit that one catch netted him 50 yards on the one drive where the Seahawks managed points. 

The embarrassing loss happened due to a multitude of factors that will force the Seahawks to look themselves in the mirror as they look to get back on track versus the Commanders on Sunday.