Hawks Eye View Week 4: One of the NFL's Most Balanced Teams, Seahawks Emerge 4-0
As Week 4 draws to a close, the gap between the talented and the tormented in the NFL has only widened - and the Seahawks are one of a few teams on the safe side of that chasm.
Only the Bills, Seahawks, Chiefs and Packers remain undefeated, while both the Steelers and Titans remain 3-0 until they play after their COVID-induced delay.
Although the Chiefs make it look easy, starting 4-0 is no small feat. The Bills haven't done it since 2008, and the Seahawks haven't done it since 2013, the year they finished with a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl ring.
These four teams emerged the first NFL quarter unscathed, primarily because these are some of the most balanced teams in football. Every win requires all three phases of the game, and while each team has their individual weaknesses, these four have been able to beat a slate of opponents for a month straight.
It cannot be overstated how impressive the Bills have been in 2020. In his third year, Allen boasts some of the best QB stats in the league, alongside his fellow undefeated counterparts. While some in Bills Country are already calling for Allen to snag MVP over Wilson, it's not without reason: he's thrown 12 touchdowns to eight receivers, not to mention a whopping 1,326 total passing yards so far this season. The Bills defense was already getting buzz for being one of the best in franchise history, so coupled with Allen's growth and the addition of Stephon Diggs, the Bills are charging through their division straight to a spot in the playoffs.
The other undefeated AFC team is no surprise - they did win last year's Super Bowl, after all. By the end of this sentence, Patrick Mahomes would have had enough time to sling the ball 40 yards downfield to Tyreek Hill for a touchdown. Or Travis Kelce. Or anyone, really. The Chiefs are all but unstoppable on offense thanks to Andy Reid and his explosive crew, which makes Bill Belichick's Monday night stand against the team that much more fascinating. While the offense is reputed for its instant touchdown ability, it should be noted that the Chiefs defense is markedly better than last year, largely thanks to defensive tackle Chris Jones and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Although defense wasn't their strong suit in the first two weeks, the Packers have improved since, and despite tons of injuries on offense, they've kept humming with vintage play from Aaron Rodgers. Even without Davante Adams for the past several weeks, Aaron Jones has remained a matchup nightmare out of the backfield and little-known tight end Robert Tonyan has emulated Tony Gonzalez, allowing Green Bay to best the likes of Drew Brees and Matt Ryan so far.
Rodgers is fielding his own calls for MVP this year, and after finishing a 327-yard, four-touchdown game with a 147.5 passer rating yesterday, he may be Wilson's stiffest competition in the weeks to come.
Despite the strengths of these formidable foes, it's going to take a lot to topple the lofty 2020 Seahawks. Wilson is playing his best football ever, breaking Mahomes record for passing touchdowns in his first three games. Then this week in the broiling Miami against the Dolphins, the offense stayed hot and Seattle's heavily-criticized defense turned up the heat all on their own. While Ryan Fitzpatrick still threw for 315 yards, he threw two interceptions to the same guys who secured turnovers in Week 3: Ryan Neal and Shaquill Griffin.
Outside of the interceptions, the Seahawks defense held the Dolphins to only field goals in the first half, and the Dolphins didn't throw for six until the final quarter. In an impressive game without any Seahawks penalties, the defense did markedly better, but there's still room for improvement. There were quite a few wide open passes allowed, and there's still not much pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as Seattle had just one sack against a suspect Miami offensive line.
While Seattle's offense is finally shining in a well-deserved spotlight (Wilson, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett have all been underrated at one point or another), their special teams play deserves some attention as well. Travis Homer ran for a 29-yard kick return on Sunday, while kicker Jason Myers made a 55-yard field goal in addition to four extra point kicks. Myers hasn't missed a single kick in four games, which has granted the Seahawks 24 points so far this season.
Complementing Myers' kicking game is wonder punter Michael Dickson, whose two punts for 92 yards is certainly a game-changer when it comes to putting the defense in better position for the drive ahead. The player that Pete Carroll called "almost perfect" after his Week 2 performance against the Patriots also earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his miraculous punt to the two-yard line.
The offense has received its fair share of compliments, but the most notable thing is that Seattle has spread the ball around, creating an unpredictable offense that is difficult to defend. While Chris Carson has been hurtling through the end zone for his share of scores, Wilson has been able to throw touchdowns to eight different players. Unlike the struggling Saints without saving grace Michael Thomas, the Seahawks could lose a star in their constellation and still survive.
Compared to 2013, K.J. Wright noted that today's strengths are different, but it's no less likely to advance them to the postseason.
"Whenever you win it feels good, and I guess it's kind of been flipped - defense was really balling and shutting teams down (in 2013), and now it's just flipped; the offense is just looking unstoppable," Wright said Sunday afternoon. "So when we're just able to bring both those together, offense and defense ballin', we're going to be really hard to beat. We've got to take it one game at a time."
"I know it's early, I know it's fun, but our mission is to still win the West and we haven't played any of those guys yet. Long season, we've got a tough schedule, so we're just going to make sure we take it one game at a time and finish."
Achieving balance in football is key to the biggest test of all come February. In the playoffs and the Super Bowl, hyper-charged offenses lose steam, and defenses and special teams must play their part to the fullest to win the Lombardi Trophy. If the Seahawks 4-0 start is going to resemble 2013, maintaining that balance is the only way they will be able to get there.
