Seahawks Have History of Success Coming Off Bye Week Under Pete Carroll
The Seahawks are in the middle of their bye week, which is well-earned and much deserved after a torrid 5-0 start. For some teams, these weeks off can bring momentum to a halt and teams lose steam. Others look energized and get better due to improved health on the roster.
File the Seahawks under the second category. This season, the Seahawks are especially grateful for the bye given their list of injuries, including All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, first round pick Jordyn Brooks, and a host of others. Plus, Seattle's defense is licking their wounds despite an undefeated start, as the team is currently dead last in the NFL in total yards allowed. Perhaps the bye will shed some light on ways to improve.
Pete Carroll seems to relish the bye week. During his tenure in Seattle, his squad is 7-3 in games following the bye. This suggests he makes sure the team is well rested but also well prepared. The Seahawks have won four straight games coming out of the bye, with their last loss being in 2015 against the pesky Cardinals, when Seattle had 14 penalties and Carson Palmer threw for 363 yards. They face Arizona this time around as well.
Seattle certainly has had some clunkers in the last decade in the week after a bye. Who could forget that debacle that was 2011 on the road in Cleveland against the Browns? Not a single touchdown was scored and the Browns squeaked out the win 6-3, which ended up being one of just four wins that season for Cleveland. The Seahawks, and Carroll, certainly have improved since that disaster.
Not only are the Seahawks 7-3 out of a bye week under Carroll, but they have won six of their last seven. Last year, they took on the Eagles on the road after the bye and forced five turnovers and notched a season-high six sacks in the 17-9 victory. Seattle sure could use a similar output against the high-flying Arizona Cardinals a week from Sunday. The pass rush is once again anemic, producing underwhelming numbers across the board.
In a way, the Seahawks could get some mid-season acquisitions soon without actually making any trades, with the eventual arrival of running back Rashaad Penny and rookie defensive end Darrell Taylor from off the PUP list. Taylor would be a welcome addition to a pass rush unit that is still searching for answers, while Penny would add a different element to the team's rushing attack.
The Cardinals pose a tough test and the Seahawks will need every bit of the 14 days between games to plan for that prolific offense. If anyone can figure out how to bolster this team's defensive performance, however, it's Carroll off of a bye week. The offense continues to hum along and if the defense can improve even slightly, this team can be a Super Bowl favorite.
