Seahawks Rapid Reaction: Red Zone Ineptitude, Turnovers Lead to 17-13 Loss to Bengals
Despite putting up nearly 400 yards of total offense, the Seattle Seahawks only found the end zone once and managed to score just three points after halftime, falling just short in a 17-13 road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Though he completed 65 percent of his passes and eclipsed 300 yards passing for the second time this season, Geno Smith threw a pair of interceptions in the second half and took a pair of sacks in the red zone down the stretch, failing to take advantage of a strong effort by Seattle's defense. Tyler Lockett led the team with 94 yards on six receptions, while Ken Walker III rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown to pace the run game and Tre Brown recorded his second interception on defense.
Here are five quick takeaways from a deflating loss at Paycor Stadium:
1. Poor red zone execution, critical mistakes by Smith proved costly in a game with minimal margin for error.
Entering Sunday's contest ranked 13th in red zone efficiency, the Seahawks took a disappointing step backward in a winnable game and whether fair or not, much of the blame falls on Smith's shoulders. After Walker scored on the team's lone red zone visit in the first half, the quarterback and his counterparts advanced the football inside the Bengals 20-yard line four times in the final two quarters, only to be turned away with three combined points on those trips.
Moments after Brown picked off Joe Burrow early in the third quarter, a long third down completion from Smith to receiver Jake Bobo moved Seattle down to the Cincinnati five-yard line. But after an illegal block on Walker two plays later, Smith tried to squeeze the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a wheel route after motioning across the formation, only for cornerback Mike Hilton to pick off the pass near the goal line. On their next possession, they sputtered inside the 10-yard line again, forced to settle for Jason Myers field goal to trim the deficit to 14-13.
Knocking on the doorstep of the goal line, Geno Smith tried to connect with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, only for Mike Hilton to intercept the pass and leave the Seahawks without any points.
© Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Then in the fourth quarter, with Seattle's defense giving Smith and the offense multiple opportunities to steal a road win, the unit failed to capitalize on back-to-back possessions with the ball inside the 10-yard line. The combination of Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard sacked Smith on fourth and goal with 2:03 remaining on the clock, but the veteran signal caller was given another chance thanks to a third down incompletion by Burrow. After connecting with Tyler Lockett for a 36-yard catch down to Cincinnati's 11-yard line, however, he threw three straight incompletions with pressure bearing down on him to bring the game to an ugly end and end the afternoon an abysmal one for five in the red zone.
2. Struggles winning at line of scrimmage grounded Ken Walker III, run game after halftime.
Squaring off against one of the NFL's worst run defenses statistically, including the second-most rushing yards allowed through five weeks, Seattle found some traction leaning on Walker in the first half, as the speedy back rushed for 46 yards on 10 carries and scored his sixth touchdown of the season to give his team an early 7-0 advantage. But after halftime, Cincinnati's front seven turned into a brick wall and started to dominate at the point of attack, limiting the standout runner to just 16 yards on nine carries in the final two quarters. Rookie Zach Charbonnet barely contributed as well, rushing just twice for five yards and not receiving a second half carry.
The lack of success with the ground attack showed up most in the red zone, as the Seahawks ran the ball with Walker four times inside the Bengals 20-yard line in the second half for a grand total of five yards. With wasted downs on those rushing attempts that didn't move closer to the goal line, Hendrickson, Hubbard, B.J. Hill, and the rest of the opposing defensive line were able to go into attack mode off the edge on obvious passing situations, feasting on a struggling offensive line and making life difficult on Smith by quickly collapsing the pocket around him.
3. With the Bengals doing a solid job on DK Metcalf and Lockett most of the game, Jake Bobo steps up with a big second half to fill the void.
Throughout training camp, teammates shouted for "More Bobo" as the undrafted rookie kept turning heads on the practice field. Now, they may be using that moniker more often on game day, as the former UCLA standout keeps making plays with his increasing opportunities as opponents dedicate their attention to Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba. Showcasing his toughness after the catch only a few plays after Brown's interception, he reeled in a missile from Smith on 3rd and 8 and then broke through a couple of tackles, turning a short completion into a 23-yard gain down to the Bengals five-yard line. Unfortunately, that effort didn't lead to points with Hilton's interception coming only a few snaps later.
Looking to once again play a starring role in a comeback win, Bobo high-pointed a slightly overthrown pass by Smith and hung onto the ball while taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Dax Hill. Jumping up off the ground with a huge grin and fired up, he was forced to head to the medical tent for precautionary reasons but didn't suffer a concussion and returned to the game. Unlike his first catch, the Seahawks were at least able to turn the second grab through a massive hit into three points on a Myers field goal, cutting the deficit to a point late in the third quarter.
4. After a rough start, Seattle's defense tightened up with a dominant second half effort from all three levels.
Out of the gate, Burrow came out firing on all cylinders, dicing up the Seahawks secondary by completing nine of his first 11 pass attempts. The former No. 1 pick orchestrated back-to-back touchdown drives, guiding the Bengals 65 and 73 yards to erase an early seven-point hole by connecting with Tyler Boyd and rookie Andrei Iosivas for easy scoring tosses. Already with over 130 yards of total offense midway through the second quarter, it looked like it could be a long afternoon for the visiting team.
But in the aftermath of those two long drives, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt made key adjustments and over their next eight defensive possessions, the Seahawks allowed just 87 net yards. Kick-starting a sensational second half effort, Brown picked off Burrow on the third play from scrimmage to open the second half, punishing the quarterback for trying to test him deep in coverage against star receiver Ja'Marr Chase. On the next drive, defensive tackles Jarran Reed and Dre'Mont Jones each sacked Burrow, with the latter's quarterback takedown forcing a punt. In the secondary, rookie Devon Witherspoon generated a pair of key pass breakups, helping hold Burrow to 42 passing yards after halftime.
During crunch time in the fourth quarter, Seattle's defense continued to come through with clutch stops, limiting Cincinnati to three third down conversions on 11 attempts. On the first play of the final period, linebacker Jordyn Brooks blew up a 3rd and 1 run play with immediate penetration on a blitz and Reed stuffed Joe Mixon at the line of scrimmage for no gain, leading to another punt. After holding the Bengals to a field goal following Smith's second interception of the game, safety Jamal Adams blew up Trayveon Williams on a third down swing route for a two-yard loss on third down for yet another punt to give Smith another shot.
5. Continuing a remarkable turnaround, the Seahawks shut down Mixon and a punch less Bengals ground game.
While Seattle wasn't quite able to take advantage of a porous Cincinnati run defense offensively, a resurgent defense keeps getting the job done slowing down opposing ball carriers. Heading into Sunday's battle ranked first in yards allowed per carry, with the defensive line holding serve at the line of scrimmage and linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties all active in run support, they held Mixon to just 38 yards on 12 carries and allowed under 3.1 yards per attempt for the third time in five games so far this season.
Leading the charge, Reed and Jones each produced one tackle on Mixon netting zero yards, while Witherspoon also made a nice stop limiting the back to two yards. As a team, the Seahawks held Mixon to three or less yards on five carries, or nearly half of his touches in the run game. With each successive week, after overhauling the interior defensive line during the offseason and bringing back Bobby Wagner to go with Brooks in the middle, Hurtt's run defense looks like less and less of a mirage and behind the leadership of Reed and Wagner, they have become a legitimate top five unit in the NFL only one year after finishing 30th in rushing yards allowed.
