Snap Count Synopsis: Seahawks DT Jarran Reed Quiet Despite Large Workload

As expected, Seattle didn't put its star defensive tackle on a pitch count in his return from suspension, while Marquise Blair made the most of his first NFL start and put a starting safety on notice.

Unable to overcome two turnovers that resulted in defensive touchdowns, the Seahawks suffered a 30-16 defeat to the Ravens on Sunday, falling to 5-2 on the season.

Checking out Seattle’s snap counts against Baltimore, here are several takeaways from a discouraging Week 7 performance at CenturyLink Field.

--Though he was active for just the second time in five games, it’s safe to say playing just two offensive snaps on Sunday isn’t a good sign for Rashaad Penny. Chris Carson rushed for over 100 yards in each of the previous three games, so giving him the majority of the carries should have been expected. But in his second season, the Seahawks had high hopes for Penny as a complimentary weapon in the backfield and his inability to stay healthy has prevented him from making much of an impact. Maybe he’s not close to 100 percent healthy yet, which could explain his limited usage against the Ravens. But if he’s healthy enough to play and C.J. Prosise has passed him on the depth chart, that’s a damning development for the former first-round pick.

--In Seattle’s first game without standout tight end Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister played 51 percent of Seattle’s offensive snaps and actually played three more snaps than veteran Luke Willson. Lining up quite frequently in the slot and out wide as a receiver, quarterback Russell Wilson targeted him six times and he caught three passes for 20 yards. Hollister will need to take on a larger role the rest of this season and his combination of route running skills and soft hands should make him an asset in the passing game. But his lack of punch as a blocker remains a concern in Seattle’s run-oriented offense and general manager John Schneider will be working the phones looking to add another player at the position before the October 29 trade deadline.

--For all the fuss about Seattle potentially using a defensive end such as Branden Jackson as an extra tight end on Sunday, the team never had to take that creative approach. Instead, the Seahawks chose not to deploy a sixth linemen very often in this game, using a bit more of Nick Bellore at fullback and mixing in reserve center Joey Hunt for three plays as an eligible tight end.

--Making his 2019 debut after serving a six-game suspension, the Seahawks didn’t hold Jarran Reed back at all. The fourth-year defensive tackle played 85 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps but didn’t make much of an impact, producing two tackles and no quarterback hits. With Reed back in the starting lineup, Poona Ford and Al Woods played 34 and 30 snaps respectively, while Quinton Jefferson played a season-low 17 snaps and rookie L.J. Collier was again limited to 10 snaps. Due to the presence of speedy quarterback Lamar Jackson, Seattle needed more athleticism off the edge and opted to make Branden Jackson and Rasheem Green a bigger part of this week’s game plan, as the two defensive ends combined to play 58 snaps.

--As expected, the Seahawks weren’t overly concerned about the Ravens receiving corps without explosive rookie Marquise Brown and stayed in their base 4-3 defense for most of the game. Statistically, keeping K.J. Wright and Mychal Kendricks in coverage against Mark Andrews worked out, but things could’ve been different if the tight end could’ve held on to the football in rainy conditions. The normally reliable Andrews got open frequently working against Wright, but even when Jackson put the ball on the money, he battled a bad case of the drops all afternoon.

--With limited depth at the safety position, Marquise Blair played every single one of Seattle’s 59 defensive snaps in his first career NFL start and immediately made his mark. He finished with eight tackles, tying Wright for the second most on the team, and also recorded a key pass deflection in coverage against Andrews. Tedric Thompson also played every snap albeit with less desirable results, allowing rookie receiver Myles Boykin to slip behind him for a 50-yard gain on Baltimore’s first drive of the game. Once Bradley McDougald returns from back spasms, which could be as early as this week, coach Pete Carroll and his staff will have some decisions to make. Based on his stellar debut, it could be time to cut Blair loose at the expense of Thompson and fellow third-year safety Lano Hill.