Anatomy of a Back-Breaking Drive: How Geno Smith, Seahawks Put Away Chargers

Leading 24-14 in the early stages of the third quarter, Geno Smith and the Seahawks looked to be in total command of their Week 7 road matchup with the Chargers. After racing out to an 17-point lead in the first quarter, they had led throughout the first two-plus quarters and dominated in the trenches on both sides of the football.

But as evidenced by Los Angeles' two quick touchdowns in the second quarter to surge back into a game that appeared to be on the fast track towards a blowout, 10 point deficits can be erased quickly in the NFL. No advantage is safe playing against the best players in the world on Sundays and championship teams must find a way to put games on ice in the second half.

Last season, serving as a key ingredient that paved the way for a disappointing 7-10 record and a last place finish in the NFC West, Seattle didn't possess that killer instinct. Whether due to injuries or lack of cohesion in a new offensive scheme among other factors, the offense struggled to sustain drives by moving the chains and chew time off the clock, consistently leaving a worn down defense hanging out to dry.

Statistically, thanks in large part to a dismal 37 percent third down conversion rate, the Seahawks finished dead last averaging a time of possession barely hovering over 25 minutes per game. Making matters worse, that average was two minutes less than the next team - the Jaguars - in the rankings. On the flip side, no defense came close to seeing the field more in 2021, logging close to an exhausting 35 minutes of game action per week.

However, as demonstrated on Sunday, Seattle has taken a 180 degree turn with Smith orchestrating offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's offense. Playing efficient football with a potent passing attack complementing an explosive ground game and an offensive line featuring two rookie tackles holding up well in all facets, after failing to close out games early in the season, this shark has learned what to do when sensing blood in the water.

Starting deep in their own territory at the seven-yard line with 11:26 to go in the third quarter, the Seahawks stayed in attack mode while continuing a season-long trend as a pass-heavy team on early downs. After a three-yard run by rookie running back Ken Walker III, Smith zipped a 10-yard completion to tight end Will Dissly on an out route to move the chains on 2nd and 7 and get his team out of the shadow of their own goal post. On the very next play, Walker shot out of a cannon on a mid zone split run, busting through a tackle and picking up 19 yards to the Seahawks 39-yard line.

Fantastic work by Damien Lewis/Austin Blythe on fly motion mid zone concept. Lewis makes initial block on 2-tech defensive tackle, then blocks the corner while Blythe drives DT out of play to create a crease.

Ken Walker III does the rest breaking tackle and picking up 19 yards. pic.twitter.com/aHCDB1BEm9
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 25, 2022

Already approaching midfield, Waldron dialed up a first down pass play with Smith, who calmly connected with Tyler Lockett on a six-yard out route. Staying well on schedule with a balanced attack, Walker got downhill behind the blocks of guard Damien Lewis and tackle Charles Cross for an eight-yard gain and yet another first down.

Up to that point, Seattle hadn't even faced a third down on the drive yet due to great success on first and second down. But after staying ahead of the sticks all afternoon, following a short run by Walker and a three-yard completion from Smith to DeeJay Dallas, officials inexplicably flagged center Austin Blythe for a false start on 3rd and 5, driving the team backwards five yards and drawing the ire of Smith and coach Pete Carroll.

In his weekly Monday press conference with local media, while choosing his words carefully, Carroll still seemed perturbed by the phantom call.

“They said that he influenced a guy to jump offsides with his movement and so that is why they called a penalty on us," Carroll explained. "So, he was doing something that he always does. It was a normal movement for us, but that was the way they saw it. Not to complain, that’s the way they called it.”

Last season, or even in the first few weeks of this season, the Seahawks likely wouldn't have picked up the first down needing 10 yards to convert after such a setback. But in a sign of great coaching, Carroll signaled to Smith to calm down after he angrily expressed his displeasure with Blythe's penalty to an official and the quarterback heeded his advice, showing great poise firing a bullet to Lockett on a curl route between two defenders for a 12-yard gain to beat the Chargers' Cover 6 look.

This was one hell of a clutch completion by Geno Smith on 3rd and 10. Right after Austin Blythe's questionable false start moved #Seahawks back five yards, he lets it rip hitting Tyler Lockett, who settled in gap against Cover 6 quarter-quarter-half look by Chargers. pic.twitter.com/94d4KI2trK
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 25, 2022

Fired up after the drive-extending completion, Smith could be seen barking towards the Chargers sideline as he jogged back to the huddle. Two plays later, with a free rusher bearing down on him, he hooked up with Lockett again for a first down, this time calmly lofting a 14-yard comeback route off his back foot to the receiver along the sideline to move the Seahawks into the red zone.

Having already melted six minutes and change off the clock, Seattle would run six more offensive plays inside the opposing 20-yard line, with Smith connecting with Lockett for a five-yard completion on 3rd and 3 to further extend the possession. Though the quarterback wound up eating turf on a third down sack after defensive end Morgan Fox beat guard Jake Curhan with a spin move, Jason Myers split the uprights from 34 yards out to extend the lead to 27-14.

While failing to score a touchdown kept the game within striking distance for the Chargers with a quarter left to play, the Seahawks ran 17 plays and held the ball for nearly the entire quarter as they remained on the field for over 10 minutes. Picking up six first downs along the way, they remarkably sustained such a long possession while only facing third down three times, putting together the type of demoralizing, back-breaking drive they rarely achieved a year ago.

"I think what the best teams do is that there are defining moments where you can really take control of the game. I think there in the third quarter, there was a spot for us to do that," Smith said after the game. "Just to keep those drives alive and converting on third downs, that says a lot about our team and our offense. We just have to continue to build, continue to get better and look at those moments and say, ‘Hey, this is what we can do.’ Set that standard for ourselves.”

Pinned by the goal line again on their ensuing drive, Walker got blasted in the end zone for a safety, pulling Los Angeles back within 11 points early in the fourth quarter. But the cumulative effect of that long possession by Seattle's offense would still pay dividends down the stretch.

All day long, the Seahawks' defense answered the call when their backs were against the wall and they did it once again after the safety, quickly forcing a three-and-out to turn the ball back over to Smith and company. Aided by a defensive interference penalty by safety Derwin James, Myers connected from 50 yards out to increase the lead to 14 points after a seven-play drive.

Moments later, following a fourth down stop bringing down receiver Mike Williams short of the first down marker, Walker made a worn down Chargers defense pay by hammering the nail in the coffin. Taking a pitch from Smith to the right and following superb lead blocking by tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, he accelerated down the sideline as if he was running at Daytona, rocketing past a diving Murray and making a 74-yard house call to seal the deal.

KENNETH RUNNER III 💨pic.twitter.com/p6vn0sKtHW
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 23, 2022

After the game, Walker admitted he didn't realize how long that decisive third quarter drive lasted until Carroll informed players in the locker room. But there's no question in his mind that possession opened the flood gates for his game-sealing touchdown and exhibited the potential of a well-rounded Seahawks offense that can beat opponents in a myriad of ways.

"I think that makes it hard on a defense," Walker stated. "You can tire them out as well. I didn't even realize that until coach Pete [Carroll] talked to us after the game and I feel like that's crazy. It shows we have a powerful offense."

From a big picture perspective, Seattle still has plenty of room for growth heading towards the midway point of the season. Even after winning the time of possession battle on Sunday, the team still ranks a poor 30th overall in the NFL in average time of possession per game in large part due to an ugly Week 2 performance in San Francisco where they held the ball less than 22 minutes.

But after coming through with key third down conversions in the fourth quarter to close out the Cardinals in a low-scoring affair one week earlier and landing several knockout punches against the Chargers, the Seahawks clearly have made tangible progress putting the finishing touch on games. They have the fourth-best third down conversion rate in the league for a reason and everyone from the unflappable Smith to the dynamic Walker to the steadying Waldron deserves praise for the stark improvements from an unexpected top-10 scoring offense.

Now sitting in sole possession of first place in the NFC West after seven weeks, if the Seahawks can continue to put points up in bunches and find ways to do so in the second half with lengthy, sustained drives to slam the door shut on opponents as they did on Sunday, the chances of them shocking the football world and staying at the top of the division will go up exponentially.

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