Offensive Line Uncertainty Muddies Seahawks' Game Planning Strategy

Playing without left tackle Duane Brown and left guard Mike Iupati in Sunday’s wild card game, the Seahawks managed to do just enough damage on offense to advance with a 17-9 win over the Eagles.

Thanks to admirable efforts by reserves George Fant and Jamarco Jones as replacements, Russell Wilson was sacked just once by a talented Philadelphia front line. Though he absorbed 11 hits, the star quarterback had enough time to throw for 325 yards on only 18 completions and posted the highest QBR among qualified players last weekend.

But minus their two starters on the left side of the line, Seattle’s run game was curbed by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and company. Wilson led the Seahawks with 45 rushing yards, while the duo of Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch rushed for 19 total yards on 17 carries.

Removing a 12-yard run by Homer on a toss sweep from the equation, the two backs averaged less than half a yard per carry on Sunday.

“They gave up 90 yards a game rushing all season long, so they’re really good at it,” coach Pete Carroll assessed. “We weren’t able to counter it like we had thought. We thought we’d put the ball in the perimeter a little bit on them and try to balance them out, but we didn’t get much out of that either. That’s just the way it went.”

Missing their top two running backs due to season-ending injuries, Carroll acknowledged Seattle’s ground game isn’t “nearly to our standards” at this point. Not having Brown and Iupati available made life even tougher, as Fant and Jones aren’t known as mauling road graders.

While the Packers have been more vulnerable defending the run this year than the Eagles (120.1 yards per game, 23rd in the NFL) and don’t have a dominating interior presence the caliber of Cox, the status of Brown and Iupati may have a direct impact on what the Seahawks can and can’t do offensively at Lambeau Field this weekend.

Despite battling through multiple ailments, including a neck stinger that prevented him from suiting up in Philadelphia, Iupati managed to start 15 regular season games for Seattle this season. At 331 pounds, he’s a far superior run blocker to the 293-pound Jones, who hadn’t played a down at either guard spot until this season and has a tough time generating push in the run game.

But Jones’ background as a tackle can be seen in pass protection, as he shined in spot starts against the Ravens and Browns earlier in the season replacing D.J. Fluker at right guard. More fluid moving laterally than Iupati, he drew praise from Carroll once again for his contributions limiting the Eagles to a lone sack on Wilson.

“He held up really well and he came through for us. That’s a couple times. He had a big game earlier in the year. A couple big games at guard on the other side. Shows really good versatility and really good smarts. He played hard a tough and did a nice job particularly in the throwing game.”

At the left tackle position, Brown has been a rock for the Seahawks since being acquired from Texans midway through the 2017 season. Even at 34 years of age, he’s been the team’s most consistent linemen and remains a quality blocker in both the run and pass game.

But knee and bicep injuries have ailed Brown throughout the course of the season and after grinding it out for months, he underwent minor knee surgery less than three weeks ago. Carroll didn’t have any new information about his recovery on Monday and his status likely won’t be determined until late in the week.

Given the uncertainty, Fant will enter the week preparing for a third straight start. Much like Jones, he has excelled in pass protection and did so against two of the best defensive lines in football after acing his first test against the 49ers in Week 17.

“George did good. He had a real nice game,” Carroll said. “He seems to be very comfortable now. There’re only a couple times as it happens when he got in bad position. Other than that, he really played a good solid football game again and held up his part of it.”

Regardless of who starts for Seattle on the left side, both players will be tasked with tough matchups. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark produced 6.0 sacks and nine tackles for loss from the interior, while the pass rushing tandem of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith combined to produce 25.5 sacks and 60 quarterback hits and will be problematic off the edge.

Keeping the pass rushing sack Smiths out of the backfield will be critical, no matter who suits up.

But depending on the pair the Seahawks roll out on Sunday, game plans will have to be catered to the strengths of the players in the lineup. If Brown and Iupati both return, they may be able to lean a bit more on the ground game. If both starters are out again, relying more heavily on Wilson and the aerial attack may be a necessity.