Glaring weakness could give Seahawks problems in Week 18 and in playoffs

All season long, Seahawks Nation has been hearing about the biggest weakness of the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) is the play of quarterback Sam Darnold. This stems from earlier in the season, with him playing in big moments, or lately, with the turnovers that continue. One expert claims that the Seahawks have a completely different weakness that not many are talking about.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz highlighted the biggest flaws of each playoff team going into the final week of the regular season. While the Seahawks have the best chance to win the Super Bowl, according to FPI, at 13.4%, there is one big weakness on defense, which is their ability to cover tight ends.

While Seattle is second in the league in points allowed per game (18.1) and fourth in FPI’s DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), it is not great at covering tight ends. The Seahawks rank 29th in the league in yards allowed per game from a tight end at 67 yards.

One example is in the Seahawks’ 44-22 Week 10 home win over the Arizona Cardinals, where the Seahawks were mostly dominating defensively. An outlier in that was the stellar play of tight end Trey McBride, who kept extending drives and caught nine receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Seattle mixed a lot of coverages on McBride, but rookie nickel/safety Nick Emmanwori was one of the main coverage players.

Another example came in the 39-9 Week 13 road win over the Atlanta Falcons when the Seahawks allowed tight end Kyle Pitts to catch six receptions for 90 yards. To Seattle’s credit, it didn’t allow another pass-catcher to account for more than 33 yards.

Seahawks safety Ty Okada making a tackle in the Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams. — Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) tackles Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson (18) in the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

One final big example was in the 38-37 overtime home win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. The Seahawks allowed seven receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in an offensive shootout. This matchup was the game where the Rams utilized their 13 personnel with three tight ends on the field.

Emmanwori has been one of the best defensive rookies this season, but he has shown early signs of allowing tight ends to get the receptions and first downs needed. As the season progressed, he has become a more efficient coverage player against tight ends, but there is still some work to be done.

It isn’t just Emmanwori; it also falls on linebackers Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas, as well as cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and, somehow, in the schemes of covering tight ends, Josh Jobe. All of these players are relatively undersized compared to tight ends like McBride and Pitts.

This Saturday is going to be a crucial game for the Seahawks as they take on the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) on the road with the NFC West Divisional title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line. Tight end George Kittle was limited in Tuesday's practice with the 49ers, and he could play on Saturday after missing the 42-38 home win on Sunday over the Chicago Bears.

The Seahawks will need to bring their best to limit Kittle and dynamic running back Christian McCaffrey. The good news is that the Seahawks are coming off one of their most impressive games of the season in Week 17’s 27-10 road win over the Carolina Panthers, and they’ve improved so much in the Week 1 matchup earlier in the season.

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