The Seahawks Can Not Protect Sam Darnold

Fans of the Seattle Seahawks are upset at a lot of things on this offense right now, but after this week the offensive line has to be a big part of that conversation.

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Abraham Lucas (72) before the game against the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brian Fleury. Sam Darnold. John Schneider. Emanuel Wilson. George Holani. Rashid Shaheed. Elijah Arroyo. AJ Barner. Jadarian Price. If you want to fire off some anger and frustration at the offense of the Seattle Seahawks, there are a lot of potential targets. And after Thursday night, you can make an argument for adding the entire offensive line to the list.

Woes Up Front

I would characterize the Seattle Seahawks offensive line through six games this season as ‘inconsistent’. There have been games where it felt like the pass protection has been way ahead of the run blocking, and then games where the opposite felt accurate. Last night, it was most certainly the opposite (not that I was enamored by the run blocking either).

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Charles Cross (67) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Pro Football Focus, Sam Darnold was pressured 27 times against the Denver Broncos. The six offensive linemen that currently make up Seattle’s front line (Haynes and Stephens rotate at right guard) were credited with 26 pressures allowed (multiple players can take blame for one pressure). Meaning very little was considered Sam’s fault.

Computer, Damage Report

Charles Cross, who has been relatively clean in pass protection this year with 7 pressures in the first 5 games, let up 4, including 2 QB hits. Abraham Lucas, admittedly already somewhat leaky this year, had one of his worst games ever with 7 pressures allowed, including 2 sacks, after 11 to start the season. Jalen Sundell threw in 4, ridiculous for a center, after 6 in prior weeks.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (97) pushes Seattle Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Grey Zabel, who seems to be in the midst of something of a sophomore slump (not that the playcalling is helping him), allowed 3, which actually isn’t a season high for him. Christian Haynes got wrecked, allowing a sack and 2 QB hits for 5 total pressures. And Beau Stephens, despite a reduced snap load, gave up 3. Everyone is to blame right now.

The Additional Problem

The problems aren’t over there. George Holani deserves a lot of criticism here. One of the reasons why you carry Holani on the roster is because of his abilities as a blocker. Supposedly, coming into the season, the team considered him their best pass protector out of the backfield. Through six games, he has been a complete disaster, and Thursday was a new low.

Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

4 pressures on 12 reps. He’s allowed at least one pressure in every game this year, allowed three (including a sack) against the Chargers, and is currently graded at a 19.3 in pass blocking. He might be injured, but at this point Emmanuel Wilson (clean in 11 reps) and Jadarian Price (clean in 8 reps) are clearly superior options. And at that point, why even have George?

The Bottom Line

There’s a lot of stuff that needs to improve, fast, if this offense is going to right the ship. So the last thing we need is for the offensive line to become a liability. Maybe we need more max protect, but these players need to play better too. Fleury and Darnold can get it together all they want to, but if those guys can’t figure it out, you can forget about it.

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