There was a lot of pressure from the Seattle Seahawks as Week 7’s Sunday Night Football game versus the Kansas City Chiefs turned into a must-win. There was a lot of criticism over the Seahawks’ offense with turnovers, bad play-calling and a lack of run game. The Seahawks showed they are a team to fear when they are not shooting themselves in the foot.

​Seattle’s offense managed to compose themselves against a high-caliber Chiefs defense. While the offense’s performance is far from perfect, there was progress made to show this is a capable playoff-caliber offense. This offense had the chance to keep Seattle undefeated, but there is hope for them to get better.

​How the Seahawks’ Offense Improved

​There were a lot of attributes where the Seahawks were criticized. One of the biggest was quarterback Sam Darnold’s decision-making, timing and turnovers. Darnold looked more comfortable in the pocket and made either the instant throws he needed to make or properly readjusted depending on the coverages. He finished completing 20-of-28 for 257 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a quarterback rating of 96.9.

​His interception thrown near the goal line wasn’t ideal and hurt the team, but he is far from the only person to blame. The running game was non-existent in the first half, with George Holani barely making it to the line of scrimmage on the previous running play. Finally, the intended receiver crashed into another receiver.

​The offensive line improved significantly between the disastrous performance in Week 6’s Thursday Night Football road game versus the Denver Broncos. They didn’t allow a sack on Darnold and gave him a clean pocket for most of the night. Seattle’s offensive line created solid push at the line of scrimmage and created solid opportunities for the running game to excel.

​More players were utilized and played more naturally. Brady Russell played most of the reps at full back. Running backs Emanuel Wilson and George Holani made great plays in the passing game. Tight end AJ Barner had a great performance as a pass-catcher and in three tush-push plays. The Seahawks’ offense did enough to extend drives and keep the Chiefs’ offense off the field.

​What Can Be Fixed

​While Week 7 was certainly a big improvement offensively, there is still a lot to fix. The Seahawks finished with 153 yards on 41 carries for an average of 3.7 yards, but a lot of it was fluff stats to help put the game away. Seattle only averaged 3.1 yards in the first quarter and 32 yards and 90 yards through the first three quarters. Wilson and Holani showed better vision, but still lacked explosive speed needed to get the offense rolling with momentum and keeping the pressure off Darnold.

​Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury was at playcalling for the Seahawks’ offense, but there were still moments where the drives should’ve continued. The running game looked flat in moments and then another similar running play was called again. Seattle had more success running outside of the tackles, but it took a while to get there.

The offense should see a significant improvement across the board when either veteran running back Zach Charbonnet or rookie Jadarian Price returns or the front office trades for an immediate starter. The Seahawks could still keep Wilson as a bruising back, but he needs to be a backup. Once the Seahawks return some speed, they will be confident offensively.

Hanich Panic Meter: 3.5