Getty Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith sent a message to his team after losing again in Week 16.
The Seattle Seahawks have lost five of six, including three in a row to drop to below .500 for the first time since the middle of October.
But as far as the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 goes, in a way, it’s just a mulligan for the Seahawks.
Seattle didn’t lose any ground in the NFC Wild Card race on December 24 because the New York Giants, Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions all lost as well. The Seahawks sit a half game back of the final playoff spot with two weeks remaining.
That’s what Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith concentrated on in his postgame press conference on Christmas Eve.
“[We’re] Right in the middle of the playoff race,” Smith told the media. “We’ve got two games, at home. I mean, what more could you ask for?”
Seahawks Remain Within Playoff Spot With Home Games Remaining on 2022 Schedule
Early in their recent skid, the Seahawks fell to three teams with below .500 records. But over the last two weeks, the Seahawks have faced the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers — two squads that are clear Super Bowl contenders that Seattle is not quite on the same level with right now.
Things get easier, though, for the Seahawks in Weeks 17 and 18, as they will welcome the equally struggling New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams to Lumen Field.
The Seahawks quarterback acknowledged that the team has to review the game tape from December 24 thoroughly, but he also emphasized that those next two opponents is what’s on his mind.
“The vibe is, obviously, we don’t want to lose any games. We’ve had a tough stretch, but that’s in the past,” Smith told the media. “That’s gotta be in the past. We’ve gotta evaluate this stuff really hard, but we’re looking forward to these next two games, and it starts with one.
“You’ve gotta focus on this one, and then try to get the next one.”
Like the Seahawks, the Jets have lost five of their last six games, including four in a row. The Jets are also now 7-8 and on the outside of playoff position after Week 16.
As for the Rams, Los Angeles is dealing with multiple injuries to key players, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Heading into Week 16, the Rams had the second-worst record in the NFC.
Biggest Fixes Seahawks Need to Win Final 2 Games
From Weeks 10-15, the Seahawks allowed an average of 201.6 rushing yards per game. All five of the opponents Seattle faced during that stretch ran for at least 161 yards and scored 1 rushing touchdown.
That’s been a huge part of the team’s struggles lately, but turnovers have also been an issue. The latter was the bigger problem versus the Chiefs.
While Seattle’s defense held Kansas City to 77 rushing yards, the Seahawks had 1 giveaway and didn’t force a turnover.
The Seahawks own a minus-3 turnover differential in the last six contests. Before that, they had a plus-3 turnover margin.
A telling Seahawks stat:
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talked about the team’s turnover issues after losing to the Chiefs.
“In this stretch of five out of six, it’s been the football. We were at plus-5 or 6 or something at one point,” Carroll said. “We’ve worked our way back out of that. That tells the story as much as anything.
“We’ve got to take care of the football. We’ve got to get the football. That’s how the game works.”
But as Smith said, it doesn’t matter what the Seahawks have done with the ball lately. What matters most is what the team does over the next two weeks.
Comments
Seahawks QB Geno Smith Sends Message to Team After Another Loss