The Seattle Seahawks head to Denver on Thursday needing their offense to find a cleaner, faster rhythm. Seattle is 3-2 after its loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the schedule offers little room to let the problems that surfaced Sunday become a longer trend.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold enters Week 6 with 755 passing yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. His uneven start has become the central issue for an offense that has not consistently matched the standard it set during last season’s Super Bowl run.
Locked On Seahawks host Dan Viens said Seattle’s immediate task is to get Darnold to make faster decisions. Viens pointed to Darnold’s average time to throw rising from roughly 2.7 seconds last season to 3.18 seconds through this stretch, a delay he connected to more sacks, stalled drives and interceptions on sideline throws.
Seattle offensive coordinator Brian Fleury told reporters the staff plans to rely more heavily on concepts Darnold has practiced extensively and can process quickly. That approach fits a short week, but it also acknowledges that the quarterback and first-year play caller are still working to establish a dependable menu of answers. Fleury was hired in February after Klint Kubiak left to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach.
Viens’ larger concern was where Darnold is looking when pressure arrives. He argued that Seattle needs to return to the middle-of-the-field throws that suited Darnold last season instead of forcing predetermined sideline attempts. The point was especially sharp after the 49ers game, when Viens saw an open middle-field option on Seattle’s final fourth-down play before Darnold hesitated and the pressure closed in.
The Broncos provide a test of whether the adjustment is taking hold. Denver’s secondary has injuries, with cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga both listed as nonparticipants Tuesday because of ankle injuries, while cornerback Riley Moss was limited with a rib injury. Seattle cannot assume those absences will solve its problems, but Darnold will have an opportunity to prove that quicker decisions can produce a more efficient offense.
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