Thanks to a rough start that included an upset loss to the St. Louis Rams and a defeat in the hostile environment of Lambeau Field, the Seattle Seahawks are 0-2 and don’t look at all like the Super Bowl favorites they were supposed to be. It’s not too late for the Seahawks to right the ship, but their task is a serious one. With a great Arizona team cruising at 2-0 and competitive divisions around the conference prepping potential Wild Card teams, the Seahawks stand a very real chance of missing the playoffs. They also have a great chance to reverse course and head to the postseason – as long as they do these three things.
Bring back Kam Chancellor
Seahawks safety
and hasn’t yet played a game for the Seahawks this year. By the standards of these things, you have to think that this holdout is going pretty well. With the Seahawks 0-2 and showing an uncharacteristic tendency to give up big pass plays, it’s time to start listening to Chancellor’s demands. Aaron Rodgers is good, but James Jones isn’t Jordy Nelson and shouldn’t be burning your secondary for 30-yard touchdowns in crucial situations. This is a defense-first team that relies on their secondary, and Kam Chancellor is an essential part of that.
Beat the Cardinals
The best thing you can say about the Seahawks’ first two losses
. Sure, they lost a head-to-head with Green Bay that puts their odds of a conference-leading record on life support, but the Seahawks are in no position to whine about number one seeds right now. They need to win their division, and thanks to their schedule, they still technically control their destiny in that respect. Two wins against Arizona would make up for the two losses to start the season while giving the Seahawks an important tiebreaker. The two Arizona showdowns are the Seahawks ninth and 16th games. Don’t be surprised if the division comes down to the final week’s game in Arizona.
Throw the ball to Jimmy Graham
Graham is explosive, of course, but he also needs to a threat in short yardage situations. There, he can draw defenders off of Marshawn Lynch (and vis versa). Targeting Graham benefits the entire offense. Why this isn’t already a huge part of the Seattle game plan is a mystery. Why pull of a blockbuster trade if you don’t plan to use the player you gain?
No time left
It’s going to take all three of these things – at least one big win against Arizona, improved play from Jimmy Graham, and the return of Kam Chancellor – to get the
back to the playoffs. Plenty of observers think the Seahawks can right the ship, but make no mistake:
. Teams that start 0-2 miss the playoffs more than 95% of the time. The Seahawks are talented and should have better odds than that, but how good could their chances be? There’s no more time to lose. The Seahawks need to be better starting right now.