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Seahawks Confident "We're Still One The Best Offenses In The NFL"

The Seahawks have struggled at times on offense in recent games, but they remain confident that unit will get back on track to close the season. 

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson during pregame stretching.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson during pregame stretching.

The Seahawks opened their Week 13 game against the Giants moving the ball well on their first possession, a drive that eventually stalled out in the red zone, leading to a field goal and an early 3-0 lead.

From that point on, however, it was a struggle for Russell Wilson and company, with the Seahawks offense being shut out by the Giants until a touchdown in the fourth quarter, which wasn't enough to prevent a 17-12 loss.

And while Sunday's loss to the Giants was the toughest game this season for Seattle's offense, it wasn't the first time that unit has struggled in recent weeks following a start to the season that saw the Seahawks score more than 30 point in seven of their first eight games.

Since the Seahawks scored 34 points in a Week 9 loss to Buffalo, they've scored 16 points in a loss to the Rams, 28 in a win over the Cardinals, 23 in a win at Philadelphia, and 12 points last week. Opposing defenses deserve credit for what they have done against Seattle, particularly the Rams and Giants who both rank in the top 10 in points and yards allowed, but the Seahawks also know they can and will get back to being one of the league's best offensive teams.

"We didn't execute the way we normally do," offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. "We know we need to coach better, we know we need to play better. But the bottom line is this, if you look at the film, you're always learning whether you win and score 35 points or whether you lose, and halfway through the game you're at 5 points. You're always trying to learn and grow and get better. We've never lost faith that we're a really good offense and that we'll bounce back."

In last week's game in particular, Schottenheimer said one problem was that he and the offense didn't adjust well enough to what the Giants were doing to take away big plays in the passing game.

"I would say I probably could have adjusted a little bit better and thrown some more of the underneath stuff," he said. "We were hunting and we were trying to go get 'em, and they were sitting back there and that led to us having to hold the ball a little bit, so I think they did a really nice job of trying to prevent us from doing that, and in those situations we need to be better with the play calls and say. 'OK, they're not going let us get there,' and then also with some of the decisions we're making, Russ taking the underneath stuff, he and I are both wired the same way, we're both pretty aggressive and want to go for it, and in that game, it was not the right formula."

Wilson was quick to credit the Giants for the way they played last week and noted that the offense, despite a recent dip in production, isn't "crazy off track."

"I think it's us just playing really crisp football," Wilson said of what needs to get better. "It's us being really sharp, us being detailed, execution and us believing in who we are and what we've done in the past, and who we're going to be moving forward."

So even though Wilson's numbers are down from his torrid start, including eight interceptions in Seattle's four losses, he hasn't lost confidence in himself or the offense.

"I never doubt," Wilson said. "That's the thing about me, I have no fear. That's just who I am, that's who we are as a team, just keep believing. I know who I am as a player, I know who we are as a team, I know where we can go, and that's just that's just the confidence you've got to have run through your veins. At the end of the day, great 3-point shooters shoot it, and sometimes I doesn't go in. That doesn't mean Steph Curry stops shooting. So I'm going to keep shooting, that's for sure."

Wilson staying confident in the face of some recent struggles is just a part of the even-keeled demeanor that has helped him become one of the NFL's top players, and his coaches share the same level of confidence that he and the offense will bounce back well from Sunday's loss.

"He never changes," Schottenheimer said. "Really, he's so consistent. You wouldn't see him after we put up 35 points, whatever it is, and have a big win—he's really not any different on Monday. There's still things that he did well in that game, there's things that he did poorly, there's things offensively that we did well. He really doesn't change. It is getting a lot of attention because before we're hitting all those different markers and stuff, and now we're not playing as good as we can play; we're not coaching as good as we can, but he doesn't change. And that gives the group the confidence to know, we're still one the best offenses in the NFL, he's still one of the best players in the NFL. There's no doubt that we are extremely dangerous and explosive and well rounded, but that's cool to see, it's cool when your leader is one of those guys that doesn't change much. That doesn't mean he doesn't get upset, doesn't mean he doesn't get mad at himself for things, or get mad at me for things, that does happen, but he doesn't change very often, and that consistency is why he's been such a great player for so many years."

Russell Wilson's community service efforts have been numerous and varied, a big reason he has received the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award and 2022 Bart Starr Award. Take a look at photos of Wilson in the community from throughout his time with the Seahawks.

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