Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was basking in his team's blowout win over the New York Giants in Week 4 when his mood shifted from satisfaction to regret.
He was asked for his big-picture view of the Seahawks as they took a 3-1 record into their bye.
"We screwed up the freaking second half of the first game and I haven't forgiven myself for that," Carroll said, referring to their 30-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams in which they led by six points at halftime. "The Rams have done a nice job since then, they've played good football, but we just didn't play the second half like all the rest of these halves. This is the way we're supposed to finish, and we just didn't do it, so I am going to be kicking myself for that one."
If there is one stat that best illustrates how the Seahawks won three straight games after their second-half dud in the opener, it's this: Their 65 points after halftime over that three-week stretch -- including the overtime touchdown that gave them a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 2 -- was tops in the league. And their plus-34 point margin in that span was second-best.
"We played one bad half of football in the first game," receiver DK Metcalf said, "and we've picked it back up."
If only they could finish drives as well as they've been finishing games. If their second-half scoring has been the most telling stat during their three-game winning streak, their third-down rates on both sides of the ball have been the most surprising. It was a problem in the opener and has remained one. The Seahawks have converted 28.9% of their third-down tries on offense, and even with a solid showing on defense against the Giants (6 of 16), they're still allowing opponents to convert more than 52.4% of their chances. Both figures rank second-to-last in the NFL.
With the Seahawks back from their bye and preparing for a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), here are three more numbers that have shaped Seattle's 3-1 start.
60.4%: Seattle's pass block win rate
That ranks ninth in the NFL, which is remarkable considering all the injuries their offensive line has endured. Losing left tackle Charles Cross (toe) and right tackle Abraham Lucas (knee) in the opener was just the start.
Right guard Phil Haynes missed a game with a calf injury then re-aggravated it early in Week 4. Left guard Damien Lewis hurt his ankle later in the first half against the Giants. Neither returned. Center Evan Brown moved over to left guard, which meant the Seahawks played the entire second half with an O-line consisting of four backups and one starter who was playing out of position. Two of those backups were rookies -- center Olu Oluwatimi (fifth round) and right guard Anthony Bradford (fourth round). They still allowed only two sacks and three QB hits against what Carroll felt was the best interior D-line they'll face all season.
Geno Smith is averaging 6.0 air yards per attempt, which ranks 32nd. That may reflect some apprehension on the part of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to dial up deep shots that put pressure on backups Jake Curhan (37th among 68 qualifying OTs with a 86% PBWR) and Stone Forsythe (53rd; 83.1%), but it's not as though they've completely shifted to a dink-and-dunk operation. Smith's average before each throw has been 3.03 seconds, fifth-longest in the league.
Cross returned to practice Monday and has a chance to play at Cincinnati. So do Lewis and Haynes, per Carroll. He said Lucas, still on IR after undergoing an unspecified knee procedure, will be back within a couple of weeks. That timeframe would give him a chance to play against Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns in Week 8.
Smith also practiced Monday and is "fine" after briefly leaving the Giants game with a knee injury, per Carroll.
62: Jaxon Smith-Njigba's receiving yards
While cornerback Devon Witherspoon looks like an early-season candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year after his breakout performance on Monday Night Football, Seattle's other first-round pick has yet to make much of an impact. It's been one factor in their struggles on third down, where Smith-Njigba looked as though he could make the biggest difference as a chain-moving slot man.
To be fair, there was always going to be a ceiling on Smith-Njigba's production as a rookie. He's the third receiver behind Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in a run-heavy offense. But anyone who watched the 20th overall pick make one play after another in practice this offseason would have expected more than 12 catches for 62 yards over his first four games. He has been targeted 20 times, which is only three fewer than Metcalf.
Smith-Njigba made it back for the opener after surgery to repair a wrist fracture he suffered in the second preseason game. The only drop on his ledger came on what would have been a tough sideline catch vs. the Giants. His usage may be the bigger issue.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Seahawks have run the fifth-highest percentage (28.1%) of offensive plays out of 12 personnel, i.e. one running back, two tight ends and two receivers. They've run the fourth-highest percentage (9.4%) of plays out of 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR). As a result, they're 23rd (53.2%) in usage of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs).
In other words: They've gone with an extra tight end or two -- presumably to help out their backup tackles in pass protection -- much more often than they've gone with a third receiver, and as the WR3, Smith-Njigba has been the odd man out. He has been on the field for roughly 52% of Seattle's offensive snaps, whereas Metcalf and Lockett are right around 80%.
Before the Week 4 matchup with the Giants, Waldron reflected on Smith-Njigba's role in the first couple of weeks: "I think Jaxon has done a great job of coming out and working hard and doing his thing every single day. I know the unfortunate thing as far as the production goes right now, the opportunities, different coverage contours maybe for a play that's going his way and it doesn't quite work out that way, and a lot of other guys are getting the ball, as well.
"I think with him, it's about working hard. It's about still progressing every single day. ... He's done a great job controlling the things he can control, and we'll keep working with him and keep progressing and expecting nothing but positive things moving forward with him."
If the O-line issues have indeed been a root of Smith-Njigba's limited playing time, that should change as Cross and Lucas get back into the lineup.
3.18: Seattle's yards allowed per carry
The Seahawks' run defense was their Achilles' heel last season but has been their biggest strength so far on either side of the ball. That yards-per-carry average is the best in the NFL, and it represents a massive improvement from their 4.9 YPC they gave up last season, which ranked 26th.
What makes that jump even more interesting is that the Seahawks have played the seventh-highest rate of nickel at 77%, according to ESPN Stats and Information. That means they're stopping the run despite more often than not playing with a fifth defensive back in lieu of a bigger front-seven defender. They're 13th in dime percentage at 8.6%.
Plus, they've only gotten nine snaps out of safety Jamal Adams, who's a strong run defender. Adams made his season debut in the Giants game but suffered a concussion on the opening series. He's expected to play at Cincinnati.
The Seahawks have also tackled better than last season, as illustrated by the 1.58 yards they've allowed after first contact (14th-best) compared to their 2.02 mark (28th) from 2022. The bigger difference has been in yards allowed before contact: 1.6 (second-best) compared to 2.85 (24th) last year.