The BES Report An Innovative Look at NFL Team Performance
After a brief, two-game losing streak the Seahawks (3-4) registered their third win of the season with a 20-3 road victory over divisional rival San Francisco 49ers (2-5) last Thursday night.
The performance of the Seahawks defense in that game made a profound impression on the BES as their BES Defense score rose from 2.47 in Week 6 to a 2.69.
It won’t be known exactly where the unit ranks until all Week 7 games are processed. But based on the data gathered so far this season, they could potentially land in the top-10 in BES Defense, a significant jump from their 17th-place ranking in Week 6.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks offense hasn’t been able to match the defense’s ascent up the rankings, maintaining a score of 2.30 in BES Offense for the fourth consecutive week.
While the score still falls within a range considered competitive by the BES, it is emblematic of why they are 0-3 against teams in the BES Top-10.
In two of those losses – 27-24 against the Bengals (No. 3) in Week 5 and 27-23 against the Panthers (No. 7) in Week 6 – the Seahawks were outscored a combined 30-3 in the fourth quarter.
While both sides of the ball are at fault for the fourth quarter collapse, the defense has repeatedly kept opposing offenses subdued for three quarters. That’s ample time and opportunity for the offense to widen leads and mount clock-killing drives but it has failed to do so. Even against the 49ers, the Seahawks scored just three points in the second half.
Luckily, the Seahawks only have four games on their remaining schedule against current BES Top-10 teams:
- Week 10 vs Cardinals (No. 9)
- Week 12 vs Steelers (No. 10)
- Week 13 @ Vikings (No. 8)
- Week 17 @ Cardinals
Nonetheless, if the Seahawks offense doesn’t improve, they will continue to have problems finishing games, a trend that will surely land them outside of the playoffs.
