By Jake Parr, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - One step forward, two steps backward was the theme of the day as the Seattle Seahawks lost 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills in front of a Lumen Field crowd largely made up of fans of the opposing team. After finally snapping their losing streak last week with a road victory against the Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks needed to bring that momentum back to Lumen Field in today’s contest. Instead, they went right back to losing ways, now holding the ignominious distinction of dropping three home games in a row. Tempers flared on the field and on the sideline as Seattle sky opened up and drenched the field. The Seahawks and Bills committed a combined 24 penalties today, the most in any NFL game so far this season. Seattle seems like a team without discipline and clear direction at this current point of the NFL season, and yet they still remain in the mix for the NFC West crown as the teams around them in the division haven’t done enough to pull away just yet. In order for the Seahawks to capitalize on a seemingly weak NFC West, despite playing with a new coaching regime, they must look themselves in the mirror to improve upon issues that are largely self inflicted.

Hawks Forget How to Fly

With star wide receiver DK Metcalf out with a knee injury that he sustained last week in Atlanta, missing just the second game of his NFL career, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was going to have to find new targets if he wanted to keep the Hawks soaring. While Seattle certainly has the offensive talent to do so, it wasn’t meant to be in today’s home contest against Buffalo. The first drive of the game was a quick three-and-out where Geno Smith targeted three different receivers that resulted in two incompletions and a single yard gained on a quick dump to Kenneth Walker III. As has been the theme in this skid, the Seahawks immediately conceded control of the game. It was a long time before the Hawks were on the right side of the ball, as the Bills marched down the field for a nine minute touchdown drive. The Seahawks’ second drive didn’t go any better than the first with another quick three-and-out.

It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Seahawks were able to pick up their first first down of the game. That second quarter drive was starting to look promising, with Seattle lining up for a 1st and goal from the Buffalo two-yard line. A Kenneth Walker III run went nowhere bringing up 2nd down when disaster struck. Center Connor Williams snapped the ball over the head of Geno Smith and it sailed all the way to the 29 yard line. Walker was able to recover and bring it back to the 22, but the damage was done. A delay of game penalty added insult to injury and brought the ball back to the 27 yard line, a full quarter of the field further back than they had been two plays ago. The third down play went nowhere, forcing Seattle to settle for a field goal.

But the redzone misery didn’t end there. On the very next drive, the Seahawks were gifted immaculate field position, 1st and goal at the seven yard line. They bullied and barged their way forward, and were faced with 4th down at the one. Head coach Mike Macdonald took a risk and chose to go for it. But at the snap, Geno got his foot caught on a center Connor Williams’ ankle and tripped, turning the ball over on downs. That play basically ended the Seahawks’ chances of winning this game, putting them in a deficit they’d never overcome as it grew larger as the game went on. If they had picked up the 36 inches they needed, they would have taken the lead. Instead, they gave the ball away and didn’t score again until the 4th quarter, when Zach Charbonnet punched in a huge touchdown to cut the deficit to 21.

Buffalo Barges Past

Going into this game, one stat that came up multiple times was the fact that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had not had a pass intercepted all season, which is a remarkable turnaround after the last three seasons when he nearly averaged a pick per game. Well that’s not true anymore as new Seahawk defensive back Josh Jobe was able to steal a pass intended for Amari Cooper. That interception was what set up the drive that ended with Geno tripping at the one yard line.

As you probably guessed given the 31 points Buffalo put on the board, that was just about the only bright moment from the defense today. The Bills’ receiving core put on a clinic, especially Khalil Shakir who picked up 107 yards on nine catches and ten targets. The Bills’ rushing unit, composed of James Cook and Ray Davis, gave fits to the defensive line as they forced their way down the field. Cook especially lived up to his historical namesake by seizing any land in front of him en route to 111 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. In short, it was a rough day for the defense.

Passion Burns Hot in the Cold Rain

Some of that difficulty was brought upon by the Seahawks themselves, however. This game was the most penalty-laden in the NFL this year, with Seattle and Buffalo combining for 24. As expected, many of these were the result of sloppy football, such as ineligible receivers being downfield on RPOs or illegal shifts during the snap. Perhaps some inconsistent play is to be expected in the weather conditions of today’s game, but the penalties went beyond just that.

For example, at the end of the 1st half, with just 37 seconds left on the clock and the Bills on 3rd and seven, edge rusher Derrick Hall brought pressure against Josh Allen. Allen had no open receivers and had to throw the ball away. Hall hit him at full speed anyway, drawing a roughing the passer penalty and saving Buffalo’s drive. Tempers on the Seahawks flared, causing Hall and Jarran Reed to get in a screaming match with each other on the field, grabbing and yanking each other’s facemasks, though the two made up quickly on the sideline. Funny enough, Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins tried to separate the two despite the fact they aren’t on his team. Later in the game, after throwing a tough interception, Geno Smith could be seen on the sideline venting his frustrations to DK Metcalf, who was present at Lumen despite his injury, on the sideline. It was an emotional day for the Hawks, and understandably so considering how this game was in reach but quickly slipped away due to poor execution and sloppy play.

What’s Next?

Following today’s blowout loss at home to the Buffalo Bills, dropping their record to 4-4 on the season and 2-3 at home, the Seahawks will stay in Seattle for their next game, hosting the Los Angeles Rams for a 1:25PM PDT game. The Rams are 3-4 on the season, and have yet to win a road game this year as they continue to be in an odd limbo following their Super Bowl win a few years ago. With October drawing to a close, time is running out for the Seahawks to right the ship and potentially secure a path to the NFC West title. A victory at home against a conference opponent may be exactly what they need. TV coverage of that game will be on FOX, with Seattle Sports 710 AM and KIRO NewsRadio 97.3 FM handling the radio broadcast.

Check out Circling Seattle Sports’ previous Seattle Seahawks articles here.

Check out Circling Seattle Sports’ previous articles written by Jake Parr here, and his Lookout Landing articles here.

Cover photo by Joe Nicholson/Imagn Images

Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!