A lot has changed with the Seattle Seahawks offense for the 2026 campaign.
They have lacked the backfield firepower they had with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet during their Super Bowl run last season. Quarterback Sam Darnold has been careless with the ball at times this year too.
But against the Chicago Bears, the Seahawks might have missed former offensive Klint Kubiak more than anything.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald may have indirectly put offensive coordinator Brian Fleury on notice when he discussed the team's play-calling and play designs after their loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also addressed Seattle's play-calling after the defeat. The wideout stopped short of placing a lot of blame on the plays, but he suggested it as one of many areas where the unit could improve.
"I thought [the play-calling] was fine," said Smith-Njigba. "There's a lot of areas where we need to look at and point the finger to. I think we all take the blame, and we all could get better."
Notably, though, Smith-Njigba was most critical of his offense's execution Monday.
"We didn't execute well. Plain and simple," said the wideout. "Execution is key in this league, especially starting early.
"We want to start fast and early and get the ball rolling while executing on third down. We didn't do that tonight."
The Seahawks were 1-for-11 on third downs in Week 8. The Bears pulled away from the Seahawks late to defeat the defending champions 34-17 on Monday night.
It's not fair to blame Fleury for all of Seattle's offensive issues during the first half of 2026. Injuries and inconsistency play have been a major factor.
But clearly, the offense isn't becoming a cohesive unit under Fleury's watch.
When things broke down for the Seahawks offense last year, quarterback Sam Darnold and the team's receivers did an excellent job of creating big plays on the fly. That hasn't happened this season, though, which could be as much to blame for Seattle's offensive struggles as any play-calling.
Third downs are going to call as the coordinator draws it up, and that's fine as long as conversions are coming.
After the Bears loss, Darnold answered why he thinks the team has lacked big plays in the scramble-drill situations.
"I think teams are doing a good job, one, of taking those things away in scramble mode, and again, we can always be better in those situations," said Darnold. "In terms of me allowing receivers, tight ends, backs to, giving them time as I scramble outside the pocket, maybe buy them a little bit of time to get open and find them down the field.
"There's always ways to get better."
In addition to third downs, the red zone was a problematic area for the Seahawks offense against the Bears. Seattle scored a touchdown on only one of four red-zone possessions.
Success on scramble-drill plays could be a way for the Seahawks to have more success scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has been terrific to begin this season.
With 123.1 receiving yards per week , Smith-Njigba is on pace to become the league's first 2,000-yard receiver. He also leads the NFL with nine receiving touchdowns — just one shy of what he posted last season.
But the Seahawks aren't getting much production from anybody else. On Monday, Smith-Njigba had 118 of Seattle's 188 receiving yards. No other receiver had more than 26 yards.
Making matters worse, the Seahawks only had 81 rushing yards. That made Smith-Njigba the only Seattle offensive player with more than 37 yards from scrimmage versus the Bears.
Whether through better play-calling, execution or something else, the Seahawks need high-priced free agent Rashid Shaheed, savvy veteran Cooper Kupp and the team's running backs to be much more involved.
"Look, Jaxon's a great player. He's going to command targets, and he's one of, if not the best, receiver in the league right now," said Kupp after Monday's loss. "If he's open, the ball's going to go his way. That's just going to be what it is.
"[But] we have to find ways to continue to compete, and know that you've got to compete without the ball as well. When the ball does come your way, you've got to make a play."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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