The Seattle Seahawks offense has a lot of problems and not a lot of time to figure them out. Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings has a chance to break the back of their chances of making the playoffs this year, and armed with a top-two scoring defense, there's a good chance they will get the job done.
If the Seahawks are going to defy the odds and pull off an upset against the Vikings, they're going to need several key guys to step up on this side of the ball. That includes every member of the interior offensive line and running back Ken Walker, assuming he returns to the starting lineup after missing two weeks with a calf injury.
Most of all offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs a break-through performance. Specifically, he'll have to find a way to get somebody other than Jaxon Smith-Njigba going in the passing game. More than anything else, that means manufacturing more looks for DK Metcalf, who's seen his role shrink dramatically over the last several weeks.
When he was asked about DK only seeing three targets in Sunday night's loss to Green Bay, here's what Ryan Grubb had to say yesterday.
Ryan Grubb on getting DK Metcalf more targets
“It bothered me. It pissed me off that I couldn’t get him the ball more. A guy like that, you just gotta find ways to get him the football. It doesn’t matter if they’re clouding him, or what they’re doing. We’re trying to get the big guy the ball, and we will. He’s a stud, we’ll find ways.”
This latest issue with Metcalf's role steadily diminishing is one of many problems that Grubb has seemingly been unable to overcome in his first year calling plays at the NFL level. He's also had a tough time dealing with consistently poor pass protection and inconsistent play from Geno Smith, especially in the red zone.
Perhaps most irritating has been Grubb's refusal to embrace play action, an area which was such a huge part of his offenses at Washington and one where Smith has historically thrived. Heading into Week 16, only four teams around the league have attempted fewer play action passes this season.
