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Week 8 DVOA Preview: Seattle Seahawks Enter the Chat

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Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Photo: USA Today Sports Images

The Seattle Seahawks are not just at the top of the NFC West standings. They have also crept into sixth place in the pre-Monday Night Football DVOA rankings.

Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense rank sixth in offense DVOA after a 27-13 Week 8 victory over the New York Giants. The Seahawks defense improved to 12th after allowing just 3.5 yards per offensive play and forcing two turnovers on Sunday. Their special teams rank ninth in the NFL, with Jason Myers 17-of-18 on field goals (4-of-4 from 50-plus yards).

The Seahawks rank sixth in the NFL with 6.02 net offensive yards per play and third with 5.3 net yards per rushing play. Thanks to Smith and to offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s unpredictable-but-careful game plans, their interception rate of 1.6% is the sixth-best in the league. The Seahawks are tied for fifth in net takeaways with +3. 

Worth noting for the Seahawks passing game: Pro Football Reference charges the Seahawks with just 17 “bad throws” and a bad throw percentage of 7.0%, both figures the best in the NFL. Smith himself leads the NFL with a bad throw percentage of 6.6%; I would be derelict in my duties if I did not point out that Carson Wentz leads the NFL at 21.2%. Tyler Lockett’s dropped would-be touchdown pass against the Giants notwithstanding, Seahawks receivers have been charged with just seven dropped passes, the fourth-lowest total in the NFL. 

The Seahawks defense, very leaky at the start of the season, has allowed under 400 yards and less than 5.0 net offensive yards per play in each of the last three games, with opponents going 15-of-47 on third down conversions and 2-of-9 on fourth downs in that span.

If all of the sixth-place Seahawks rankings in the last two paragraphs began to blur together, it’s because cracking the DVOA top five is becoming increasingly difficult. The Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys held onto the top three slots with another week of convincing victories. The Baltimore Ravens slipped past the idle Kansas City Chiefs into fourth place with their Thursday night win over the Buccaneers, who dipped a bit but still rank ninth overall despite a 3-5 record.



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