The Seattle Seahawks are playing their worst season in ten years. Yet the franchise lacks options to tackle a serious shakeup.

Munich – Almost emblematic of the season’s entire run, Pete Carroll explained the loss to the Los Angeles Rams at the postgame press conference.

“We were on it and had chances to play until the end. There were situations and opportunities that should have just gone our way but for some reason didn’t,” said the dismayed Seattle Seahawks coach.

A statement he could make like that after every single defeat. At 5-9, Seattle will experience its first season with a negative record since 2011. According to Carroll, that’s mostly because of the little things mentioned that add up to the big picture.

Seattle Seahawks: recent seasons haven’t been dominant either

Individual plays not going as planned, nasty referee flags, individual player failures and a quarterback who has somehow lost his touch this year.

2019’s record was still 11-5, 2020’s 12-4. What looks like very good seasons on paper, provided little reason to seriously believe in titles in the following postseasons. After all, the weaknesses of the team and the coaching had already been exposed time and again in previous years.

The big difference was in the results. With an average point margin of 5.4 points against the opponents, according to the “Seattle Times”, they won last year. So the games were often won by just one score difference. No dominance, often games were turned around in the second half.

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson doesn’t turn games around

Despite weak defence, it was always Russell Wilson who stood up to the conservative coaching and – keyword “Let Russ cook” – won games thanks to his individual class. Together with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, the one or other defeat was averted.

This year, that can no longer be relied upon. Houdini’s magic no longer seems to work.

Due to a finger injury, “Russ” was out for three games. However, the longed-for comeback of the franchise quarterback did not herald a turnaround of the season either.

Thus, Carroll was forced to publicly chalk up the fan favourite. “He’s got to play better. We all have to. I mean we had some people open today and good opportunities. Unfortunately, then we didn’t finish it,” the head coach said after the Washington game.

Seattle Seahawks: Hardly any self-criticism there

His usually outstanding pocket awareness is declining, sometimes the most promising throws are simply not hit. Nevertheless, Wilson does not blame himself for the misery.

“Unfortunately, I’m getting better and better and we’re still losing,” “Russ” said after the Rams’ loss. Like Carroll, Wilson is looking for blame in the “key moments” that just aren’t on the Seahawks’ side.

The question of why they always rely on the necessary luck in said scenes instead of winning matches early with structured football is not asked.

The poor season must give the decision-makers food for thought. Now that the prospects of the playoffs are only in the most optimistic theory, it is important to look to the future.

Seattle Seahawks: the right questions need to be asked

What will become of the O-line that has been inconsistent for years? What will become of the often-harmless pass rush? What assets are in place?

Personnel-wise, a forced shakeup could be costly: General manager John Schneider has a contract until 2027, Pete Carroll until 2025, and those in charge would have to be willing to make a very big cut to question the duo – probably not an option after a single disappointing season.

Quarterback Wilson, who has repeatedly allowed discussions regarding a change, only recently claimed he hopes to play “20 years” for the Seahawks. He, too, should still be firmly in the saddle – should he not force a trade after all – especially since his drop-off in performance is still at a very high level.

Seattle Seahawks: Not many options available

In terms of the draft, the first-round pick is missing next year. That one becomes more valuable with each Hawks loss to the New York Jets, who cashed in on him as part of the Jamal Adams trade.

Schneider and Carroll are now in demand. The right levers need to be pulled.

A draft class that hits behind the non-existent first pick is needed to add more talent to the roster. Players like D.K. Metcalf, a second-round pick in 2019, need to come in. Add to that Free Agency, which could become crucial.

Carroll also has the option of breathing new life into his coaching staff. The much-criticised Brian Schottenheimer was replaced as offensive coordinator by Shane Waldron before the season, but a positive effect has not been evident.

Whatever the Seahawks decide to do: Fans will hope not to always be pointed to “little things” and “key moments” next year.

Otherwise, another weak season is likely to be uncomfortable for Carroll, Schneider and possibly Wilson.