Seahawks' Rushing Defense Must Improve After Upset Loss to Wayne Gallman, Giants

The Seattle Seahawks looked nothing like a playoff team in their Week 13 loss to the New York Giants.

Seattle's rushing defense allowed its second-highest total of the 2020 NFL season, and its offense was inefficient in certain spots.

The Seahawks still had a chance to win the contest late thanks to Russell Wilson's play, but he could not dig the team out of the hole it created by giving up a pair of rushing scores to the Giants.

The loss has to be even more maddening when you take into account that backup Giants quarterback Colt McCoy only threw for 100 yards.

Although it was hard to find any bright spots in the defeat, Chris Carson looked strong when he had the ball in his hands, which could be a good sign for the team's playoff push.

The last time the Seahawks rushing defense was torched this bad was the Week 5 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

In that contest, Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison combined to lead the Vikings to a 201-yard performance on the ground.

On Sunday, Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris led the Giants to a 190-yard ground outing. Gallman had 16 carries for 135 yards and Morris scored once on the ground and one time through the air.

Seattle's defensive performance is even more shocking when you consider how much the game plan had to focus on the rushing attack. Since the start of the 2015 season, McCoy has appeared in eight games for Washington and the Giants. He eclipsed the 200-yard mark once in those contests.

Seattle knew New York was not going to try to win the game through McCoy's arm, yet it still allowed Gallman and Morris to run rampant.

Prior to Sunday, the Seahawks held four of five opponents under 100 rushing yards. If they revert to that form in the final four games, they should be in a solid playoff position. However, if a performance similar to Sunday's rears its head again, the NFC West title—or the top wild-card spot—could be out of reach.

Seattle has the same record as NFC West leader Los Angeles, but is down in the wild-card spot because of a tiebreaker. The Seahawks hold a one-game edge over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the No. 5 seed.

Seattle's offense did not cover itself in glory, either, Sunday.

The Seahawks went 4-of-13 on third down and missed both of their fourth-down attempts.

The first of the two failed fourth-down conversion attempts hurt the Seahawks the most. Pete Carroll opted to go for it at the Seattle 48-yard-line and came up empty. New York used the short field to march down the field in five plays. That drive resulted in a six-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Morris.

That was the Giants' second consecutive score, and it turned out to be their last touchdown of the contest.

Had Seattle converted that fourth-down play, it could have driven further down the field and broken up the confidence generated from New York's first touchdown drive.

The Seahawks were decent on third down in the final 15 minutes, but they came up short in their comeback attempt when Wilson was sacked on the final third-down attempt of the game.

The third-down conversion rate is not a new issue. In Week 12, Seattle went 2-of-10 on third down in its win over the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Seahawks can be more effective in extending drives, they should cruise past the New York Jets and Washington before entering a two-game NFC West gauntlet to finish the season.

Chris Carson could be the solution to the third-down struggles if he continues to round back into form following his injury.

Carson averaged five yards per carry while running for 65 yards in Sunday's defeat. That was his third-highest rushing total of the season and the best since Week 4.

The Seattle running back also played a key role in the passing game, as he caught a touchdown pass from Wilson in the second half to bring the Seahawks within one score. Carson's workload in both facets of the offense increased compared to his Week 12 return. He had five more carries and four additional targets from Wilson.

The next two games should be vital in working Carson's body back to the workload of a No. 1 running back.

The Jets have allowed 1,119 rushing yards and a league-worst 77 receptions to running backs this season. That could allow Carson to regain his chemistry with Wilson in what is expected to be a blowout win in Week 14. The 26-year-old could then be in the best shape to challenge a Washington front seven that allowed 130 rushing yards in its past two games.

If everything goes well for Carson in the next two weeks, he could be one of the most important players on the field for the season-ending clashes with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers that could decide the NFC West champion.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.