Before Sunday’s rematch in the desert, Smith had been sacked at least once in each of Seattle’s first 12 games, including five times against Arizona just two weeks earlier. Due to injuries to tackles Abraham Lucas and George Fant, as well as the unexpected midseason retirement of center Connor Williams, the offensive line struggled greatly to protect the quarterback and ranked 23rd in Pro Football Focus’s pass-blocking rating ranked 24th in ESPN Rate’s pass block wins rankings.

Additionally, the Seahawks entered Week 14 with one of the NFL’s worst rushing attacks, ranking 28th out of 32 teams in rushing yards per game (88.7) and 29th in yards per attempt (3. 9), another byproduct of subpar offensive line play.

But en route to a crucial divisional battle with big playoff implications, Seattle’s offense easily delivered its best performance of the season, starting with a hit that created pressure at the line of scrimmage in the run game. After a fast start, sophomore Zach Charbonnet rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter before following pull blocks from Lucas and rookie guard Sataoa Laumea on a counter trey to explode for a 51-yard touchdown run .

In addition to Charbonnet, who set a career-high 134 rushing yards behind a roaring offensive line, Kenny McIntosh also came into the game to make up for the loss of injured starter Ken Walker III, rushing seven times for 38 yards and more than five yards per carry.

As for the pass protection issues mentioned above, Smith was amazed at how much time he constantly had to go through his progressions. According to ESPN Research, the Cardinals generated just two quarterback hits and no sacks on the afternoon, achieving just a 17 percent pressure rate, the lowest rate the quarterback has faced as a starter for the Seahawks since replacing Russell Wilson in 2022 .

Taking advantage of his impeccable defense and a strong game plan implemented by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Smith turned in one of his most efficient performances under center for Seattle, completing 80 percent of his 30 pass attempts for 233 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he hasn’t thrown an interception or a turnover for the second straight week after throwing at least one turnover in each of the first 11 games.

“Any time you’re sitting back there as a quarterback and you’re not getting touched, you have a chance to go through those reads and the clock runs a little slower because you know those guys are going to keep up,” Smith noted. “I thought Grubb had a great game, but I thought the line pushed us through this game and we’re going to need them down the stretch.”

What’s behind Seattle’s improvement in offensive performance? On the one hand, the return of a healthy Lucas has changed the game significantly on the right side, and he seems to be getting his legs under him more and more and playing with greater confidence with every passing start after missing the first 10 weeks of recovery from knee surgery outside of the season.

The Seahawks also benefited from outstanding play from two young players who were thrust into the starting lineup for different reasons. Following Williams’ sudden retirement following the Week 10 bye, Olu Oluwatimi has easily stepped in as the line’s primary communicator, while rookie Sataoa Laumea shined in his first two NFL starts, replacing the injured Anthony Bradford. including handing out a pancake on Charbonnet’s 51-yard touchdown on Sunday.

As Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald plays two games in a row with the same starting lineup, something that hasn’t happened often this season, he can see that continuity leads to rapidly developing chemistry and ultimately better results from the group as a whole.

“It’s great to play two games in a row with the same five guys. “Anytime you have continuity and can stack reps, that’s important,” Macdonald said. “Sometimes you have to make the necessary adjustments or guys go back and guys have to step back, which has happened all season, but it was great to get two weeks in a row with the same five guys out there and be able to build on these achievements.”

As both Smith and Macdonald acknowledged, one game doesn’t make a season, and while Seattle will be interested to see how the offense performs in a hostile away environment with a playoff atmosphere, consistency remains the biggest question mark. Can a young team with two new starters since the middle of the season build on Sunday’s performance and continue to improve? Or will it be viewed as a mirage across the board?

Ultimately, the answers to these questions will only be found over the next four weeks when games are played between the ranks, and Lucas, Laumea and the rest of the squad will have to face several tough tests to continue to prove themselves. Tough opponents still on the schedule include the Seahawks, who have back-to-back home games with the Packers and Vikings, both of whom have good defensive lines, as well as an upcoming rematch with the Rams in Week 18, so it won’t be be like this Just be while sledding.

But unlike the first three months of the season, after six quarters of steadily improving play at the line of scrimmage in both pass protection and the run game against the Jets and Cardinals, the Seahawks actually have tangible evidence that the offensive line is finally getting started to go around the corner. As the playoff race heats up, Macdonald hopes the recent breakthrough is just beginning and the group will continue to improve its game in the coming weeks.

“Hats off to the offensive line, I thought they fought back. I think what you’re seeing is just continued progress in all of our processes and our guys getting on the same page. We have to build on that to move forward, but the boys did a great job.”

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