Seahawks can't make big plays on offense

The little things dragged down Seattle's offense at Indianapolis.

One-yard runs, 6-yard passes and two catches that actually managed to lose yardage against the Colts on Sunday.

All those small plays added up to one big problem: not enough big plays. Seattle didn't have a pass gain more than 22 yards in Indianapolis, and there wasn't a running play that went more than eight.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is expected to return to practice Wednesday, and as Seattle searches for ways to rebound from a 1-3 start, it must think big. In the 10 quarters since Hasselbeck suffered a fractured rib, the Seahawks have had one play that gained 25 or more yards.

"Two of the most critical variables in winning football games are turnover ratio and explosive gains," coach Jim Mora said.

Seattle hasn't had enough of either. The Seahawks have four takeaways, one of those by the special teams. The Steelers are the only team with fewer takeaways this season, but it was the absence of explosive gains that stood out.

Seattle might be using the shotgun formation more than ever, but the offense has become a popgun proposition.

A 39-yard screen pass is Seattle's longest reception this season, and tight end John Carlson is responsible for two of the three receptions of 30 yards or more. Quarterback Seneca Wallace has a 24-yard reception that's as long as any pass completed to any of the team's five wide receivers this season.

In the Seahawks' statistical vernacular, an explosive gain is a pass play of 16 or more yards and a rush play of 12 or more. Seattle had three such plays in the loss at Indianapolis, the Colts had seven.

"We had been making improvements every week," Mora said of the explosive gains. "We didn't keep gaining ground. As a matter of fact, we regressed."

That's not a total surprise. Seattle started its backup quarterback, Wallace, for the second consecutive game. But the offense still has Nate Burleson, whose strength is his athleticism in the open field, and Deon Butler, the rookie from Penn State chosen in large part because of his blazing speed.

Butler didn't have a reception Sunday for the first time this season. He did, however, have half a step on a Colts defensive back in the first half, and Wallace took a home-run swing with a deep ball, but it was overthrown.

The Colts weren't afraid of getting beat over the top. That's not just because Wallace was under center, but because of the men Seattle had protecting Wallace. He was sacked five times, and the Colts regularly got pressure off the edge with their pair of lightning-quick ends, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. The overthrown pass to Butler was one of the only plays in which Wallace had time to look deep.

The result was an Indianapolis defense that kept creeping forward, dedicated to stopping the run and daring the Seahawks to look deep. Seattle rushed for 49 yards, only the fourth time in the past seven seasons the Seahawks have gained fewer than 50 yards on the ground.

Of course, that strategy leaves the barn door open on the back end of the defense. Seattle just has to find a way to get the ball there, showing it can once again stretch the field with a group of receivers who were considered a strength of the offense.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com

Seahawks coaches categorize an explosive play as a rush of 12 yards or more, a pass of 16 or more. The Seahawks had only three such plays in Indianapolis, their fewest in any game this season.

/Seahawks/Opponents

/Explosive runs/passes/runs/passes

Game 1/1/3/1/3

Game 2/3/5/4/1

Game 3/4/4/0/6

Game 4/0/3/1/6

Totals/8/15/6/16