POLL: How do you grade the Seahawks’ first half?

With their 27-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks reached the midpoint of their 2019 season. So how have they done?

Seattle completed their first eight games with a 6-2 record, which puts them in second place in the NFC West, 1.5 games behind the undefeated San Francisco 49ers and one game ahead of the defending-champion Los Angeles Rams. If the playoffs began today, the Seahawks would be the NFC’s first wild-card team and would head to Dallas for a first-round playoff game.

This is from a team few considered a Super Bowl contender when the season began, though second place is right where Herald poll voters placed Seattle before the season began.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is having an MVP-caliber season, as he leads the NFL in both passer rating (115.5) and touchdown passes (17, versus just one interception). Seattle’s run game has also been strong, with Chris Carson overcoming his early-season fumble issues to rank fifth in the league with 659 rushing yards. As a result, the Seahawks rank ninth in the league in yards per game (382.9) and 11th in points per game (26.0).

The defense has had a harder time. The Seahawks rank 20th in points allowed per game (24.5) and 23rd in yards allowed per contest (376.4). The biggest issue facing the Seattle during the offseason was the pass rush, and the Seahawks thought they’d addressed that by signing free agent Ziggy Ansah and trading for Jadeveon Clowney, yet Seattle has just 13 sacks, which is tied for 25th in the league.

The thing Seattle has been best at this season is winning close games. Five of the Seahawks’ six victories have been by one score, with three of those being within a field goal. Most of that has been down to Wilson’s late-game heroics, though Seattle has also been lucky, such as when Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal in the final seconds in the Seahawks’ 30-29 victory in Week 5.

The Seahawks have helped themselves in the turnover department, as their plus-7 turnover margin is tied for second in the league.

Yet, Seattle’s point differential of plus-12 suggests the Seahawks’ record may be better than it should be, as it’s just tied for 12th in the league.

So the Seahawks find themselves in good position at the season’s midpoint, but the team still seems to have areas to work on.

So what grade do you give the Seahawks for the first half of the season? Give your mark here: