Seahawks' struggles on offense continue as the playoffs loom

RENTON, Wash. — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald would prefer not to have to rely on Jason Myers quite so much.

Myers scored all of Seattle's points on Sunday, kicking a franchise-record six field goals in an 18-16 win over Philp Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts.

He has converted 24 of his last 25 field goals. His coach would like to see more touchdowns.

''It's not what you want,'' Macdonald said, ''but when needed, it's great to have them.''

The Seahawks (11-3) were struggling on offense before Sunday. Seattle hasn't scored an offensive touchdown in the first half since Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 62-yard TD catch against Tennessee on Nov. 23. Its last first-quarter touchdown came in a win over Arizona on Nov. 9.

''We've got to improve, be better, start faster,'' Macdonald said. ''We'll look at our openers here. Couple games where our openers weren't hitting as well as we want. We'll look at it. But, we want to start fast.''

The Seahawks scored six points in the first half for the third straight game. They once again failed to establish the run, totaling 3 yards on nine carries before halftime. Seattle finished with a season-low 50 yards rushing; Kenneth Walker III had 17 yards on nine carries, both figures his fewest of the season.

The struggles come with the Seahawks all but assured of a playoff berth. They're preparing to face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night with the NFC West lead on the line.

''We just need to get together and understand the game plan and execute at the end of the day,'' Smith-Njigba said. ''And I'll leave it at that.''

What's working

Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed came up big in the final minute. He returned a kickoff 28 yards to the Seattle 37 and caught a pair of passes from Sam Darnold to set up Myers' decisive field goal. Shaheed finished with seven receptions for 75 yards.

Shaheed got off to a slow start after being acquired in a midseason trade with New Orleans, but he and Darnold have been building a rapport, Macdonald said.

What needs help

Seattle was 2 of 13 on third down, leading to Myers' six field goals and four punts by Michael Dickson. The Seahawks rank 19th in third-down efficiency this season.

''We thought we had a good plan, and we didn't get it done,'' Macdonald said. ''So, can we game-plan it better? Yeah, maybe. Can we call it better? Yeah. Maybe in some spots, can we execute better?

Stock up

Second-year defensive tackle Byron Murphy II leads the team in sacks with seven and is tied for fourth in tackles for loss. He had four tackles Sunday, and his numbers didn't tell the whole story.

Stock down

Safety Julian Love, who injured a hamstring early in the season and missed eight games, has not been his typically impactful self since returning to action on Dec. 7. Love has combined for two tackles the last two weeks.

Injuries

LB Derick Hall (hand) and T Abe Lucas (right arm/shoulder) were injured Sunday but returned to action. Macdonald said both are fine. Macdonald said it was possible that T Charles Cross (hamstring) will play Thursday. It's not clear whether WR Tory Horton (calf), who hasn't played since Nov. 2, will play again this season.

Key number

Next steps

After Thursday's massive game against the Rams, the Seahawks are on the road the final two weeks of the regular season, at Carolina and San Francisco.

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