6 Things I Learned From Week 7 of the NFL Season

The Seattle Seahawks Aren't Elite

Many would assume the Seahawks' issues are offensive - Russell Wilson hasn't been as efficient this season as he has been throughout his brief career, and Marshawn Lynch hasn't topped 100 rushing yards since Week 1.

But it's the defense. The defense - the unit that made Peyton Manning look like Blaine Gabbert in last year's Super Bowl - is failing the Seahawks.

Entering Week 7, the Seattle defense ranked 13th in the NFL, per our team Net Expected Points (NEP) metrics, which are adjusted for strength of opponent. But it wasn't led by a top-notch secondary like we saw last year. Instead, Seattle's rush defense ranked third, while the pass defense came in at 24th.

In yesterday's contest, quarterback Austin Davis completed 18 of 21 passes, watching his running game - led by rookie Tre Mason - beat up the Seahawks front seven. Davis played 8.60 points above expectation in the game, while Mason compiled a Rushing NEP of 2.20 on his 18 rushes.

According to ProFootballReference.com, Davis' completion percentage was the second-highest the Seahawks have ever allowed among quarterbacks who have thrown 20 or more times on them. The highest came in 2009, when Brett Favre went 22 for 25 against them, completing 88% of his passes.

It doesn't take a football analyst to tell you the Seahawks need to improve defensively. Moving forward, we no longer should be giving the defense the benefit of the doubt from a matchup standpoint - they've been relatively average this year.