NFC Darling Seahawks No Longer Winless but Still Have Plenty of Concerns

The Seattle Seahawks took care of business in a must-win game, but they aren't necessarily back to being favorites in the NFC.

While the 26-0 victory over the Chicago Bears was clearly one-sided, it wasn't even as dominant as it should have been. The reality is the Bears—without Jay Cutler, without Alshon Jeffery and without much talent on either side of the ball—shouldn't have even been considered a real challenge in Week 3.

Despite Chicago's struggles on paper, the Seahawks only managed to build up a 6-0 lead at halftime. A Tyler Lockett touchdown on a kickoff return expanded the score to 13-0, but the team only came through with one other touchdown the entire game. In three weeks the offense has only gotten into the end zone a total of four times.

The effort on this side of the ball leaves many question marks going forward.

A major story during the game was the injury to Marshawn Lynch. The running back entered the game late and eventually left early because of a calf issue, and it is not yet known if this will remain a lingering problem. Rookie Thomas Rawls had a fantastic game in relief (104 rushing yards on 16 carries), but the Seahawks will certainly miss Beast Mode if he is forced to miss more time.

However, the biggest problem surrounding the Seahawks is the ineffective play of the offensive line.

Seattle had issues protecting quarterback Russell Wilson last season, and things are seemingly even worse without former All-Pro center Max Unger, whom the Seahawks sent to the New Orleans Saints as part of the Jimmy Graham trade. The quarterback was sacked eight times in the first two weeks and kept this pace with four more in Week 3.

As Sports Illustrated noted, it's more of an issue when you consider the Bears' recent showings:

"

Beginning to think the Seattle offensive line might be an issue. Bears with four sacks after having zero the first two games.

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) September 27, 2015"

Trey Wingo of ESPN agreed there was a problem:

In addition to the sacks, the Bears also totaled 10 quarterback hits on Wilson. It's tough to imagine how bad things could have gotten if not for the 26-year-old passer's mobility. The team is also fortunate Wilson is able to stay composed enough under pressure to avoid mistakes.

Even with one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league, however, the offense was still disappointing. The unit struggled on third down (5-of-16) and failed to convert a touchdown in either of its two red-zone opportunities. Against a defense that was torched by the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks could only manage 19 offensive points.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Having the Bears as a common opponent with those two squads might be an even bigger wake-up call considering they are arguably the two top teams in the NFC at the moment. Seattle has already lost to Green Bay, while Arizona has looked like a Super Bowl favorite through three weeks, outscoring opponents 126-49. It's still relatively early in the season, but it's hard to predict another conference title for the defending champions.

Of course, there were some positive takeaways from the win. The defense was as dominant as ever, holding the Bears to a historically terrible day, per StatsCentre:

The Jimmy Clausen-to-Eddie Royal connection doesn't necessarily strike fear in the hearts of many coordinators, but the fact Chicago never even came close to scoring is always a good thing at this level. Big performances by newcomers Jimmy Graham, Rawls and Lockett also provided encouraging highlights for a team that can use points from any source.

This game also saw the return of Kam Chancellor after his holdout the first two weeks. Although the safety only had one tackle, head coach Pete Carroll noted the 27-year-old's impact, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times:

General manager John Schneider explained the emotional factor of the player's return before the game, per Seahawks.com's Tony Drovetto: "He’s a heartbeat guy and he’s a strong leader on this football team. You could just tell in practice this week when he came back. ... We’re just excited to move forward into the future and have him here because he’s such a special football player."

Even with the team at full strength and a first win under its belt, the optimism must be tempered. The squad has high expectations after winning a Super Bowl and coming one play away from another Lombardi Trophy. After an 0-2 start, the Seahawks needed to remind fans they are still one of the NFL's elite. They failed to do that against one of the worst teams in football.

With road games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Cardinals still on the schedule, Seattle will have to dramatically improve its play in order to once again be considered a top contender in the NFC. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.