3 Changes the Seahawks Must Make on Defense for Playoff Push

After opening the season 5-0, the Seattle Seahawks have lost two of their last three games. In Week 7, the defeat came via an overtime thriller against the rival Arizona Cardinals. This past week, however, the loss came in blowout fashion against the Buffalo Bills.

The main issue in both losses—and a big problem throughout the season—was poor pass defense. Yes, quarterback Russell Wilson had four turnovers against Buffalo, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Seattle surrendered 420 yards of offense, almost all of it through the air.

While the Seahawks are still in good shape for the postseason at 6-2, they're in a tough division and cannot look at a playoff berth as a given.

If they want to ensure they make the playoffs, they need to improve their historically bad pass defense. Here, we'll examine three potential changes that could help do just that.

Make Carlos Dunlap a Defensive Focal Point

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

To be fair, getting recent addition Carlos Dunlap more involved in the defense is probably already a goal for coordinator Ken Norton Jr.

As a team, Seattle has just 19 sacks on the season, and one of them belongs to Dunlap, who has played just 46 snaps with the team.

However, it would behoove Seattle to make the 31-year-old the focal point of the pass rush in a hurry. He's one of the few players capable of winning pass-rush battles one-on-one and arguably the only one capable of consistently doing so off the edge.

Jarran Reed and Jamal Adams each have 3.5 sacks this season. The former typically rushes from the interior, while the latter is a starting safety.

If Norton hopes to have a quality edge-rushing presence, he needs to design plays that get Dunlap one-on-one opportunities. The former Cincinnati Bengal had a sack and two quarterback hits in his Seattle debut, and the Seahawks could desperately use more of what he provides.

An improved pass rush could help mask some of Seattle's issues on the back end.

Lighten Quinton Dunbar's Workload

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The Seahawks traded for cornerback Quinton Dunbar last offseason, hoping that he could lock down a starter's role. While he has started all six games in which he has appeared—and played at least 75 percent of the defensive snaps in each of them—he hasn't exactly been a reliable defender.

The 28-year-old has five passes defended and an interception through six games. He has also given up 35 receptions, 491 yards, four touchdowns and an opposing passer rating of 111.0. According to head coach Pete Carroll, his struggles are largely due to a lack of experience in Norton's defense.

"He's a different player than the guys that we've been playing with and his background is much different," Carroll said, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

It's also worth noting Dunbar has been dealing with a persistent knee issue. This begs the question, though, if he isn't up to speed in the system and isn't 100 percent healthy, why is he playing such a big role?

He shouldn't be. Seattle needs to find a way to lighten Dunbar's workload until he can prove himself more effective. Naturally, doing so will be easier in theory than in practice, but staying the course isn't likely to yield improved results.

Get Jamal Adams out of Coverage

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Dunbar is far from the only liability in the secondary. While it may be tough for Seahawks fans to accept, safety Jamal Adams is another one. The prized trade acquisition is one of the best box safeties in the NFL, but he isn't a quality pass-defender.

In his four games with Seattle, the 25-year-old has just one pass defended. He has also allowed 15 receptions on 20 targets for 727 yards and an opposing passer rating of 116.7.

The reality is that Adams isn't holding his own as a pass-defender and needs to be put in fewer coverage situations. He needs to be treated like an early-down linebacker who excels against the run and comes off the field in obvious passing situations.

This doesn't necessarily mean the LSU product can't play on passing downs, but he is more valuable as a pass-rusher than a cover man in those situations.

Getting Adams out of coverage as much as possible would at least give opposing quarterbacks one less defender to pick on. That might be a small start, but the Seahawks need every boost they can get defensively moving forward.