Seattle, WA
How Seattle Seahawks can fix historically bad third-down situations
The Seattle Seahawks are on a historic pace, and not in good way.
Seahawks Injuries: Metcalf and Lucas to return, 2 starters out vs. 49ers
After the Seahawks’ most recent game Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak shared a stat that illustrated some of the struggles plaguing the team’s offense. According to Elias Stats and ESPN Stats & Info, the unit is facing an average distance to gain of 8.9 yards on third-down attempts, which would be the worst mark in the NFL since at least 1980.
Those long third-down situations have certainly showed up on the stat sheet. Seattle’s 35.2% third-down conversion rate ranks 24th in the NFL.
During Thursday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, Seahawks radio network analysts and former NFL players Dave Wyman and Ray Roberts discussed what the team can do to help put itself in better situations on third downs.
“They do have a pretty efficient passing game,” Wyman said. “I mean, they throw the heck out football, but I’ve always kind of felt like people kind of clinch up on third down. … Maybe if you have a four-down mentality it would help or something, and then also it’s always about what you’re doing on first and second (down).”
The long third-down distances could be attributed to the lack of run plays being called on offense, especially on early downs. The Seahawks have run the ball more frequently in their past three games, but they still rank 30th in the league in percentage of runs plays called, per TeamRankings.com.
“When (former head coach) Pete (Carroll) was here, the complaint was (it’s) run, run, pass, but with the makeup of the team now, you start the game most of the time throwing the football,” Roberts said. “So imagine now it’s first-and-10 and there’s an incompletion. Now you’re at second-and-10, so you’re probably gonna pick up another maybe four or five yards on the tight end pass or something, hopefully, or you try to run, so you end up on these really long third downs.”
However, the run game hasn’t been very effective behind a struggling offensive line. The Seahawks are 22nd in the league 4.1 yards per carry and have averaged just 3.2 yardsover the past three games.
“When the running game is struggling … you got to lean on the tight ends a little more and some of the underneath throws,” Roberts said. “… If you can get that first-down completion to a tight end over the middle and you get those first four yards or five yards and (on) second down maybe you do it again or you run the ball for two or three yards, now (you’ve gained) eight yards, maybe seven yards.
“Now your at third-and-medium-to-short range where you have a playbook that’s wide open and you have a greater chance to convert to third down. That’s the kind of that’s how I looked at it when I heard (the stat).”
Listen the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More on Seattle Seahawks
• Elevated 49ers’ offense provides big test for Seahawks
• What are realistic expectations for Abe Lucas in potential return?
• NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah reacts to Seahawks cutting Tyrel Dodson
• The Seattle Seahawks’ next two games are what really matter
• Lefko: Seahawks at crossroads as a franchise, with Geno at the center
Seattle, WA
Power bank fire on flight to Seattle raises safety concerns
A passenger’s power bank and phone overheated, and the external battery caught fire on a flight from Wichita to Seattle on Sunday, according to KOMO News.
The Alaska Airlines flight had to turn around midair and head back to Wichita.
Alaska Airlines told KOMO News that flight attendants put the phone and power bank in a containment bag.
The aircraft was able to land safely, and upon arrival, emergency crews evaluated three people near the fire.
One person was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Seattle, WA
Winterhawks bounce back against Seattle, end losing streak
A tired Portland Winterhawks team plays a solid 3rd game in 3 nights, bouncing back from some poor performances to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-3 and end a 4-game losing streak.
Portland’s top players, Alex Weiermair and Ryan Miller, each had 3 points, while Seattle’s more impressive top stars were shut out. Some of Seattle’s other players had big nights, and kept the game close, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Thunderbirds’ second straight loss after winning five in a row.
After 3 points out of 6 possible for the weekend, the Winterhawks remain in 7th, now 4 points above the playoff line.
| 1st 12:41 POR (PP) Alex Weiermair (Jordan Duguay) 1-0 |
| 2nd 1:51 POR (PP) Nathan Free (Will McLaughlin, Ryan Miller) 2-0 |
| 2nd 3:54 SEA (PP) Brock England (Joe Gramer, Noah Kosick) 2-1 |
| 2nd 13:44 POR Griffin Darby (Alex Weiermair, Ryan Miller) 3-1 |
| 2nd 15:51 POR (SH) Alex Weiermair (Ryan Miller) 4-1 |
| 2nd 18:42 SEA Ethan Bibeau (Brock England, Grayson Tash) 4-2 |
| 3rd 13:16 SEA (PP) Noah Kosick (Simon Lovsin, Brock England) 4-3 |
| Portland leads by 2+ | 21:35 |
| Portland leads by 1 | 25:44 |
| Tied | 12:41 |
| Portland trails by 1 | 0:00 |
| Portland trails by 2+ | 0:00 |
Pregame: Portland looking to break their losing streak after a bleak 3rd period on overtime Friday against the Thunderbirds and a shoddy most-of-the-game against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday. Seattle also had a 3-in-3, but had a lot easier travel than Portland’s Seattle-to-Vancouver-to-Portland weekend.
Seattle had a shakeup in goal. Grayson Malinoski, who played well against Portland on Friday, likely would have started, but Marek Sklenicka got hurt in the 1st period of their Saturday game with the Everett Silvertips, and Malinoski had to play an extra 40-plus minutes (and got torched). Sklenicka apparently got a clean bill of health, so they went with the more rested goalie.
1st period: Tone set with a Thunderbirds penalty in the 1st minute. Then Brayden Holberton reacted to a hit by Kyle McDonough by getting him in a one-man fight. He got McDonough pretty good and ended his night, but he also got a game misconduct and 5-minute major, which Portland scored on.
2nd period: The Winterhawks, who have had some stretches of cratering lately, almost had another after going up 2-0. They were outhshot 8-1 and gave up a goal. But they turned it around and extended the lead to 4-1 before Seattle got one back near the end.
3rd period: A solid period for Portland, made tighter on a late Thunderbirds goal. But a penalty by Coster Dunn near the end proved costly. Portland was able to run a lot of time off during the delayed penalty (and passed up the chance to run off more) and then were able to keep the puck and keep the Thunderbirds from pulling the goalie until well into the last minute. The Thunderbirds got a couple of good looks but couldn’t tie it.
| Top 10 | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Weiermair | POR | 2 goals, 1 assist | Continues to hang around 10th in league scoring, which is where is currently is. |
| Ryan Miller | POR | 3 assists | He may have extended his point streak to 9, depending on if he gets a late scoring change from Saturday’s game. |
| Brock England | SEA | 1 goal, 2 assists | Broke out of a 4-game slump with a really productive game, keeping the TBirds in it. |
| Noah Kosick | SEA | 1 goal, 1 assist | Planted a rebound to get Seattle within 4-3 in the 3rd. |
| Griffin Darby | POR | 1 goal | First WHL goal was off his skate, so this was the first off his stick. With 6 points and a +4, this is the best month of his career. |
| Ondrej Štěbeták | POR | 26 saves-29 shots | Played a reasonably good game. |
| Nathan Free | POR | 1 goal | The 2-0 goal when the Thunderbirds were looking like threatening. |
| Max Pšenička | POR | A decent game after some really rough ones. No points, so he has a 3-game scoreless streak, but he was fine. | |
| Jordan Duguay | POR | 1 assist | |
| Ethan Bibeau | SEA | 1 goal | Ended a 7-game scoreless streak with a deflection off an England shot. |
| Other notables | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Schmidt | SEA | The placeholder for Schmidt, Matthew Gard, Antonio Martorana, Coster Dunn, and Matej Pekar, all top players for Seattle who went scoreless in a big key to the game. | |
| Brayden Holberton | SEA | Kicked out early in the 1st for a 1-man fight, giving Portland a power play they scored on, and likely earning a suspension. It’s surprising he hasn’t been suspended before but this will be his first if everything is normal. | |
| Nathan Brown | POR | 3-game scoreless streak. | |
| Reed Brown | POR | 4-game scoreless streak. There are a few of these, as Portland’s main offense has been from the top line. | |
| Kyle McDonough | POR | He got hurt by Holberton and didn’t return. So he might be out afor a while. | |
| Radim Mrtka | SEA | 4-game scoreless streak. The NHL 1st-round is really struggling. | |
| Marek Sklenicka | SEA | 27 saves-31 shots | Seattle’s strange goalie shuffle seemingly benefitted Portland, some bad luck to the Thunderbirds. |
| POR | SEA | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Record | 26-25-5-1 (.509) | 23-25-4-3 (.482) | 7th-place Portland extends their lead over 10th-place Seattle to 5 points. |
| Score | 4 | 3 | |
| Shots | 31 | 29 | The Winterhawks outshoot the opposition for the first time in 8 games. Surprising and encouraging that they did, given how long they were defending a lead. |
| Shoot % | .129 | .103 | Portland simultaneously has the 7th-worst shooting percentage in the league, and the best shooting percentage in the US Division. Do the math on that. |
| Power play | 2 / 5 | 2 / 3 | Seattle took a penalty at almost every key time in the game. Gave the Winterhawks two power play goals plus momentum, and hurt Seattle late by interfering with their goalie pull. |
| Even strength | 1 | 1 | Low scoring at even strength. |
| Shorthanded | 1 | 0 | Weiermair’s shorthanded goal ends up the winner. |
Portland Winterhawks
3 out of 6 for the weekend, and if they’d played just a little better it could have been 6 out of 6. It’s a hard team to figure out sometimes.
Seattle Thunderbirds
An emotional win on Friday was followed by a blowout loss and then a struggle in the rematch. A 5-game winning streak put them into playoff contention. Now with 2 games in Central BC they’re in danger of falling right back out of it.
Friday 2/27 at Victoria, 7pm PST
Saturday 2/28 at Victoria, 4pm PST
Next home game: Saturday 3/7 vs. Everett, 6pm PST
Looking ahead: Sunday 3/8 vs. Tri-City, 4pm PDT
Next game versus Seattle: Saturday 3/14 at Seattle, 6pm PDT
Seattle, WA
Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor has fully embraced the City of Seattle
Well, it’s become pretty obvious by now that one of the Seattle Mariners’ best recent moves was acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians late last season. After re-signing with the club following a short stint in 2025, the 28-year-old has clearly fallen head over heels for the Emerald City. And he’s not afraid to let anyone who’s listening know about it.
“[Seattle is] just full of energy,” Naylor has said about the city and its people. “An awesome fan base, who loves baseball, loves to watch their hometown team win, and I think we really feed off that as a group. I mean, I sure do, and I can say 100% sure that everyone else does.”
“We have such loud fans. And [the Mariners] do a great job of keeping the fans excited — in between innings, in between pitches. I love playing here.”
Josh Naylor backed up those remarks when he agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract in November 2025, keeping him with Seattle through the 2030 season. He was considered such a force on the field and a leader in the locker room that retaining him was labeled as the club’s ‘top priority’ over the winter.
At the same time, he’s continued to state that it was his comfort level with the Mariners, nurtured by those same fans, are what makes it the perfect fit for him. He’s already adored, he’s an asset to the team, and he’s a member of a legitimate World Series contender. At this point in his career, he’s sitting pretty.
“I’ve gotten so many compliments from friends who watch me play, or ex-teammates I’ve played, or even opponents that I’m against, about how awesome it s in Seattle. “Naylor has stated. “And, like how cool the fan base is; they’re just like ride-or-die in Seattle. It’s super awesome to be a part of.”
Naylor, Raleigh, and J-Rod are a terrific trio
Lost in the shuffle of offseason acquisitions and all the prospects popping up, one of the major storylines (and keys to Seattle’s success) will be that the Mariners now have the elite slugging triumvirate of Naylor, Cal Raleigh, and Julio Rodriguez in 2026.
With Naylor being a late-season acquisition, the group never really got a chance to get settled in the midst of a hard-fought pennant race. Now, the trio of heavy hitters will have a 162-game schedule together, with expectations that all three of them will thrive from each other’s output.
CLICK FOR MORE: Josh Naylor honored in his native country for his 2025 season
Fans in the Pacific Northwest better be ready to see some towering shots from this triad in 2026. Watching Josh Naylor team with two of the game’s top players, we could be in store for the best triple-shot of terror in all of baseball this season.
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