5 storylines to watch in the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills

Seattle has made two trades in as many weeks, acquiring defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Titans linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Jones will now be able to play against the Bills in consecutive weeks, but as a member of a different team.

The Seahawks and the Bills starts at 1:05 pm PT on Sunday. Here are five storylines to watch heading into Seattle’s Week 8 game against Buffalo.

This may be a moot point heading into kickoff, but it’s worth noting that DK Metcalf, Seattle’s top receiver, is listed as doubtful heading into Sunday’s game. If he is unable to play due to his MCL sprain, the Seahawks will rely heavily on Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fuel their passing offense. That duo is still a premium option, but Metcalf would be a big loss.

Metcalf is fourth in the NFL with 568 receiving yards on 35 receptions. Lockett is 22nd in the league (30 catches, 384 yards) and Smith-Njigba is 39th (37 catches, 319 yards). Accounting for all three, plus tight end Noah Fant, is what has made Seattle’s passing offense so difficult to defend this season.

Take one away and the rest of the Seahawks receivers will be easier to cover. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb may have to rely even more on the running game, an area in which the Seahawks began to improve last week.

The Seahawks, and probably head coach Mike Macdonald in particular, were dissatisfied with his linebacker play. So they traded for a potential future All-Pro in Ernest Jones IV.

Macdonald talks about “feeling” the players on the field. Jones’ impact against the Bills should be felt immediately, considering the caliber of player he is. The run defense should be better and Macdonald has more options with linebacker blitzes. It’s difficult for any player to complete half the season with a new team in half a week of practice, but Jones said there is familiarity on the part of Dennard Wilson’s defense in Tennessee. Wilson was the defensive backs coach in Baltimore last season.

“(Jones) does a lot of things very well,” Macdonald said Wednesday. “Talking about making tackles, holding your ground at the point of attack, it’s physical. I think he plays very hard. He is also a good blitzer even without the ball. I think the coverage skills are pretty good too. Overall, he is a very good soccer player.”

Buffalo is fifth in the league in points per game (28.4) and has quarterback Josh Allen on its side. Running back James Cook is not far behind, and the receiving trio of Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper and Khalil Shakir is a rising space.

It is a balanced offense that is in the middle of the pack in both rushing and passing yards. But that balance is dangerous and keeps the defense in suspense. Fortunately for the Seahawks, they played an equally balanced unit last week against the Atlanta Falcons. If Seattle can start fast and lead Buffalo into straight-back scenarios, that will give them an advantage.

Although their weapons are good, Allen is the main threat in the Bills offense. His dynamic play is what fuels Buffalo, and he is protecting the ball better this season than he has in his entire career. Allen is the only quarterback in the league this season with at least 50 pass attempts and no interceptions, and he is also sixth in the NFL in touchdown passes (12).

He’s been more conservative with his rushing this season (on pace for 434 rushing yards), but that potentially makes that element of his game even more dangerous. Allen will pick his spots and pick apart defenses when he does.

If Allen gets to work, Seattle’s defense could have a long game. If Metcalf can’t play, the offense could struggle to put up enough points to keep Buffalo within reach.

Seattle allowed 14.3 points per game in its first three games and took two points. Then, as injuries piled up, the Seahawks allowed an average of 35.6 points during their three-game losing streak from Weeks 4-6 and generated just one turnover.

The Falcons scored just 14 points against Seattle in Week 7, and the Seahawks defense forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter to seal the game. The back end of the defense was still banged up, but the defensive line depth returned and the pass rush was relentless. That’s the formula the Seahawks must continue to strive for.

Seattle should be even healthier against the Bills on defense. This week will be a good gauge of where this defense is at and if the addition of Jones makes it even better.

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