GLENDALE, Ariz. -- When Pete Carroll was asked about the Seattle Seahawks' offensive struggles in their 6-6 tie against the Arizona Cardinals, he wanted to make one thing clear: Russell Wilson is giving him everything he's got.
"I don't know how much harder you can ask a guy to play," Carroll said.
In what turned out to be a game the Seahawks and Cardinals handed back and forth to each other until it ended, Seattle managed just two field goals on 13 offensive drives.
And yet, with 11 seconds left in overtime, it looked like they might somehow escape with a victory. But Steven Hauschka's 28-yard field goal attempt missed.
Earlier in overtime, Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed from 24 yards out.
The Seahawks are fortunate to escape with a tie, given how bad the offense was, and their focus this week will be on coming up with solutions.
Overall, the offense managed 257 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per play. The Seahawks were 3-for-14 on third downs. And those numbers got a boost by two drives in overtime.
The eye test was worse than the numbers indicate. And while the Seahawks are still in good shape at 4-1-1 in the NFC West, Wilson's health continues to hang over the season.
He suffered a right high ankle sprain in Week 1 and an MCL injury in his left knee in Week 3. Wilson deserves credit for doing everything in his power to treat the injuries and stay on the field. He still has not missed a start in his NFL career.
But he continues to get treatment for the injuries, and Carroll admitted that Wilson's limited mobility played a role in the offensive woes.
"It is a factor, but he played his heart out," Carroll said.
"He's not making any yards running. Just look at the stats."
Wilson carried once for minus-2 yards Sunday, failing to elude a defender on a zone-read play. On the season, he has 22 carries for 33 yards.
Asked if he has a timetable for when Wilson might be able to play without any limitations, Carroll said, "No. C'mon now. What timetable would I go on?
"He is busting his tail to do everything he can. He is giving his total heart and soul every time he goes. And he is playing in the NFL, doing pretty darn good against some pretty darn good football teams. I'm amazed that he has done what he's done in this early part of the season, and he's getting better. He came out of this game feeling better, so there will come a time, and you'll know. It will be really obvious."
Until that time though, there's no simple fix for the run game. The Seahawks had 52 yards on 19 carries against the Cardinals (2.7 YPC). They did not have a run play gain more than 10 yards.
The offensive line got pushed around up front against the Cardinals, and the Seahawks don't have many options when it comes to changing personnel. If anything, they could take a hit. Left tackle Bradley Sowell left the game with a sprained MCL injury in the fourth quarter, and undrafted rookie free agent George Fant replaced him.
Thomas Rawls could provide a boost in a couple weeks, but he'll be coming off a fibula injury.
When things are working for the Seahawks offensively, like they did during the second half of last year, it's a combination of different factors: the run game, the quick passing game and the shots downfield.
Those things are not working together right now, and the priority has to be coming up with fixes if they want to maintain their lead in the NFC West.