The NFL has been totally unpredictable early this season (our Survivor pool is already down from 150 entries to a handful), so it is notable that the Seahawks are one of the only teams that have not stumbled.

Before the season, we projected a 2-1 start, with a loss to Miami. But, after Tua Tagovailoa went on IR with another concussion, the Hawks became the obvious favorites in Week 3. They then handled the Dolphins 24-3 to become one of only four teams that are 3-0 (pending Buffalo’s result Monday night).

Yeah, the Hawks are 3-0 against teams that are a combined 3-6. But, you can only play the schedule you are dealt. The Hawks can’t help that they have faced a rookie QB (Broncos), a journeyman with no receivers (Patriots) and backup QBs (Dolphins).

Their defense has put the clamps on, allowing just 249 yards (second in NFL) and 14.3 points per game (fourth). We’ll see whether they can keep that up against a couple of top-four offenses over the next three games: Detroit on Monday night and San Francisco in a Thursday night game in Week 6. (The middling Giants are the Week 5 opponent.)

Thanks to the Rams’ surprising upset of the 49ers in a game of attrition in Week 3, the Hawks are two games up in the NFC West. But injuries are the great equalizer, as the 49ers and Rams (again) have discovered already.

The Hawks have not been hit as badly as their division rivals, but they have won without their top right tackles (Abe Lucas and George Fant), pass rusher (Uchenna Nwosu) and running back (Kenneth Walker III). They also have a whole bunch of guys playing injured. And they lost Leonard Williams (ribs) and Byron Murphy (hamstring) in the win over Miami – their statuses for Detroit and beyond not immediately known.

The Lions took some hits as well. They might be without star TE Sam LaPorta and two key defenders on Monday.

History says the Hawks have a 74% chance of making the playoffs – they have made it the past five times they started 3-0. But they cannot continue to lose guys if they are going to beat the good teams on their slate and complete that journey.

In order to be one of the 27% of 3-0 teams to reach the Super Bowl, the Hawks need to figure out how to get their offensive line going.

They gave up seven hits and three sacks on Geno Smith vs. Miami, while committing six penalties that short-circuited the offense. Also, the run offense has struggled in every game – although it finished strong against Denver and Miami.

Leading up to the Miami game, Ray Roberts told Seattle Sports Radio this crew has not come together yet.

“It’s not five as one,” he said. “It’s like each individual dude is just trying to survive the play, and so you’re not really locked in on the chemistry that it takes to be a good offensive line.”

That always takes time, and the Hawks do not even have their top five guys playing right now, with Abe Lucas and George Fant both out.

Charles Cross had been the top-ranked tackle in the NFL over the first two games. He gave up a sack vs. Miami but also made a stellar block on Smith’s long TD pass to DK Metcalf. He is the one dependable player on the unit so far.

Connor Williams should become that as well. He is slowly getting his game back – he has been average (15^th of 33 by PFF ranking) and had two penalties against Miami.

“He’s been out for a long time,” Roberts said. “He hasn’t played a whole lot in the last year or so, and so he seems kind of top heavy. He kind of leans on people a lot with his facemask and with his hands, and so that makes it hard to switch off games and work double-teams or get off a block to go to the second level.”

The rest of the unit is much worse. Before the Miami debacle, third right tackle Stone Forsythe was 52nd out of 68 tackles ranked by PFF; Anthony Bradford ranked 54th out of 65 guards, and Laken Tomlinson ranked 36th (just 53rd in pass blocking).

Roberts said he thinks Ryan Grubb needs to use more pre-snap motion to help this unit.

“I’ve always said that play calling and play design has as much to do with offensive line development as the actual players themselves,” Roberts said. “Just lining up and saying we’re going to run split-zone between the tackles downhill, I don’t know that they’re that group right now.”

The question is whether they can become that group. They probably are not going to get much better at guard, even if Christian Haynes is able to oust Bradford. But Williams should keep getting better, which in itself would help the guards, and Fant will upgrade right tackle whenever he returns.

We’ll have to give them a few more weeks and tolerate a few more struggles like they have had so far. At least they bought a little cushion with a 3-0 start and two-game lead in the division.