The Seattle Seahawks return home to face the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.

The Texans, who sit at 2–3, haven’t had the start they hoped for after back-to-back AFC South division titles. Following an 0–3 start, they clawed their way back, winning their next two games heading into their bye. All of their losses have been by one score and a combined 12 points, so it’s not like they’re getting blown out.

The Texans currently have the best scoring defense in the NFL, allowing just 12.2 points per game, and they are giving up the fourth-fewest yards per game. The Seahawks’ offense hit a lull in the second half of last week’s game against Jacksonville and will need to bring their A-game against this stingy Texans defense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had over 160 receiving yards last game, will likely be shadowed by Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. for most of the game. This means Sam Darnold may have to look to other targets like rookie receiver Tory Horton and tight end AJ Barner.

Seattle has been pretty beat up on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the secondary. Pro Bowl cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon missed last week’s game with injuries, as did safety Julian Love. All three practiced this week and should be in the lineup Monday, providing a big boost to the Seahawks’ secondary.

Even with key starters missing time, other players have stepped up, particularly cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick. But in football, the defensive line is what makes everything else go, and the Seahawks’ pass rush has definitely stepped up. They are currently third in the NFL in team sacks with 20. They also have the fifth-most interceptions among defenses and the second-best run defense, allowing just 79 rushing yards per game.

It hasn’t been just one guy, it’s largely been by committee, but I wanted to spotlight one player, and that’s linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. After missing large parts of the last two seasons battling injuries, Nwosu has had a resurgence, already tallying four sacks this season, which is second on the team.

The Seahawks look to head into their bye week with a win, and here are my three keys to how they can do that.

1. Run the Ball Effectively

The Seahawks have not run the ball effectively at all this season. They currently have the ninth-worst rushing offense in the NFL, averaging just 104.2 yards per game. This is the exact opposite of what was expected when the Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator.

Seattle has been using a tandem backfield with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Although using a tandem backfield has become the new mantra in the NFL, it hasn’t worked how people would have liked in Seattle. Charbonnet is only averaging 2.6 yards per rush and 31.2 yards per game. Like most people, I think it’s holding back Walker’s true potential. He’s been the much more efficient runner, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 60.7 yards per game.

Seattle’s offense has been a bright spot this year, but the run game is holding them back. They’re going to need to run the ball effectively, not only if they want to win this game, but to be successful moving forward.

2. Stop the Texans on Third Down

Houston has playmakers on offense, wide receiver Nico Collins, tight end Dalton Schultz, and of course, quarterback CJ Stroud. But the Texans have only converted on third down 35% of the time this season, which is the seventh-lowest rate in the league. In all three of their losses, their average third down conversion rate is just 16%.

The Seahawks’ defense should be getting a boost with some starters returning this week, and stopping Houston from extending drives is a must if they hope to win this game.

3. Don’t Allow Sacks

The Seahawks have done a pretty good job at keeping Sam Darnold clean in the pocket this season, allowing only seven sacks, which is the fifth-best in the NFL.

Although the Texans haven’t been sacking quarterbacks at the highest rate this season, they do have one of the best edge-rushing duos in the league in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. When you have an elite pass-rushing tandem, it’s only a matter of time before the sacks start coming in bunches. The Seahawks have to make it a priority that it doesn’t start this week. Keeping Darnold on his feet will be key to winning this game.

ESPN is having another Monday Night doubleheader this week, with the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicking off at 4 PM, pushing kickoff for the Seahawks and Texans to 7 PM PST.