The Seahawks 2025 schedule is officially out and with it, comes renewed hopes for what might be for the new look Hawks.
Certainly, it’s a tad silly to try and project a record for any NFL team in May, but the layout of the season can be part of the equation.
While we’ve known the opponents since early January, it’s a huge piece of the puzzle to see things like how many primetime games the team has, and more importantly, how the NFL spaced out games against playoff teams, road stretches, and things of that sort.
With that said, let’s take a look at our first observation.
But first, the schedule:
No “brutal” stretches
Listen, every game in the NFL is going to be tough. But to the point above about the spacing out of games, the 2025 schedule seems much more manageable in that regard.
For example, in 2024, the Seahawks had a wild stretch where they had to play Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, Buffalo, and the L.A. Rams in a stretch of six weeks in which the Giants were thought to be relief but beat the Seahawks anyway. In that stretch, the Hawks only beat Atlanta, losing five of six games.
When you’re talking about missing the playoffs by a mere tiebreaker, you can point to that stretch certainly as part of the reason. Now, that’s not to say the Seahawks would have beaten any of the teams they lost to if it wasn’t such a gauntlet of a stretch, but momentum is real and so is the idea of those caliber of teams wearing you down.
After that stretch, the Seahawks had a bye week and proceeded to win four in a row with the defense really finding itself.
So let’s get back to the topic at hand, the 2025 season. There doesn’t appear to be anything remotely that difficult. There are certainly tough and emotional games in consecutive weeks, look no further than Week 1 and Week 2, opening with a rival in the 49ers and playing your old teammate DK Metcalf and the Steelers in Week 2.
I’m also looking at Weeks seven and nine — yes, they’re separated by the bye week, but it’s two formidable opponents both in primetime with Houston coming to Seattle on Oct. 20 on a Monday night before the Seahawks rest up for a road trip with the Commanders on No. 2. Back to back divisional games with the Rams and Cardinals in November will be telling, but again, based on how the league looks in May, there’s nothing like that brutal stretch in October of 2024.
Also, as a side note, it’s uncanny alternate home and away every single game until November. There’s usually at least back to back home or away games somewhere much sooner. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but Mike Macdonald is meticulous about the team’s preparation and travel so that would seem to mitigate any impact, if there were one.
A new welcome back
So the Seahawks certainly did make a lot of moves, especially on offense, which would set the stage for reunions or guys playing against their old team at some point. It happened pretty quickly.
Granted, we knew about this when those moves were made as the opponents were set. So you knew DK would get a revenge game, Tyler Lockett signing with the Titans ensured he’d see the Seahawks in his first year away, and even Sam Darnold would play against his former team(s) in the Vikings, Panthers, and 49ers.
But with the announcement of the schedule came a new reunion. The Seahawks will open the preseason hosting the Las Vegas Raiders.
That’s right, Pete’s coming home.
Pete Carroll will lead his Raiders to Lumen Field, and it might be the most meaningful game that doesn’t count in some time. Of course, Geno Smith would be returning, too, but it’s highly unlikely he plays in that game with most NFL starting quarterbacks sitting the first week of the preseason.
Date and time on that one to be determined but in a season full of likely emotional reunions, adding the preseason to that mix was the icing on the cake.
The Seahawks still garner four primetime games
While in my opinion the Seahawks are underrated, just look at the oddsmakers putting their “over/under” win total at 7.5 games. The NFL schedule-makers still believe in the Hawks ability to draw an audience.
The primetime games are:
Week 4, Thursday Night September 25 at Arizona
Week 7, Monday Night October 20 vs. Houston (With a late 7:00 p.m. Pacific start time)
Week 9, Sunday Night November 2 at Washington Commanders
Week 16, Thursday Night December 18 vs, L.A. Rams
All intriguing matchups and a chance for the rest of the nation to see the new look Seahawks offense — and hopefully a defense that plays how it did in November of ’24.
One more thing..
Opening and closing the season with your rival in San Francisco is certainly unique. It will be interesting to see how different the teams are from Week 1 to Week 18. While the schedule usually finishes with a divisional opponent for more meaningful matchups with potential playoff implications, there’s not typically a four-month layoff between return games. It will be interesting to see that dynamic play out. But starting the season with the Niners means even more energy and excitement for opening week, which certainly never lacks for that juice.
Additionally, the NFL announced during the draft in April that the Seahawks would be one of the teams wearing new “rivalry” jerseys to be unveiled closer to the start of the season. By way of the Seahawks opening the season with a divisional rival, it’s possible we see those new jerseys even sooner than expected.