Jan. 18, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET

The Seattle Seahawks entered 2025 with their offense in a state of flux. Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, making room for Sam Darnold as QB1. DK Metcalf was shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tyler Lockett was released, clearing a path for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp to take over the receiving corps.

These were bold moves. They were wagers head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider were happy to make because they knew the Seahawks had the personnel to disrupt the NFC even if they failed to pay off.

That wasn’t the case. Darnold played like an MVP candidate early on. Smith-Njigba earned my vote for offensive player of the year. But this team was built to survive droughts from its starting quarterback thanks to a truly devastating defense.

The same defense that blew the doors off the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18 to clinch the conference’s top seed. The same defense that blew the doors off Brock Purdy in the Divisional Round to eliminate the Niners from Super Bowl contention.

Seattle finished 2025 with the NFL’s top defense; no one allowed fewer points or fewer expected points added (EPA). The Seahawks’ combination of established veterans (Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence) and rising young stars (Ernest Jones, Nick Emmanwori, Devon Witherspoon) leaves that unit with few weak links. This is a team that ranked in the top five in pressure rate and gave up fewer yards per carry than any other team in the league. There is no safe haven when you’re facing Seattle; you just have to hope to ride out the waves and survive.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

That makes Darnold more of an appendage than his team’s beating heart. He’s got a “just chuck it up to JSN” default when he’s in trouble. He’s backed by a tailback platoon who teamed up for a useful 98 rushing yards over expected in the regular season. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet added 136 rushing yards and three touchdowns on nearly six yards per handoff to thoroughly demoralize the Niners.

That’s important, because Darnold hasn’t quite entered the circle of trust even with two remarkable revival seasons under his belt. The former New York Jet began both the 2024 and 2025 seasons riding an incredible wave of efficiency. But as the season wore on, his play dropped off precipitously for both the Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings before that.

In 2024, he ranked in ninth among all starting quarterbacks with 0.187 EPA per dropback in Weeks 1-14. Over the final four weeks of the regular season and playoffs that fell to -0.031 — 28th-best in the NFL. In 2025, he ranked fourth at 0.249 EPA/dropback. Over the final four weeks of the season that dipped to 0.018 and 22nd place.

Darnold played well when it mattered Saturday, even with an oblique strain that kept him from practices earlier in the week. He finished with 106 net passing yards on 19 dropbacks (124 passing yards, 18 lost on two sacks) and a touchdown without a turnover. He had 0.36 EPA/play — not close to his early season form, but twice as good as how he’d limped into the postseason.

The Seahawks’ DNA is built to withstand that. Seattle would love to have warm weather Sam Darnold slinging passes. It can win with ghost-hunter Sam Darnold turtling in the backfield and contributing more turnovers than touchdowns (five interceptions/fumbles, four touchdowns in the final four weeks of the 2025 regular season, all Seahawks victories).

That’s terrifying! Seattle can grind you into a fine paste and bury your championship hopes even with below-average quarterback play. Seattle also happens to roster a quarterback capable of significantly above-average play for long stretches. But even if Sam Darnold stinks, it may not matter. The Seahawks are a tornado made of knives, a clattering vortex of violence designed to dishearten.

Good luck, everybody else.