For the Seahawks to do so, what\u2019s the most reasonable path for them to take?<\/p>\n
When posed that question last week on Seattle Sports\u2019 Bump and Stacy, FTN Fantasy\u2019s Aaron Schatz<\/a>\u00a0naturally centered his attention on the defense.<\/p>\n After some initial growing pains in Macdonald\u2019s cutting-edge scheme last year, the Seahawks\u2019 defense evolved<\/a>\u00a0into one of the league\u2019s best over the second half of the season. Over the final nine weeks, Seattle ranked fifth in scoring defense, fifth in defensive\u00a0EPA<\/a>\u00a0and fourth in total defense.<\/p>\n And now, with nearly every defensive starter returning, the expectations are sky-high on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth remembering that when Macdonald was the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023, his defense found its stride over the second half of Year 1 and was the league\u2019s top-ranked defense in Year 2.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most realistic idea of how the Seahawks will suddenly become a really good team is that Mike Macdonald\u2019s defense totally gels,\u201d Schatz said. \u201c(They) improved in the second half of last year and (finished No. 9 in defensive EPA). \u2026 Macdonald\u2019s defense with the Ravens improved in the second half of his first year, then took a big step forward in the second year.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Seahawks take a similar step forward, you\u2019d feel very good about how this team will do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2018The best-case scenario\u2019<\/p>\n But what about Seattle\u2019s new-look offense?<\/p>\n After a full-scale makeover that includes a new quarterback, multiple new wide receivers, a new left guard, a new offensive coordinator and a brand-new offensive scheme, there are numerous questions on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n Chief among them is whether quarterback Sam Darnold can replicate the breakout 2024 campaign he had with the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n Yet as Schatz pointed out, while Darnold had a strong season, he wasn\u2019t necessarily elite. He\u00a0ranked 11th in quarterback EPA<\/a> and 14th in ESPN\u2019s QBR metric<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDarnold last year was like (slightly above average) among quarterbacks,\u201d Schatz said. \u201cLike, he wasn\u2019t great. It\u2019s just that he was way better than he\u2019s been in the past. And also, (the Vikings\u2019) defense was really good.\u201d<\/p>\n That prompted Schatz to use the 2024 Vikings as a best-case scenario for the 2025 Seahawks. Minnesota went 14-3 last season behind an elite defense (No. 1 in EPA<\/a> and No. 5 in scoring<\/a>), a good offense (No. 9 in both EPA and scoring) and a knack for winning close games (9-1 in one-score contests).<\/p>\n \u201cThe best-case scenario for the Seahawks looks similar to last year\u2019s Vikings \u2013 the defense is really good, really well-coordinated, and the quarterback is a little bit above average,\u201d Schatz said.<\/p>\n Listen to the full conversation with FTN Fantasy\u2019s Aaron Schatz\u00a0at this link<\/a>\u00a0or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks news and analysis<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Insider on Seahawks: Why Macdonald\u2019s defensive scheme stands out<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Bump: Another O-line target for Seattle Seahawks to consider<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Bump: What makes rookie TE Elijah Arroyo a \u2018luxury player\u2019 for Seahawks<\/a>
\u2022 Rost: A potential surprise standout on Seattle Seahawks\u2019 defense<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Bump: Seattle Seahawks RB Kenny McIntosh could shine under new OC<\/a><\/p>\n
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