That\u2019s because despite fair questions about the Seahawks heading into the season, they\u2019ve got one of the league\u2019s best defenses and have already won the NFC West. They\u2019ve surprised their harshest critics, and you\u2019re eager to see just how far they can take this thing. You\u2019re trash talking friends who root for other teams. You\u2019re asking your partner whether you should cancel a European vacation in February. You\u2019re arguing online with people about whether they should rest starters this week. Life is good.<\/p>\n
What would need to happen \u2014 how many things would need to go right \u2014 for Seattle to get there? What are the key ingredients for that regular season conclusion?<\/p>\n
The point of that question isn\u2019t to have you using unrealistic answers (they\u2019ll trade for Josh Allen!) nor unlikely ones (an existing starting quarterback becomes the second coming of Patrick Mahomes). It\u2019s an Occam\u2019s razor approach. It\u2019s meant to figure out how close they are to a great season, reflect on how optimistic or pessimistic you are on this team, and remind ourselves of the Seahawks\u2019 own plan.<\/p>\n
The Seahawks\u2019 path to the NFC West title<\/p>\n
\u2022 What they\u2019re counting on: Efforts to reinvigorate the offensive line with scheme and coaching paid off.<\/p>\n
The Seahawks have had an offensive line problem for more than a decade. There\u2019s a revolving door at center. They don\u2019t spend big on free agents. They haven\u2019t racked up any accolades. Last year was no different (the center point was really hammered home here since their starting center retired halfway through the season).<\/p>\n
Much to the chagrin of fans, they didn\u2019t throw money at their biggest problem this offseason. They were reportedly in pursuit of top free agent Will Fries, but medical reasons kept them off. Rather than pivot to spending more than they wanted to on someone they liked less, they chose to lean into a new offensive coaching staff to continue to develop their existing pieces. That, and they used their highest draft pick on an interior lineman (Grey Zabel).<\/p>\n
\u2022 What they\u2019re counting on: QB Sam Darnold doesn\u2019t turn into a pumpkin.<\/p>\n
Read any preseason ranking of offenses and questions about Sam Darnold will be the primary reason for doubt. It\u2019s fair! The best season of his career, by far, came last year in Minnesota. In Seattle, there\u2019s no Justin Jefferson and no Kevin O\u2019Connell. But the Seahawks don\u2019t need Darnold to throw for 35 touchdowns if\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 What they\u2019re counting on: They have a\u00a0top-5 run game.<\/p>\n
The Seahawks\u2019 gamble in trading Geno Smith and signing Darnold is that they also improve other parts of the team, and that includes taking a massive step forward with one of the worst rushing offenses from last season.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is here. It\u2019s what they\u2019ve been working on in camp. And through two preseason games, it\u2019s what they\u2019ve done so well. This may not be an offense with a top-tier quarterback, but it\u2019s at least an offense with a clear directive: run the ball. And that\u2019s better than where they were last year, which was an offense that didn\u2019t always have a plan.<\/p>\n
And they don\u2019t even need all of this to be perfect. They can be a flawed offense as long as\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 What they\u2019re really counting on: This becomes the best defense in football.<\/p>\n
While we all love to embrace a chip on the shoulder, it wouldn\u2019t be fair to say Seattle\u2019s defense is floating under the radar. The Seahawks not being a Super Bowl darling hardly means there\u2019s a lack of respect for what Mike Macdonald accomplished in Baltimore, nor for the improvement Seattle showed last season. Critics are sitting with varying degrees of faith, though: The Ringer\u2019s Sheil Kapadia picked the Seahawks as his No. 1 defense<\/a> entering 2025 while others have them just outside the top 10<\/a>.<\/p>\n A sluggish first half and under-the-radar talent are two big factors for the discrepancy.<\/p>\n Seattle is returning mostly the same group. That\u2019s great news! But it\u2019s a group that doesn\u2019t get as much recognition as it should.<\/p>\n Leonard Williams finished with a team-high 11 sacks and was fourth league-wide in pass-rush win rate (14%) among interior defensive linemen. Despite that, he wasn\u2019t named an All-Pro (first team or second team) and, even more egregiously, wasn\u2019t initially named a Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n Julian Love was Pro Football Focus\u2019 seventh-highest graded safety and saw his best season as a run defender. The last two seasons have earned Love the two best coverage grades of his career.<\/p>\n Cornerback Devon Witherspoon is an exceptional talent, but doesn\u2019t have the splashy interception numbers of some of his peers.<\/p>\n A midseason acquisition of Ernest Jones was one of the biggest factors for Seattle\u2019s turnaround versus the run, but ESPN didn\u2019t rank him anywhere near their top 10 off-ball linebackers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The lack of heaping praise is especially fitting for a defense, and a team, whose whole must be greater than the sum of its parts. The Seahawks don\u2019t have Philadelphia\u2019s roster, but they don\u2019t need it to make a run at a competitive NFC West.<\/p>\n More on the Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n \u2022 Rookie QB Milroe to play all of Seahawks\u2019 preseason finale<\/a>
\u2022 Seahawks\u2019 joint practice with Packers features several skirmishes<\/a>
\u2022 Is the starting Seahawks O-line now set? Huard\u2019s take<\/a>
\u2022 What Hawks\u2019 offense is showing under Kubiak matters \u2014 even in preseason<\/a>
\u2022 Stacy Rost: Why this may be time for an all-in Seattle Seahawks trade<\/a><\/p>\n
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