Seattle, WA
How long will Seattle Seahawks' rival continue its NFC West reign?
The Seattle Seahawks were the class of the NFC in the early 2010s, back when they reached back-to-back Super Bowls and were a perennial contender with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and their famed Legion of Boom defense.
Rost: Seahawks’ change to defensive spending reflects new philosophy
In recent years, however, their biggest division rival has been the NFC’s preeminent force.
The San Francisco 49ers have made four NFC Championship game appearances in the past five seasons, including a pair of trips to the Super Bowl. During that span, they have won three NFC West titles and reached the 12-win mark three times.
How much longer will the 49ers remain atop the NFC West? Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson was asked that question Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. Seahawks fans probably won’t like the answer.
“I don’t think the 49ers are going away any time soon,” Monson said.
San Francisco remains loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. PFF has the 49ers at No. 1 in their current power rankings with point spread team rating of 6.4, which means they would be a 6.4-point favorite over a league-average team on a neutral field. The Kansas City Chiefs are second at 6.1. No other team is above 4.5.
San Francisco has a whopping eight players who were graded by PFF as top-five players at their positions last season: Tight end George Kittle (No. 1), running back Christian McCaffrey (No. 2), wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (No. 2), left tackle Trent Williams (No. 2), linebacker Fred Warner (No. 2), edge rusher Nick Bosa (No. 3), cornerback Charvarius Ward (No. 5) and right guard Jon Feliciano (No. 5). And of course, they also have quarterback Brock Purdy, who finished No. 1 in ESPN’s QBR metric last season as a second-year pro.
“I think they’re probably still (atop the NFC West) for a couple of years, and in particular if Brock Purdy continues playing at the kind of level he was playing at last season,” Monson said. “There’s a debate as to how much of it is him, and how much of it is the system, how much of it is (coach Mike) Shanahan, how much of it is the weaponry around him. To an extent, it doesn’t really matter whether he’s a big piece of that puzzle or a smaller piece. As long as the puzzle remains in tact, they’re gonna be phenomenal.”
Purdy still has two seasons left on his rookie contract, which gives San Francisco some salary cap flexibility to continue paying its slew of other top players.
“It only becomes a problem once he signs a big-money contract, and then that starts to have an effect on guys like Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and suddenly they have to start shipping off a couple of those players,” Monson said. “That’s when it does matter if he’s not a huge piece of that overall puzzle. But I think that’s a few years away.”
The Aiyuk drama
There has been a bit of drama in the Bay Area surrounding Aiyuk, who is heading into the final year of his rookie contract.
In a recent video he posted to TikTok, Aiyuk told former college teammate and current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on a FaceTime call: “They said they don’t want me back.” As ESPN reported, it’s unclear whether Aiyuk is implying the 49ers don’t want him back this season, or whether they don’t want to pay him for a long-term contract extension. According to ESPN’s Ryan Clark, Aiyuk and the 49ers are meeting this week.
“I think they can probably keep Brandon Aiyuk if they want to do that,” Monson said. “And if they didn’t, I would imagine they would’ve traded him away already at this stage. So I imagine they’re gonna keep that group. Even if they lose one of Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, they’ve already sort of been drafting for that contingency, with (first-round draft pick) Ricky Pearsall coming in to what is already a ridiculously loaded skill position group.”
Listen to the full conversation with PFF’s Sam Monson at this link or in the audio player near the top 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.
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Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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