Seattle, WA

Mediocrity is blah, and that’s what the Seahawks are

Published

1 year ago

December 23, 2024

Mediocrity is blah, and that’s what the Seahawks are

Author’s note: This is the fifteenth installment of my weekly column, Barely Relevant.

I say, blah. Blah to all of the hey, the Seattle Seahawks kept up with a 13-2 team, and blah to all of the it’s the first year of a completely new coaching staff pretension. Fine. That’s all fine. Fine and blah. We should have beaten the Vikings. Riq Woolen should have played as promising as he looked in the preseason (and his Pro Bowl rookie year), and DK Metcalf should run the route that’s been drawn up. DK had a pretty good game (3/7 for 57 yards and 1 TD), but for some reason, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb decided to put the game in his hands when it mattered the most. You don’t do that; all the rest of us have learned. You pass it to JSN.

DK flubbed the route… as he’s done many times before. There’s a great Maya Angelou quote that’s a little weird to insert in this context, but I’m going to do it anyway: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them….” I don’t know if it applies to football, but damn if DK Metcalf, now in his sixth season, hasn’t shown us who he is time and time again.

Some people that I was being harsh but DK Metcalf has ran some lazy routes in crucial situations this year
Ex: 49ers and Vikings game
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It’s hard to build trust with your WR1 when you don’t trust where he will be https://t.co/WuQ1NksI44
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) December 23, 2024

I’m almost certain DK ran the wrong route. Geno has threatened other bad INTs this game but Metcalf can’t break in with no timeouts to stop the clock.
— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) December 23, 2024

This isn’t a DK hate post. I really like the guy, but he’s not to be trusted. It’s like one of those relationships where you love someone but have become completely aware that the relationship doesn’t have a future anymore. It’s gonna hurt. It might take some time, and maybe some Fireball once they’re gone, but slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. No need to be coy, Roy. Just listen to me.

But our trust issues extend beyond DK. Who do you trust on the coaching staff, and does it really end at Mike Macdonald? On the offensive side of the ball, we have several first-year NFL coaches. Do they deserve a little time to grow and develop like rookie players do? Like our new head coach does?

Probably. But who cares? The Seahawks are headed for mediocrity again this year, and it all feels so blah. But why? This is the process. The Seahawks went 7-9 under Pete Carroll during his first season (2010) and made it to the playoffs. In Holmgren’s first season as head coach (1999), the Seahawks went 9-7 and made it to the playoffs. For Dennis Erickson’s first season (1995), we went 8-8, and Chuck Knox (1983) took us to 9-7. There’s been worse (Mora), but you get my point.

Mediocrity is basically the name of the game during a head coach’s first season. At least in Seattle. New coaches don’t get hired because a city has a banger team. Do we need to just trust the process?

The Seahawks appear to be headed for a 9-8 season, by my estimation, and whether or not the Rams pick up and continue to have steam determines our playoff fate. That’s right about in line with what everyone thought this season might look like in August, anyhow. But then something funny happened. We had streaks of greatness. Like starting off 3-0. But then we lost three in a row. But then we beat the 49ers on the road and swept Arizona. Jaxon Smith-Njigba became a top-five wide receiver, and on defense, Witherspoon, Leonard Williams, and Julian Love found their stride… and Tariq Woolen misplaced his.

I guess this ping-pong effect – back and forth – is precisely what mediocrity is: win three in a row, lose three in a row, win four in a row, etc. But it still sucks. And I think I know why. It’s because we’re from Seattle. Which, unfortunately, has been the land of professional sports mediocrity for much too long.

Pete Carroll spoiled us. During his tenure, he was the winningest coach in Seahawks history. The Seahawks had a winning record 11 of 14 seasons during his reign (not even including the 2010 playoff win) and our first Lombardi. But the thought of going back to what we once were? It’s too much to bear. Oh boy, were we were mediocre. Just look at how consistently mediocre we were prior to 2010, when Pete Carroll taught us what consistently winning actually looked like.

And it’s not just football. Seattle happens to be the home of the Mariners, the absolute poster children of mediocrity, who have never even participated in a World Series.

Of course, the Seattle SuperSonics won it all in 1979, but they couldn’t quite do it again. But they did return to the big game in 1996 (and once before they won the trophy [1978]). The Sonics made the playoffs a LOT. Except for their last ten years, when they were pretty darn mediocre. And then they weren’t at all anymore.

Mediocrity is a curse. One we’re undeniably and decidedly headed for again this year. There are a lot of reasons why mediocrity sucks, but the biggest one is because we’re from Seattle. And we feel mediocrity a little differently up here.

It stings right now, and I’m pissed. But this is where I have to remind myself that that’s because there were so many surprising moments this season that gave me hope. And to trust the process. This moment in time – week 16 of the 2024 season – is but a blink of an eye. An eye that could still even be watching the Seahawks (mediocre or not) in the playoffs this year. And the lemon squirt in the eye of this one is that we really could’ve won it. Our mediocre butts could have beaten a 12-2 Vikings team if only we could have cleaned up a few stupid mistakes, somehow replaced Riq Woolen AND Tre Brown, and not thrown it to DK when the game was on the line.

Our new coach, Mike Macdonald, he’s a smart guy. There’s no debating that. And smart guys know how to clean that sort of stuff up. Trust the process. This is how Mike Macdonald’s tenure was supposed to begin. As familiar as it all feels, it’s not. It’s new. But still, blah.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Published

2 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Patrick Mahomes and 2025 MVP candidate Drake Maye are set to make trips to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks next season.

The Seahawks’ nine home and eight road opponents are now set for the 2026 campaign. They will face what on paper will be a tough slate after securing the NFC West title this year, which means they will take on the reigning division champions from the NFC North, NFC South and AFC East in addition to their home-and-home series with their NFC rivals and matchups against each team from the NFC East and AFC West.

The numbers behind Seattle Seahawks’ defensive masterpiece vs 49ers

The full schedule with dates for games has yet to be released. The NFL typically unveils the following season’s schedule in May.

Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Maye’s New England Patriots coming to town are among the highlights of the Seahawks’ 2026 slate. They could also be in line for a reunion with former coach Pete Carroll, as a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders is on the docket. However, the Raiders are not expected to keep Carroll for a second season.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is in line to square off with one of his former mentors when Seattle hosts Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the head coach at the University of Michigan when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Harbaugh is also the dad of Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

Seattle has three trips to the east coast next season where they will face the reigning NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. The Seahawks also faced the Panthers and Commanders on the road this season.

Here’s a full look at Seattle’s 2026 home and away opponents.

Home

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Chicago Bears
• New England Patriots
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants

Away

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Denver Broncos
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders

Find more info on how each team’s opponents are chosen here.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks GM shares positive updates on Bryant, Cross for playoffs
• Drake Thomas an unlikely hero in Seattle Seahawks’ landmark win
• Seahawks’ season-long commitment to run game pays off in massive win
• Stacy Rost: Seattle Seahawks show their fatal flaw may not matter
• The 5 biggest plays that delivered Seahawks’ win over 49ers

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Seattle, WA

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Published

14 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Santa Clara—When Seattle’s defense stepped on the field for the Week 18 matchup against the 49ers, they had a few goals in mind, winning was of course one of those, but they wanted to show everyone watching they are the best defense in the league.

“We made up our mind that we were going to be the best defense in the NFL,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “We were going to show the world tonight and that’s what we did.”

As has been the case for the entire season, the Seahawks’ defense was once again a highlight in their 13-3 win. The Seahawks won, in part thanks to a dominant performance by the defense that held the San Francisco 49ers to just three points. The last time Kyle Shanahan’s offense was held to just three points was in his 49ers head coaching debut in 2017. Since then, San Francisco has scored at least 6 points in every game, until Saturday.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the 49ers were riding a three-game streak of great performances by its offense. Throughout all three of those games, San Francisco was averaging 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game.

Seattle’s defense held San Francisco to just 53 rushing yards, which included 21 yards from quarterback Brock Purdy, 127 yards through the air, a lone field goal, and just nine first downs. They also picked off Purdy once, sacked him three times and forced the 49ers to punt four times.

“They’re a tremendous offense,” head coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can’t say enough, but I can’t wait to watch the tape. There’s a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Christian McCaffery, one of San Francisco’s top offensive playmakers in both the run and passing game was held to his lowest rushing yards all season with 23 yards through the night and his fourth lowest receiving yards with 34.

Nick Emmanwori who had a team high seven tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and quarterback hit said, “Our front seven is the best in the world. Our D-Line is the best in the world. Got dudes like Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy. Our edges are dogs. They handle business every week. We’ve got the best run defense I the league. It makes it easy for us on the back end.”

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Seattle, WA

What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

Published

1 day ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

We’ll have to wait one more day to learn who takes the NFC South crown.

The Buccaneers, losers of seven of their last eight coming into today, were able to piece together a tough, 16-14 win in bad weather against the Panthers. It was a calming three hours for the Bucs and their fans, who had seen their team go from theorized Super Bowl contender in the early months of the season to bottomless freefall.

Had the Panthers found a way to win today, the NFC South, and the #4 seed in the NFC, would have been determined. Instead, we’ll have to wait another day, as a matchup between the two NFC South rivals who are eliminated from the postseason entirely will now determine everything. Certainly ironic, but great for drama.

The New Orleans Saints travel to the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow to wrap up their respective seasons, and while they’re not playing for much more than pride, both the Buccaneers and Panthers will be watching with great interest. If the Falcons win, today will prove to be little more than a minor setback for Carolina, and they’ll win the division regardless.

However, should the Saints get the road upset, everything gets flipped. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were seemingly skidding towards a shocking early offseason, would be awarded the division on tiebreakers. Their Week Eight 23-3 victory over New Orleans, at the time seemingly innocuous, would end up salvaging their playoff spot.

Both Atlanta and New Orleans are on hot runs right now, the Falcons winners of three straight and the Saints on a four game streak. It’s a surprisingly compelling game given that both teams are guaranteed losing records on the season.

And this is very relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, because depending on tonight’s result in San Francisco, the NFC South division winner will either possibly, or definitely, be the team they play in their first playoff game.

If Seattle prevails tonight and takes the top seed in the NFC, it is entirely possible that their Divisional Round opponent is whoever comes out on top here. As the top seed, they play the lowest remaining seed, which would be either Carolina or Tampa Bay if all three home teams win on Wild Card Weekend. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it’s entirely possible.

On the other hand, if the Seahawks drop their game tonight and end up the #5 seeded NFC squad, then they’re drawing the winner of the NFC South in the first round for sure. Seattle has already played both teams this year, dropping an early-season bout to Tampa Bay 38-35, and just last week handling Carolina 27-10.

Of course, the Buccaneers were a far better team in that Week Five matchup, and the Seahawks have changed radically over the last three months as well, so it’s a matter of debate which team Seattle matches up better with. I imagine most Seahawks fans would feel good about either opponent, but there’s probably a preference somewhere in there.

Regardless, we’ll be waiting one more day to find out who the opponent will be, by which Seattle will already know if they’re watching the first round of the playoffs on a bye, or facing off against the south’s winner on the road.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images