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Analyst sees red-hot Seattle Seahawks as legitimate problem for NFL this year

Optimism is apparently running high in the Pacific Northwest. One NFL writer feels that the Seattle Seahawks could make things very interesting in 2025.
Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) celebrates with quarterback Sam Darnold (14) after rushing for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) celebrates with quarterback Sam Darnold (14) after rushing for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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They were the only team in the league this past season to miss the playoffs after winning at least 10 games. Of course, the 2024 Seattle Seahawks were a bit of a rollercoaster ride under first-time NFL head coach Mike Macdonald.

The team got off to a 3-0 start, dropped five of its next six games, then closed out the year with six wins in their final eight outings. Macdonald and company’s 10-7 mark was the same as the Los Angeles Rams, but the latter won the NFC West via the strength of victory tiebreaker. It was the second straight year that the ‘Hawks finished with a winning record and failed to reach the playoffs.

Off a pair of preseason outings, there seems to be a different demeanor to this club. A new-look offense, led by coordinator Klint Kubiak, has stressed balance and physicality. Regardless of who’s been on defense, this unit seems to be picking up where it left off the final eight games of 2024. Hence the following.

NFL writer feels Seattle Seahawks could be “scary good”

“I legitimately think the Seahawks are going to be a problem for the NFL this season…,” said Michael Harrison of TSN. “Had a tremendous defense the last half of the year…If the O-line FINALLY gels, they can be scary good…”

Sam Darnold
Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

How good is scary? Can the defense actually be better than it was down the stretch this past season? Can quarterback Sam Darnold prove that last season’s Pro Bowl campaign with the Vikings was not an outlier? Could the aforementioned offensive line make major strides as the season unfolds?

All of these questions lead to one more. Can Seattle unseat the Rams in the NFC West and win a division title for the first time since 2020? That would be a big step for a franchise that hasn’t come up with a postseason victory since 2019.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.