Analysis: The 5 Best 'Xs and Os' Matchups on Seahawks' 2022 Schedule

Which Seahawks games are going to produce the best scheme, entertainment and, most importantly, All-22 this year? Matty F. Brown looks at Seattle's schedule release from a tape-addict's perspective.

Thursday saw the release of the Seahawks’ 2022 schedule and, regardless of opponent, expectations for the season are understandably lower than in recent years. The importance of a franchise quarterback is obvious in today’s NFL. With Russell Wilson traded, the absence of said passer in Seattle lingers in the background of any discussion centered around the team. On top of the disconcerting quarterback uncertainty, Seattle’s 2022 slate of games looks difficult in a vacuum—quarterback or no quarterback.

One protective solution when watching 2022 Seahawks football is to become a nerd. Analyze the game in a more rational manner. Remove damaging emotions like hurt and pain and anger. Care about the scheme, the Xs and Os, the individual battles that Seattle is winning rather than the win/loss column. It doesn’t have to be cold and borderline psychotic; more positive, realistic and future-thinking. The approach will sync up nicely with the transitional nature of the Seahawks, considering the new coaching additions and observing development of Seattle’s roster, where the young draft picks grow and—hopefully—a quarterback becomes "the guy."

Thankfully, the 2022 schedule gives us a lot to work with in this area, featuring a number of intriguing Xs and Os matchup. Here is the top five, sorted chronologically.

Week 1: vs. Broncos  - Monday Night Football

Another early Seahawks-Broncos matchup on the schedule, with the obvious Russell Wilson return the major talking point this time. It is unfortunate from a Seattle perspective that it faces Wilson early in the season, where—as we are all familiar with—the 33-year-old tends to start hot. What the Wilson-Denver offense looks like is going to be fascinating. Wilson’s 10 years in Seattle were very similar and are surely indicative of his future with first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Will growing pains exist in week 1? It feels more likely that Wilson’s moonball is cooking.

Seeing Pete Carroll’s defensive gameplan for his former quarterback is the tape that warrants close studying. Last season's middle field open, zone-match coverage foundations are going to be built on after the arrivals of Sean Desai and Karl Scott. These are the kind of pass defense concepts that Wilson experienced difficulty with in Seattle, notably down the stretch of 2020 and then in 2021.

On the other side of the ball, the edge rush talent of Randy Gregory, Bradley Chubb and Nik Bonitto will be a baptism of fire for Seattle’s inexperienced offensive tackle pairing of first-round pick Charles Cross and either Jake Curhan, Abraham Lucas or Stone Forsythe. Could this be a Drew Lock revenge game? It feels more likely the Seahawks will look to the run game and run action to try to soften the impact of all things dropback passing—specifically shoddy quarterback play and dangerous pass rush opportunities.

Week 7: at Chargers

This would have been another opportunity for Wilson to play better against a Vic Fangio-tree defense. Instead, this game may become a test of wills, of heavy run game versus two-high defense. Brandon Staley will presumably show Seattle light boxes. The Seahawks will want to run on those boxes, utilizing Rashaad Penny and 2022 second-rounder Kenneth Walker III while trying to build some much-needed early run blocking chemistry up front.

Staley, on the other hand, may play heavier boxes given Seattle’s less potent quarterbacking nature. Fangio’s last year in Denver saw him lean on more middle field closed, Cover 1 when he had the coverage talent. And the Chargers did add to their coverage group in free agency, spending big on cornerback J.C. Jackson. What is certain is Staley, entering his second season as L.A.'s head coach, will want far better defensive performances than what he saw in 2021.

For the Seahawks’ defense, Justin Herbert is a frightening quarterback working in his second year with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Mike Williams on the outside presents a vertical mismatch for Seattle’s smaller cornerback mold. Meanwhile, Keenan Allen will be an early test inside for whoever wins the nickel competition—Ugo Amadi, Marquise Blair or Justin Coleman. At tight end, Gerald Everett has an opportunity for revenge and will surely be targeted more in the intermediate areas of the field.

Week 10: at Buccaneers - NFL International Series (Germany)

This is a road game in the travelling Seahawks sense. However, the “at” designation is misleading in terms of support, where Seattle should see a lot of noise given the team’s popularity in Deutschland. Versus Tom Brady, the Seahawks' defense will require all the crowd noise they can get.

This is the first time Carroll will have schemed for Brady without the Legion of Boom. In those years, Seattle put together some smart plans—it’s annoying how little people seem to realize how banged up the defense was in the Super Bowl that must not be named—that beautifully combined with its all-worldly talent.

We’ve reached the stage with Brady—who turns 45 in August—that he will not show signs of decline despite his age. Indeed, the GOAT put together a campaign last year that should have ended with the MVP award. The appearance of the Buccaneers' offense without Bruce Arians will be interesting; it’s possible that the passing concepts run by offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich shorten up somewhat. That concerns over the Buccaneers’ current receiving talent aren’t greater only speaks to Brady’s transcendent ability.

New head coach Todd Bowles is known for a defensive style that will pose an aggressive and deceptive nightmare for Seattle’s quarterback. The answer for the Seahawks’ offense—unless they are receiving unexpected quarterback play—is the same as many of their games: avoid third and longs, run the ball well.

Week 12: vs. Raiders

The bye week after Germany gives Seahawks fans the opportunity to recover from Munich’s excellent pork products and carbonated fermented beverages. Meanwhile, the team will be recuperating from logging north of 10,000 miles on the round trip.

Seattle also gains valuable extra preparation heading into a matchup against a Patrick Graham scheme on defense, which caused them major issues when the Giants visited in Week 13 of the 2020 season. Graham put together a blueprint for burning down chef Wilson’s kitchen. Presumably, the Seahawks will run the ball more than the 15 rushes to 50 dropbacks that they called versus Graham two years ago.

Seeing Josh McDaniels in his second stint as a head coach will be interesting. The underrated part of this game? Derek Carr has an arsenal of weapons that only grows scarier when combined with the possibility of staple plays like HOSS Y Juke. Davante Adams, Darren Waller, Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow running that? Gulp.

Week 16: at Chiefs

It speaks to how stacked the AFC West is that four of the top-five Xs and Os matchups on the Seahawks’ schedule are from the division. Kansas City is in an unusual spot without Tyreek Hill, a receiver who felt synonymous with the Chiefs’ explosive offensive style.

Nevertheless, the Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. How the new additions of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Skyy Moore mesh with the blazing speed of Mecole Hardman in Andy Reid’s attack is something that will be clearer come Week 16. Even with XFL-caliber receivers, Mahomes and Reid would stress defenses.

The Chiefs learned patience—at times in a painful way—versus two-high defenses in 2021. Interestingly, it was Pete Carroll in 2018 who constructed the two-high appearance plan for Mahomes and company, laying the groundwork for Robert Saleh in Super Bowl LIV and defenses beyond. The Seahawks' defense should be even further along that journey in 2022.

If he isn’t cut, Kansas City pass rusher Frank Clark has an opportunity for a payback game. Similarly to the challenge of Bowles’ defense, Steve Spagnuolo is rarely afraid to blitz and present changing looks to quarterbacks.