Which Seahawks Records Could Fall With Implementation of 17-Game Schedule?

For the first time in NFL history, the league will have an 18-week, 17-game regular season schedule as part of a new collective bargaining agreement. The

For the first time in NFL history, the league will have an 18-week, 17-game regular season schedule as part of a new collective bargaining agreement. The Seahawks will play an additional road game against the Steelers in prime time in Week 6.

With the addition of an extra game, league and team record books are bound to change significantly in coming years. Given four extra quarters of play to pad statistics, which Seahawk records have the best chance of going down in 2020?

Here's a look at nine single-season franchise records with the current record holder and the chance of that mark being broken next season.

Passing Yards

Current Record: Russell Wilson - 4,219 yards in 2016

Chances of Being Broken: 90 percent

Since becoming an immediate starter for Seattle in 2012, Wilson has assaulted Seattle's record books, including posting the five best seasons in franchise history in terms of passing yardage. All five of those seasons have come in the past six years, as he's been one of the NFL's most prolific and consistent passers and surpassed 4,000 yards four times. Only 32 years old and in the prime of his career, with an extra four quarters of play each year and a new weapon in D'Wayne Eskridge to throw to, it would be a surprise if he didn't surpass his own record in 2020.

Passing Touchdowns

Current Record: Russell Wilson - 40 touchdowns in 2020

Chances of Being Broken: 65 percent

In nine NFL seasons, Wilson has also amassed 267 passing touchdowns total and now holds five of the six best single seasons for passing scores in Seahawks history. Last year, he was on pace to break Peyton Manning's single season NFL record through Week 6, but despite cooling off in the second half, he still broke his own record with 40 touchdowns. Considering he's only surpassed 35 passing touchdowns once, it's not guaranteed he will break 40 again next year, but given the receiving threats around him, he has to feel good about his chances with an extra game added to the schedule.

Rushing Yards

Current Record: Shaun Alexander - 1,880 yards in 2005

Chances of Being Broken: 10 percent

Running through and gliding past defenders behind Seattle's dominant offensive line, Alexander exploded with nearly 1,900 rushing yards while winning NFL MVP honors and helping the team reach the Super Bowl for the first time. Since that remarkable season, Marshawn Lynch and Chris Carson have rushed for over 1,000 yards six times combined, but neither came anywhere close to Alexander's production. Lynch did eclipse 1,500 rushing yards in 2012, but that still left him nearly 400 yards short of the team record. An extra game may open up the possibility of Carson pushing for 1,400 yards in 2020 if he stays healthy, but it seems far-fetched to believe he will even enter the same zip code as Alexander's historic season.

Rushing Touchdowns

Current Record: Shaun Alexander - 27 touchdowns in 2005

Chances of Being Broken: <1 percent

If there's a franchise record in Seattle that isn't meant to be broken, it's Alexander's touchdown record. Crazily enough, he only held the NFL record for one season before LaDainian Tomlinson surpassed it with the Chargers in 2006. But aside from Alexander, who achieved the feat three times, no other running back in Seahawks history has produced more than 15 rushing touchdowns in a single season. Lynch did hit double-digits four times, but he never reached the halfway point chasing Alexander's record. One extra game isn't going to make a difference pursuing this mark.

Receptions

Current Record: Tyler Lockett - 100 receptions in 2020

Chances of Being Broken: 70 percent

Only three receivers have ever posted 90 or more receptions in a single season for the Seahawks, but Lockett has recorded at least 82 receptions each of the past two seasons and has as strong of a rapport with Wilson as you'll find between a quarterback and receiver in the league today. It's worth noting that despite hitting 100 catches a year ago, he had seven games with four or less receptions in the process. If he's more consistent in 2021 and avoids minor injuries, he has an excellent chance to not only break his own record, but potentially shatter it with an additional game added to the schedule.

Receiving Yards

Current Record: DK Metcalf - yards in 2020

Chances of Being Broken: 95 percent

The fact Metcalf was able to break Steve Largent's record, which had held strong for 35 years, in just his second season suggests he will be emulating Wilson and breaking his own mark for years to come. Only 23 years old and still coming into his own as a route runner and receiver overall, the former Ole Miss star should be able consistently approach 1,500 receiving yards year in and year out as long as he stays healthy. Putting an extra game on the docket will only help pad those stats further.

Receiving Touchdowns

Current Record: Doug Baldwin - 14 touchdowns in 2015

Chances of Being Broken: 50 percent

It's not far-fetched to believe Metcalf or Lockett could make a run at Baldwin's record. At the midway point of the 2020 season, both players were on pace for 16-touchdown seasons before cooling off as Seattle's offense sputtered in the second half. Both players have combined to produce 10 touchdowns three times in the past three years as well, so they've consistently approached Baldwin's mark. The key will be maintaining such a pace throughout a 17-game season, which is easier said than done. The addition of Eskridge and tight end Gerald Everett could also limit red zone targets, which may make it a tougher mark to reach.

Sacks

Current Record: Michael Sinclair - 16.5 sacks in 1998

Chances of Being Broken: <5 percent

It's not out of the realm of possibility one of Seattle's edge rushers such as Carlos Dunlap could get on a tear and hit 10 or more sacks in 2020. But given the depth that the Seahawks have amassed at defensive end, it seems unlikely any player will get enough reps to have any shot at pursuing Sinclair's record mark. In fact, only three players (Chris Clemons, Michael Bennett, Frank Clark) have produced more than 10.0 sacks in a season during the Pete Carroll era. Clark's 13.0 sacks in 2018 stand as the highest total during that time period. This doesn't feel like a mark that will be within reach even with another game in the equation.

Interceptions

Current Record: Kenny Easley, John Harris - 10 interceptions in 1984, 1981

Chances of Being Broken: <5 percent

Two of the best ball hawking safeties of their era, Easley and Harris managed to hit double digits for interceptions during the early 1980s, taking advantage of poor quarterback play to an extent. In today's NFL, interceptions are far harder to come by, though Richard Sherman did have a pair of seasons with eight interceptions for the Seahawks in 2012 and 2013. Keeping that in mind, it's not impossible that someone such as Quandre Diggs could get on a roll and make a run at the franchise mark in a 17-game season. But like the sacks record, this one feels improbable even with four more quarters of play.