Seahawks easily prove bad preseason takes wrong with NFC West title and No. 1 seed

It can be tough to make a preseason pick, especially if it involves the NFC West Division. Before the 2025 NFL Season, many experts or media personalities were high on the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco, which isn’t a bad take. Many of those experts believed the Seattle Seahawks would be last in the NFC West behind even the Arizona Cardinals.

Former ESPN and Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless said he can’t imagine any scenario with Seattle winning the NFC West Divisional title or the NFC. Bayless is no stranger to bad takes, but he is also a journalist with no experience playing football at any point in school.

NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk analyst Chris Simms started the season on a horrible note when he was asked who would finish last in the NFC West. He responded with the Seahawks based on the doubt he had over the then-new quarterback, Sam Darnold. Simms predicted to finish with an overall record of 8-9.

Turning our attention back to Fox Sports, it is an outlet that thrives on a lot of hot takes to compete with ESPN and NBC. Times like this are when the takes are not only hot, but bad. An example is often notoriously bad take machine Nick Wright talking about the Seahawks before the season.

“I have in last place, the Seattle Seahawks. I think opting to go from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold is a mistake.”

Whoops, but somehow, Wright wasn’t the Fox Sports show to come away with one of the worst preseason takes. Former NFL wide receiver turned analyst Greg Jennings was high on the Cardinals, but maybe a little too high.

Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet dives for a touchdown in the Week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. — Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) leaps over Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson (34) for a touchdown during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

“I do believe that the Cardinals are going to win the division. I am high on the Cardinals. There is just a feeling I have of this team.”

NFL.com’s Adam Rank said in his preseason schedule predictions that the Seahawks would finish 9-8 and make the playoffs, which isn’t until we see the teams that they were predicted to lose to. Rank had the Seahawks losing to the Cardinals in Week 4, the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14, and the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. All of these games were on the road, while the Seahawks were better on the road this season.

Many came into the season with a lot of doubt about the Seahawks for several reasons. The obvious was the narrative that had been put on Darnold, not being efficient or good in big games. Another was the competition in the same division, especially the Rams and the 49ers. The forced appeal for the Cardinals, who entered Week 18 with an overall record of 3-13, was a bad take.

In the end, the Seahawks knew they had one of the toughest and most explosive offenses in the league with Darnold leading them and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba being a potential winner for the league’s offensive player of the year. It also helps to have an elite defense with high-caliber players across the field.

It doesn’t matter what “experts” wrongly believed, the Seahawks (14-3) have the NFC West Divisional title for the first time since 2020 and the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first-time since 2014. They will now have the extra week off to get more rested, recover from injuries, and be mentally prepared for the divisional round of the playoffs.

More Seahawks on SI stories