Seahawks off to 'more than encouraging start' despite tough sledding ahead

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, few really knew what to make of the Seattle Seahawks. Would they build on a successful first season under head coach Mike Macdonald and make a surprise playoff appearance? Or would they fall flat with all the new pieces on offense failing to mesh?

While it's still too early to have a definitive answer, they look pretty good so far.

The Seahawks have quickly improved over the first three weeks of the season. They didn't play well in a Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, then played better but still showed flaws in a Week 2 win over the Pittsbugh Steelers and most recently beat the brakes off the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. The offense, defense and special teams units have all shown strong potential, and that's exactly what fans want to see.

NFL.com's Eric Edholm rewarded the Seahawks for their Week 3 win by moving them up to No. 13 in his newest power rankings, but acknowledged that their schedule is about to get a lot tougher.

Seahawks continue to climb NFL power rankings

Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs the ball during the second quarter against New Orleans Saints at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

"The Seahawks had to feel good about Sunday’s blowout, which was all but in the bag early in the second quarter," Edholm wrote. "The Saints were no feared opponent, but they came in with two close losses and left with a whooping. Seattle was able to pull starters early in the fourth quarter and turn its attention to the next three games: at Arizona, home against the Bucs, then at Jacksonville.

"Sam Darnold has settled in a bit now, stringing two strong performances back to back. The Seahawks didn’t need to drive long fields, and they took care of business with four TDs in five red-zone trips. Defensively, they brought a lot of heat on Spencer Rattler, and the secondary held up well, forcing the Saints to throw short and preventing long pass plays. And, yes, the special teams were once again great. These next few games should give us a better idea of whether the 'Hawks can keep this formula going, but it has been more encouraging than not so far."

The Seahawks' next three opponents have a combined record of 7-2 so far, with the Bucs being a perfect 3-0 (even if they fave their fans heart attacks in every game). If the Seahawks want to come out of this stretch with a winning record, they're going to have to earn it.

Seahawks continue to climb NFL power rankings

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