NFL analyst makes bizarre Seahawks prediction

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Add another "meh" to the pile of predictions for the Seattle Seahawks.
While ESPN projects a floor of 6-11 but a ceiling as high as only 11-6 and Sports Illustrated sees 9-8, here comes NBC Sports saying head coach Mike Macdonald's team should finish around .500. It seems only the folks at NFL Network believe the Seahawks can "shock the world."
In making his predictions for 2025, analyst Chris Simms is taking the under on Seattle's posted win total of 8.5. But just barely. The Seahawks were 10-7 last year and with the addition of quarterback Sam Darnold and first-round draft pick Grey Zabel have a vision of an NFC West title.
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Simms isn't buying it. At least not all of it.
"I like everything they did there," Simms says. "But they're another team that I can back and forth with. I don't know if I have enough guts to pick them to make the playoffs."
Simms' hesitancy at making Seattle a 10-win team seems to stem from the offensive side of the football.
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"Their defense I love," he says. "It's one of the better secondaries in football. The pass rush - maybe there's not a top-tier pass-rusher but gosh there is a lot of size with disruption-type guys. On offense it's a new coordinator with a line trying to get it right for the first time in the long time. I need to see Kenneth Walker ... can he stay healthy?"
With such razor-thin margins in the division, Simms said he wouldn't be surprised to be wrong about the Seahawks.
"I feel they could be better than last year but their record might not be as good," he said. "I'm not trying to be disrespectul but ... it's 8-9. This is a tough division. I wouldn't be sitting here surprised if Arizona and Seattle got into the playoffs."

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Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.
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