Why the Seattle Seahawks look ready for a 'lengthy' run in the NFL Playoffs

The Seattle Seahawks are 5-2, and they look like one of the best teams in the NFL heading into their bye week. They have the second-best record in football, and while they trail in the NFC West by way of a Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, they've since morphed into a dominant team in all three phases.

This comes after there were numerous justified questions about the offseason moves. Already, each and every one has paid off beautifully, and it has the Seahawks set up to potentially make a deep run. Don't believe me? Just ask SI's Gilberto Manzano.

Insider believes Seahawks are set for playoff success

To win in the playoffs, NFL teams often need to have a few things. They need to be coached well, and it always helps to have a sturdy defense. Having a capable quarterback is also a requirement, and a strong, dependable run game is good, too. The Seahawks check all the boxes.

This wasn't the case last year, but the controversial decisions to move on from both Geno Smith and DK Metcalf have aged like fine wine. Sam Darnold, in for Smith, is an MVP candidate, and Smith might end up on the bench. Metcalf has been good, but he's costly, and his exodus has led to Jaxon Smith-Njigba being an Offensive Player of the Year candidate.

"As for another example as to why the Seahawks were right to shake things up, this team appears ready to make a lengthy postseason run. They’re still unproven, but they have a complete team good enough to compete with any of the top teams in the NFC," SI analyst Gilberto Manzano began.

"They have a legitimate shot of winning the division this season. But let’s hold off on that one until Seattle plays Los Angeles in Week 11," Manzano wrote. "Darnold could always revert to his skittish ways, and he had his moments vs. the Texans, like fumbling in the end zone and throwing an interception to Derek Stingley Jr. to give Houston new life in the fourth quarter. However, let’s not forget how good Darnold performed in the shootout against Tampa Bay. Darnold’s highs are worth the trouble and his lows aren’t as bad as what Smith has done the past few seasons."

The Seahawks have made their fair share of mistakes (two of which may have directly resulted in the two losses they have), but they remain elite at 5-2, and they're about to get a whole lot healthier after the bye. That should be scary.

"This team is far from perfect, but they have a chance to win it all," Manzano said. "It would require more special defensive game plans from Macdonald and more elite performances from Darnold, which might be asking a lot from a team still searching for consistency with all these moving parts. But it’s certainly possible, and that was likely never going to happen with the core group that surrounded Smith and Metcalf."

Fortune seems to have favored the bold with Seattle, and they're now poised to not only get back to the playoffs but perhaps stay there for a very long time.

Insider believes Seahawks are set for playoff success

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