This Sunday, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, the Seattle Seahawks will face their dreaded foe the San Francisco 49ers. The forecast for the game is usual for early September in Seattle, a high of about 70 degrees, with some chance of rain. It is also in the forecast that 49er fans will be traveling well, and the stands will be packed with them.

Would it shock me if Seattle drops this game to San Francisco, and Seahawk fans will have to suffer all the obnoxious Bang Bang Gang crap that 49er fans will throw their way?

Absolutely, not. San Fransisco has been the class of this rivalry for a number of years now, and while their roster is older now, and isn’t projected to be as strong as it has been in recent years, they will come into Lumen with extra motivation to squash any upstart attempts by the younger Seahawks team. The 49ers need this year to be special for them perhaps more so than Seattle does given the amount of money they have paid into players who are getting older, and therefore, the clock on their window for a title is ticking more loudly. If they have another down year, it could spell the end of the Kyle Shanahan tenure.

I would also say, however, that I wouldn’t be surprised, at all, if the Seahawks end up beating them pretty handily in this one, sending the legion of 49er Faithfuls departing for their hotel rooms before the final whistle is blown. Objectively speaking, Seattle feels like one of the bigger X factor teams that is tough for prognosticators to get a handle on, and therefore, could be surprise contender. The Seahawks will have tons of motivation to beat the 49ers and send a message to their fanbase, warning them of buying tickets to travel all the way up to the PNW expecting any more easy wins.

I would also say, as a longtime fan of this team, it would be extra gratifying if they did decisively handle the 49ers in a few days, setting a tone early for everyone to see that they are going to be a tough out for any team to play this year. It would be extra, extra gratifying watching all the 49er fans who spent upwards to $300 a ticket, thinking this was going to be a cakewalk for their team, depart the stadium stunned and angry, and suddenly full of doubt. I would enjoy getting bunched in the face by any angry 49er fella just to look him in the eye and smile, knowing my guys kicked the crap out of his. Football is that stupid and ridiculous like this sometimes.

This all said, a win or loss out of this game won’t make or break the season for either team, and the season is a long one with many storylines within teams to tell. In short, injuries happen, and the difference between good teams and bad ones, outside of coaching, is most often the quality of depth at key positions.

Could things unravel for the Seahawks this year in a competitive division against the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals? Absolutely, they can. No question about it.

They could lose a couple key starters on the offensive line, and suddenly, they are depending on late round rookies and street free agents to start, and Seattle fans will lament over the offensive line, yet again. If they lose Jaxson Smith Njigba for the year, I could see that putting the team in a bind, as well. If Sam Darnold loses significant time, well then, get ready for the Drew Lock Show on Sundays because Jalen Milroe is likely going to redshirt this year, and who knows what comes out of that.

And this is just me thinking about the offense. If the defense were to lose Devin Witherspoon to injuries, if middle linebacker Ernest Jones misses games, or Leonard Williams ends up on IR, it could cause a regression to the side of the ball thought to be the strongest for Seattle, no question. It is a bit of a grim thought.

This is the gamble for every team in the NFL, though. Losing key starters sucks for every franchise, ask 49er fans about it last year, or Dallas fans. They know.

If Matthew Stafford’s back can’t stay healthy enough for him to be an effective quarterback on Sundays this Fall, it could spell the odd lost season for Sean McVay and the Rams as they then perhaps eye the 2026 draft for a new franchise quarterback. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing for them, if it all plays out this way, anyways.

Each NFL season tells its own story, though, and in that, it is folly to think what a team was in the previous year will carry through to the next. This is why I don’t put a lot of stock in projections and predictions for each team, the Vegas odds, and neither should you.

Here in Seattle, I think we have a football team that is tough for the national perspective to figure out. After finishing 10-7 in his first year as head coach, Mike Macdonald decided that his offense wasn’t cutting it. He fired his pass happy offensive coordinator and brought in Klint Kubiak to coach a more run centric attack to compliment his defense. Weeks later, QB1 Geno Smith, and WR DK Metcalf individually requested trades out of Seattle, they were granted, and collectively, they were replaced by Sam Darnold, and Cooper Kupp via free agency.

I will avoid getting drawn into debates as to who the better quarterback is between Sam and Geno, or who the better receiver is. There are plenty of strong opinions out there by folks who have voiced them loudly many times over the past months. I will just say that I like the upside of Sam Darnold a lot in this particular style of offense, and I think Cooper Kupp brings much needed leadership to Seattle’s young receiver room.

People are free to offer opinions on Darnold, Klint Kubiak, and Mike Macdonald. If you feel compelled to parrot skeptics over Seattle’s decision making process this last offseason, you are welcome to it. If you feel more compelled now to root for the Raiders because Geno and Pete Carroll are there, go for it. Jump back on the Seahawk bandwagon whenever it feels right for you to do it, I say. I will be here to welcome you back.

For me personally, being a long time, Gen X-y, Seattle Seahawk fan, I feel a genuine sense of excitement over this year that I have not felt in a while. It is fun to see a new regime take over, fully put into place their vision on a team, and watch it mold together. Thus far, I dig the vision of Mike Macdonald, and I don’t mind, at all, that he is a bit of a Harbaugh guy, and that cuts a bit against the gain of those who grew use to Pete Carroll.

If you are a fan of the Legion Of Boom era Seattle Seahawks, ironically however, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be excited about a return of the philosophy of having an offense built off of a strong run game, and playing strong defense. I would argue that, through the 50 year history of this franchise, this very philosophy has carried this team to all of its peaks, starting with the Chuck Knox era that began in 1983, picked up again by Mike Holmgren in the early 2000’s, and then established by Pete Carroll again by 2012.

If Geno Smith had no interest in being Macdonald’s game managing QB1 in a run centric scheme this year, and just wanted to get back with Carroll in Vegas going against Patrick Mahomes twice a year, then God bless him, and best of luck with that. Let’s see what Sam Darnold provides.

Here is what I like about the move to Sam Darnold and why I think it could pay off nicely for Seattle moving forward

If you really peel back the tea leaves with Darnold (which is something I do not think most of his critics have done), I believe you will see his underrated potential for Klint Kubiak’s play action scheme. He’s tall, and athletic with a good arm. He plays naturally under center, and functions well rolling out as a passer, and over the years, he has built up a quick release, has improved his footwork, and thus, has improved his accuracy.

Generally speaking, however, there is a narrative on Sam Darnold that reads, as follows.

I don’t know what version of Sam Darnold we are going to get.. will it be the Vikings Sam Darnold.. or the one with the New York Jets?

We see this statement from various NFL talking heads across the land who, in all likelihood, are not very invested in professional football played in the Pacific Northwest. It is an easy thing for them to spit out on airwaves when they are paid to comment on 32 NFL franchises, and I am willing to cut them slack for that. However, there are the nuances about Darnold that these sorts are not considering.

In 2018, Sam Darnold was taken third overall in the draft by a very bad Jets franchise, and he was placed into an offensive system designed to be run by Peyton Manning. There was only one QB on the planet fully capable of running that offense, and it was Manning, himself, and certainly not a 20 year old kid who played in a rudimentary play action style offense at USC.

Going against the world class Patriots twice a year with all of that on his plate, with not a lot of talent around him, and a guy ill suited to be a NFL head coach, Darnold was destined to fail in New York. In fact, he found himself in Carolina a few years later, coached by someone from college who was running a college spread system that he was also unfamiliar with. Again, Darnold was stuck on a bad team, playing in an ill suited system, and he was eventually replaced by Baker Mayfield who busted out of Cleveland.

The interesting thing with Darnold in Carolina, however, is that when Matt Rhule was fired in the middle of 2022, and replaced by an interim coach, Darnold regained his QB1 job over Mayfield, the Panthers shifted to a run centric, play action attack, and Darnold played decently during the second half of the season for them, guiding them towards playoff contention.

In 2023, he had offers from teams to compete for a starting job in free agency, but he purposely chose to go to San Fransisco to backup Brock Purdy for a year. He told Kyle Shanahan that he wanted to learn how to be a proper NFL quarterback in a scheme that suits him as a player. He spent a year learning from Kyle, went to the Vikings in the following year, and the rest is history. Last year was his breakout and he finished top ten in MVP voting, despite that bad loss against the Lions at the end of the season, and that ugly playoff loss against the Rams.

So, the Seahawks don’t have Justin Jefferson, and I get it. They don’t have Kevin O’Connell calling plays, and I am aware of that, as well.

But isn’t it still possible that Darnold, who just turned 28 years old in June, is starting to finally blossom as an NFL quarterback simply because of the proper coaching he has finally gotten matched with the appropriate scar tissue he has built up as a starter in this league?

I think it is, and there is a decent chance that he gets even better here over time. We shall see.

As for the whole How is Darnold under Pressure Debate.. well, again, I think there is a bit of laziness happening here with him in this regard. Skeptics will say that he is terrible under pressure, yet Pro Football Focus rated him as elite in the league last year under pressure. Is this an instance where the analysts at PFF are dumb on Darnold and naysaying talking heads know best? Or is it that the bulk of Darnold’s doubters have fallen victim of lazy narrations about him as a player over the years? I will let you decide.

If you are not convinced about the upside of Darnold in this offense, and are circling back to how much better the situation was for him in Minnesota than what he will have here, I’m onto you. Truth be told, I don’t think the situation last season in Minnie was that much better than what Macdonald and company are building up here, presently. Allow me to explain.

Jaxson Smith Njigba is destined for stardom and his crew will surprise this year

Let me start this off by saying that I understand your concerns about the Seahawk receiver room, and lack of star power it now has compared to recent years. I think you have cause for concern.

As I already mentioned above, if Seattle loses JSN for an extended time this season, it could be the thing that derails their season. I will be the first to admit that.

Cooper Kupp is still a good player, but he hasn’t stayed healthy for a season in many years now, and I don’t think he’s a guy you want to rely on making it through a full season. Rookie receiver Tory Horton has shown promise through training camp, but he is coming off of a knee injury in college, and I think it could be a bit of a fingers crossed hope that he stays healthy through 17 games, as well. Behind these fellas, we have possession receiver Jake Bobo, journeyman Cody White, and the unknown potential of Dareke Young.

If we are heading into a Week 16 matchup against the Rams, needing a win to stay in playoff contention, and our primary receiver in the offense is Jake Bobo, it’s probably going to be a nerve racking matchup for hopeful Seahawk fans. I can feel my blood pressure rise just thinking about it.

Seattle fans have been spoiled with the presence of DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett together. Even though JSN grew into the primary receiver role over them in 2024, not having either known commodity on this roster anymore takes away a major security blanket for most Seahawk fans. I get the anxiety, but conversely, I think ripping this security blanket away sorta has me more excited about this offense, and its desired new direction.

I love that the coaching staff and front office is banking on JSN fully being The Guy in this offense. When I look at the classic West Coast Offense, a system for which this offense is rooted in, it has never been an attack that has required a take the top of the defense off speed demon receiver. It was all about solid route runners who could get quick separation, who had reliable hands, and who had just enough of a size and quickness to get yards after catch and contact.

The GOAT WCO receiver, Jerry Rice was famously not a fast guy. He was a sudden possession receiver with strong hands, elite precision as a route runner, and interestingly enough, he was built similarly to JSN.

When Seattle first made the Super Bowl in 2005, sporting Mike Holmgren’s version of the WCO, their primary pass catcher was Darrell Jackson, a pure route runner, not a speed guy, also built similarly to JSN. When Seattle went to back to back Super Bowls over a decade ago, playing with a WCO, Doug Baldwin was their primary dude, purely a precision route runner, a bit smaller than JSN. Justin Jefferson plays in this style of offense with the Vikings, is built similarly to JSN, and also, isn’t a fast track fella.

I am telling you now, Jaxson Smith Njigba is tailor made by the hand of God, himself, to be a top shelf receiver in the league playing in this style of offense. He can play inside and outside, he can catch the quick outs, find the creases over the middle, and he can get deep. If Seattle gets a full season out of him this year, he will ascend to stardom in this league, and be thought of as one of the best. Bank on this happening.

He will be thought of in the same breath as Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Book it.

As for the rest of this bunch of pass catchers?

When we are taking about Kupp, Bobo, White, and Young, we are talking about physical players willing to do whatever dirty work is needed as perimeter run blockers. We are also talking about tough guy over the middle inside the mouth of the lion pass catchers, and we guys with profiles who fit the mold of what the classic WCO requires.

With rookie Tory Horton, we are looking at a guy who has the talent to be the steal of the entire 2025 NFL draft, and could ascend to the second main option for Darnold by the end of this season. His potential is that promising.

But truth be known, when we look back to this season by the time January rolls around, I think we will be talking a lot about the tight ends, and it is going to be in a good way. The Kubiak offense, and the heart of the WCO pass game, features tight ends in big ways. People are going to be excited about rookie Isaiah Arroyo and the athleticism he provides, but if I am to pick a breakout player for the offense this year, I am picking second year player AJ Barner to wear that hat.

Last year, in a dysfunctional mess of a Ryan Grubb offense, I thought Barner showed a lot of promise. He was a good blocker coming out of Michigan, but he showed surprisingly reliable hands, and play making abilities as a pass catcher as a rookie. It is fun to think about what might lay ahead for him next in an offense that will now know more what it wants to be.

In an offense that will dedicate itself this year to being built on the run, the well roundedness of Barner is practically destined to flourish, and shine, I believe, and I say that with confidence. If all goes as well as I believe it can, I would not be surprised if he’s a pro bowler. I think this is out there for him.

We shall see, but I am excited to find out.

Why I expect Seattle to have one of the top running offenses in the league this year

Seattle’s revamped offensive line led by Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, and Abe Lucas, with massive and athletic Anthony Bradford, and Jalen Sundell is tailor made to become a potentially dominant zone blocking offensive line. All of these guys are athletes who combine size and power with speed and athleticism. It helps tremendously that they are being coached by guys who have PHDs in coaching up this style of blocking.

They can run inside zone, outside zone stretch, and power gap. If you don’t know all this football jargon, I’m just saying that this a young offensive line physically capable of doing a lot together as run blockers as they grow together as a unit.

Depth might be a concern at the moment, but let’s see how that shakes out as the season progresses. After week one of the season, teams can add free agents and they don’t have to guarantee contracts for the year. Typically, after week one, more transactions occur and rosters then become more set.

As it stands now, through these preseason games, heading into the week one matchup against the 49ers, I like what Klint Kubiak, and offensive line coach John Benton are cooking. Bradford feels reborn and reshaped, and Sundell feels like a potential hidden gem at center. Cross, Zabel, and the newly extended Lucas feel like potential cornerstone players for the offense.

While fantasy geeks will debate whether Seattle should start Ken Walker, or Zach Charbonnet at running back, I could honestly give two flips about it. With the potential of this young line, I think they could roll with George Holani, and be just fine.

Truth be told, I think we are going to see exciting production from all three backs, and I don’t think it will matter who starts. It is a system that produces great running back production, and this dates all the way back to the Denver Broncos in the 1990’s.

if I had to predict what Seattle will do at running back, I would lean toward Charbonnet and Walker splitting the bulk of the duties, and Holani mixing in here, and there, as needed. I suspect all three will have their moments of shining brightly in this scheme, and I am not even factoring in the potential of third string quarterback Jalen Milroe in the special packages Kubiak will have for him during the course of the season.

It will remain to be seen how much Milroe will be called on during each and every week in short yardage situations, and in and round the goal line, but I anticipate that it will be just enough to keep oppositional coaches spending extra time during the weeks to plan for his usage. Right now, I am cautiously optimistic about it. Could be the talk of the season, but it could also be just a bit of an extra wrinkle we see in games, here and there.

What I really want to talk about, however, is the glorious return of the fullback in Seattle and rookie phenom that is destined to be Robbie Ouzts. I have a sneaking suspicion that as Seattle attempts to pry the division title out of the old dead hands of the Los Angeles Rams in late December, one Robert Ouzts will have grown into a huge fan favorite both as a punishing lead blocker, and a play maker catching outlet passes and pulverizing tacklers as he charges upfield. I am here for that big time.

If this becomes truth, I will buy a Robbie Ouzts jersey and proudly wear it each Sunday moving forward with this team. I will be fully Ouzts-pilled as the cool kids like to say (I think).

I am ready for this to be a thing. I am ready to wear the Ouzts jersey on Sundays. Please, Sweet Lord, let it be a thing!

But the real reason for supreme over the top optimism for the Seahawks remains the defense

Defense wins championships. Don’t let any punky keyboard warrior tell you differently. Defense will forever always win you championships.

The whole entire point of bringing in Klint Kubiak is to connect this offense to a potentially dynamic defense brewing in Seattle. Period, end of story. No questions about that, at all.

Am I a bit disappointed that the Seattle Seahawks didn’t ship two first round picks and Leonard Williams to Dallas for Micah Parsons?

No, I am not. I wanted him here, but that would have been too much for him. Parsons to Seattle, minus the best defensive tackle on the team would have been too much.

Give me Leo Wiliams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy all day, every day, mixing in with edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Chenna Nwosu. That’s the defensive line rotation, I am pretty good with it, to be honest.

Could they add another nose tackle to the mix? Absolutely, and they could add another veteran edge rusher, as well.

But at the end of the day, I want to see Mafe and Hall talk the next step as rushers off the edges, and I want to see Byron Murphy take a positive step forward at DT, as well. These guys are the present and future.

As is Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight at middle linebacker, mixing in with Nick Emmawori who will see time as a chess piece moving around between nickel linebacker and safety. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see backup linebacker Drake Thomas take on a greater role on the defense, as well. Macdonald has talked glowingly about Thomas all throughout training camp, and I, for one, am a bit intrigued.

It is the backend of this defense that could be real stars, though. Devon Witherspoon is becoming an elite cornerback in this league, and could take a further step this year. The other corner, Riq Woolen still possesses the length and athleticism that make him a league wide rarity, and he is going into a contract season. That could easily spell bad news for the rest of the teams in this division, and this is not factoring in the steady play of safeties Julian Love and Coby Bryant, who are interchangeable, sharp minded, play-making pieces for Macdonald.

Emmawori is poised to be the x-factor chess piece, though, I suspect. Expect him to line up almost everywhere at linebacker, safety, and corner.

Personally, I suspect that Macdonald kept him intentionally in a very vanilla role during the preseason games. Fans and media were left with a “meh” sorta response on his impact in games, and I think that’s probably just how Macdonald would have it heading into opening weekend against the 49ers.

It is an interesting tell that Seattle is choosing to go a bit light at middle linebacker heading into the season. It makes me suspect that the usage of Emmawori is factoring, but we will see.

At any rate, I fully expect Seattle to have a top five-ish defense this year. They might make roster additions here and there as the season unfolds, but the defenders we see on the roster now are probably mostly the fellas we see factor into it.

They will utilize practice squad veterans like corner Shaq Griffin, and nose tackle Quinton Bohanna, as needed. The 53 man roster isn’t what it used to be with the practice squad expanded to 17 players with vested veterans being able to be added. Teams league wide use their practice squads as if they have expanded 70 man rosters. So, it is little worth stressing out about how you see initial 53 man rosters get announced.

But mark my words, Seattle will have an elite defense this year, one way or another. Mike Macdonald will make sure of that, and he will pair it with a dominant run game on offense. This combination almost always spells out a playoff team. It is okay to dream about that for Seattle this year.

My concluding thoughts about the Seahawks and their potential this year.

I think the NFC West is wide open for the taking, and in many ways, so is the NFC conference. Outside of the Eagles, again, maybe Green Bay with the addition of Parsons, maybe Washington, I don’t know who the sure fire real contenders are in the conference.

The Detroit Lions lost their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator to head coaching jobs, and their All Pro center surprisingly retire. Can Dan Campbell, who is more of a culture guy than an X’s and O’s fella, get them in top contention with those losses? I am not sure.

Then there is the 49ers and Rams, who, honestly, I don’t understand why there is so much national hype over. The Niners are older and less talented than in years past, and Matthew Stafford is a 37 year old quarterback who now has to manage through a bad back for 17 games. While I can see both teams having big years, I can also see Seattle and Arizona being the top two teams in the division this year because of these factors, as well.

As for other outside the division NFC teams, I am not sold on the Vikings switching to JJ McCarthy at quarterback, and as much as I like Baker Mayfield in Tampa, I don’t know how much better they really are after losing their talented offensive coordinator to a HC gig.

Then you have the who’s who’s of Dallas, Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Giants. I don’t know what cream can be expected to rise out of this lot, and I am barely even thinking about the Saints.

So, yeah, I’m kind of sun shiny, rosey, good vibes optimistic about Seattle. I dig the potential of the coaching here. I am high on the defense, and I think people are sleeping on the offense. That is all perfectly fine.

Let them sleep soundly.

Go Hawks.