12th Man Rising
FanSided

Has the rest of the NFC West passed the Seahawks?

By Lee Vowell

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 17: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks scrambles to avoid a tackle from outside linebacker Connor Barwin #98 of the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field on December 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr /Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 17: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks scrambles to avoid a tackle from outside linebacker Connor Barwin #98 of the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field on December 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr /Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Seahawks finished second in the NFC West this season. But it felt like third or last. Seattle did not meet expectations. But are they falling to the bottom of their division?

The Seahawks did not make the playoffs. This is not breaking news. 12s all know this. That they did not might be an indication the team has receded. Or that there were simply too many injuries to key players. Michael Bennett thinks that Seattle will return to greatness next year, though.

There are a few positives to take from Bennett’s statement. First is his use of the word “we.” Second is that Bennett still shows confidence that the Seahawks are a good team. Lastly, Bennett doesn’t give any belief that Seattle is a lesser team than the Los Angeles Rams.

But the Rams have younger skill players on offense. And perhaps more talent like Todd Gurley. Plus, Sean McVay knows how to coach the young offensive talent. And he is a young coach himself. All that youth can be a scary thing.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll will be 67 years old in September. He is twice the age of McVay. And it honestly feels like the Seahawks roster is twice as old as the Rams.

Seattle has talented experience, sure. But Seattle will face some tough decisions on the talent they have this year. Will Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril return? Could Bennett be cut or traded? And could Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman simply be traded?

Besides the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers were much better at the end of 2017. Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be a very good quarterback. The 49ers, of course, still need to build depth. But like the Rams, they have a good offensive-minded head coach in Kyle Shanahan. McVay looked like a better coach than Shanahan this season, but McVay came in to a lot more talent among the two first-year coaches.

And Seattle only defeated the then-terrible 49ers in week two 12-9.

As for the Arizona Cardinals, they are struggling to rebuild as well. But their defense is still formidable enough to beat the Seahawks (see: week 17). They will also save some money by the retirement of quarterback Carson Palmer.

Not that that helps Arizona all that much. They are tight against the cap and only have $24 million in cap space if Palmer retires.

Related Story: Could Earl Thomas's holdout for good for the Seahawks?

In other words, the Cardinals and Seahawks are technically in worse shape than the 49ers or Rams for the future. This offseason is key to whether Seattle will remain relevant for the next five years. But let’s hope Michael Bennett is right and the Seahawks are still the big dogs of the NFC West.

Home/Seattle Seahawks News