Ranking Seahawks 2021 opponents from easiest to hardest
The full schedule for the 2021 Seahawks season has now been released, though we knew who their opponents were before Wednesday. But how will they fare in their matchups this fall? It’s time to predict how each game will go.
I’ll be looking at each opponent and ranking them from the easiest to play against versus the hardest. I’ll only be ranking the divisional opponents once. For each team, I’ll give a brief explanation to why I put them in their respective place.
Ranking Seahawks opponents easiest to hardest
14. Detroit Lions: This team’s offense got decimated this offseason. They downgraded at QB and lost two key receivers. Their defense hasn’t improved enough to carry them.
13. Houston Texans: Without Deshaun Watson, this team would just be awful. They have no defense and an underdeveloped offense. I would bump them up a few spots should they have Watson, though.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence makes this team much better in my mind, but that doesn’t mean they’ll win more than 4 or 5 games this season. They’re still bad, but they could be a decent team in a few years.
11. Minnesota Vikings: They’ll still have a high-power offense, but it doesn’t match up with Seattle’s and I believe the Seahawks have built a better defense than Minnesota’s.
10. Chicago Bears: By the time the Seahawks play the Bears, Justin Fields will be the starting QB. Their defense will still be solid, but not enough to help the offense out too much.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers: Maybe an unpopular opinion, but the Steelers offense is so predictable. They can’t run the ball effectively and Big Ben doesn’t have arm strength anymore. Excellent defense, though.
8. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are building something, but they’re not there yet. Their receiver room is getting burnt out (AJ Green and Larry Fitz) and I don’t believe JJ Watt brings an X-Factor to the team. I’ll still be nervous just because of Kyler Murray’s explosiveness.
7. New Orleans Saints: They would be top 5 if this was the Saints of 5 years ago. They’ve lost Brees but Sean Payton will keep the team competitive with whoever they roll with at QB. Their defense is still decent, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
6. Tennessee Titans: I fear Derrick Henry, and I hope the Titans don’t find a way to run for 250 yards on the Seahawks. They lost half of their passing attack, though, and only slightly improved their defense.
5. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts scare me. Great defense (particularly against the run) and Wentz back with Frank Reich. We also get them Week 1, so we’ll have to see how good the offense is at running the Waldron scheme.
4. Washington Football Team: This might be an overstatement, but their defense is scary good and Ryan Fitzpatrick is much better than the Haskins we played against last December. I fear the Hawks may lose this one.
3. San Francisco 49ers: If the defense remains healthy, watch out. We know how good it is. As for the offense, I hope we catch them once during the transition to Trey Lance. Maybe he’ll be shaky and we can pick up one easy win that way.
2. Los Angeles Rams: Best defense in the league last year, though they did lose John Johnson and Michael Brockers. It will still be excellent. They also upgraded at QB, so I’m nervous to see how good Stafford plays in Sean McVay’s offense. Both Rams games will be important to watch this season. Thankfully, the home game against the Rams is a primetime game played on a Thursday night.
1. Green Bay Packers: This is operating under the assumption Aaron Rodgers quarterbacks the team. The Seahawks winning in Lambeau is something that they just don’t do. If he’s not there, their defense is average enough to keep them in the top 10, but I could totally see the Hawks taking the game.
dark. Next. Seahawks four must-see games of 2021
The Seahawks have a tough schedule this season. There’s no denying it. But I believe there’s not a single game on it that the team has no chance of winning. As long as Russell Wilson is the quarterback and the defense doesn’t play the way it did in the first 8 weeks of the 2020 season, this team will be ultra-competitive and has a shot of winding up as a top NFC seed for the playoffs.
My record prediction: 12-5