The Seattle Seahawks belong to general manager John Schneider. For most of the GM's time in Seattle, he finalized a bunch of moves and had roster input, but final roster decisions belonged to former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Now, the team is built in Schneider's image.
Obviously, new head coach Mike Macdonald has some say, too, but Macdonald's true job is to take what Schneider has given him and make that into a winner. The coach is doing a pretty good job of that so far.
But in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Schneider's philosophy and Macdonald's defensive scheme will be put to a huge test. This will be the case even though the Cardinals suffered the important loss of running back James Conner in Week 3.
John Schneider's Seattle Seahawks vision will be tested in Week 4
Conner injured his ankle and will miss the rest of the season. He is a good running back, but Arizona will remain dangerous for several reasons. Seattle needs to go to the Phoenix area and bring a win back.
The NFC West is certainly not easy. Each team has a winning record through three games. Eventually, the teams are going to begin to beat up on each other and affect each other's playoff hopes. Seattle already has one NFC West loss when it lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, and can't afford another so early in the season.
But John Schneider built the 2025 Seahawks to look a lot like the mid-2010s Seattle teams. The offense needs to be efficient, but the defense needs to dominate. Arizona has a solid defense, so if Seattle is going to win in Week 4, the defense needs to dominate.
If that doesn't happen, Seattle will likely lose a close game, fall to 2-2, and Schneider's design will be on the verge of failing. The Seahawks are a good team, but to make a playoff push in the NFC West, teams need to be better than good.
Even without James Conner, the Cardinals can run the ball. Quarterback Kyler Murray is inconsistent with his throwing, but he can win a game with his legs. Mobile quarterbacks are anathema to even the best defenses.
Running back Trey Benson is likely going to pick up Conner's reps, and the second-year back is big and powerful. He could be a hidden gem ready to break out in Week 4. He has averaged six yards per carry so far this year.
After Seattle's destruction of the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, linebacker Ernest Jones IV declared that running on Seattle won't be easy for any opponent. The Cardinals will test that. If the Seattle Seahawks can slow Arizona's rushing attack, Seattle will move to 3-1 and prove John Schneider's vision for 2025 was a good one. Otherwise, there could be trouble brewing.