4 bold predictions for the Seattle Seahawks 2024 season

That includes a playoff run, and yes I went there
Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks / Harry How/GettyImages
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Seahawks make playoffs and get to the conference championship game

Bold? Yeah, not so much. Listen, I've heard all the reasons to pick against the Hawks, just like you have. A rookie head coach, no Bobby Wagner, too much turnover in personnel, yadda yadda yadda. A quick look at predictions compiled by Seattle Sports in May of this year shows a sad litany of underachievement. Sports Illustrated sees Seattle as a six-win team, with both Fox Sports and 33rd Team expecting just one more win at 7-10. At least nfl.com predicts the Seahawks to match last year's record at 9-8.

I don't see it that way, 12s. It should be clear by now that I see Seattle posting a much better record than that. A top-five offense and a top-three defense don't add up to a mediocre record like that. I expect the Seahawks to go 12-5 this year. High expectations? Maybe so, but these are supposed to be bold predictions, not "yeah, I guess it could happen" predictions.

I'm sure some of you are questioning that record. If the Hawks' offense and defense are ranked that highly, how could they lose five games? Simple, my friends. It's the NFL, and weird things happen in every game. Look at the records of the top teams last year. Dallas led the league in scoring and were fifth in points allowed. Their point differential was an outstanding 194, or 11 points per game. Yet they finished 12-5.

Only one team had a better record, and that was the Ravens. They had the league's top defense and the fourth-best offense. Their point differential was even better than the Cowboys, at 203, or 12 points per game. Yet they lost four games - and the conference championship as well.

That's what I see for the Hawks this season, more or less. A great defense complemented by a strong offense should certainly manage 12 wins. Whether they win the division or not, that's another question, as the Niners should be very tough again this season.

Regardless of how they get there, I expect the Seahawks to make it to the conference championship game. This won't be their year to win it all, but they'll establish themselves back among the league's top echelon again. By Mike Macdonald's second season, no one will want to face this team.

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