Predicting the outcome of every Seattle Seahawks game in 2024
By Lee Vowell
Weeks 11 through 14
At the San Francisco 49ers - Week 11
The 49ers are just a bad match-up for the Seahawks currently. Some on social media attribute Seattle's slide against the 49ers, a team they previously dominated, to Geno Smith, but this is ridiculous. The fact is that San Francisco already had a great offensive system intact and then added Christian McCaffrey, a perfect fit in the system, to it. San Francisco has as many weapons as anyone.
The key to either 49ers game isn't going to be how Seattle's offense does but how well Mike Macdonald's defense can do against the 49ers. With the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald had success against San Francisco. The biggest difference is the overall talent of the 2023 Ravens defense versus the current one for the Seahawks. Seattle is better but not good enough to beat the 49ers yet. San Francisco win 27-17.
Arizona Cardinals - Week 12
The Cardinals are difficult to get a read on, to be fair. They had a new coaching staff in 2023 and while they did not win a ton of games they were a heck of a lot more competitive in more games than most expected. Plus, a lot of those games were without starting quarterback Kyler Murray who missed the first part of the season with an injury.
The Cardinals seem like a team that is beatable but one who is going to fight another team for every inch of grass. This is likely due to the direction of the front office and coaching staff instead of the talent on the field. The reason that is a problem is that on-field talent can be changed but the front office is probably going to stay the same and that consistency could make the Cardinals an issue for many seasons. Seattle likely splits the two meetings with the Cardinals this year but gets this win at Lumen Field 25-20.
At the New York Jets - Week 13
The Jets should be among the most improved teams in the NFL. New York already had an excellent defense, but one that was left on the field far too much in 2023. The Jets' offense should be a lot better in 2024, though, and not just because quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns. New York rebuilt its offensive line and their offensive skill position players should be a year older and wiser. The Jets are going to be a tough out for anybody and they beat Seattle 27-16.
At the Arizona Cardinals - Week 14
In 2023, Seattle was conceivably still playing for a playoff spot while taking on the Cardinals in the final game of the season. Not until halfway through the game did the Seahawks know they were not going to be in the postseason and they were still trailing the Cardinals for part of the game.
One could argue that the Seahawks felt they were ready to end the season, but how would that explain the ending when Seattle scored a late touchdown to win the game even though they knew there was no game the following week?
The fact is that the Cardinals are a feisty team and were clearly taught to keep fighting by their new coaching staff. Now Arizona has more talent. They still should not be as good as Seattle but they might want this game more. Arizona wins 24-23.