The Seattle Seahawks will unofficially be halfway through their season after Week 9. I say unofficially because there are now 17 games in the season. One would have to write an article and post it during halftime of Week 10 to truly talk about Seattle's first half of 2023 and I am far too lazy to do that (plus, I'll be watching the game).
So far Seattle might be a pinch better than expected. A 4-3 start would have been fine, too, but to be 5-2 and have a mathematical lead in the NFC West for now? We can be happy with that, right?
Plus, no team is unbeatable. There are no unbeaten teams left in the NFL. But is Seattle's season shaping up to be a great one? Here are a few positives to think that could be true.
Seattle Seahawks should get better play from Geno Smith
Geno Smith is a bit Jekyll and Hyde this year. He completes 67.6 percent of his passes (13th in the league) and his interception percentage (2.7) is less than Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and just .1 worse than Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Smith also has led two game-winning drives which is tied for second in the league (the obviously overlooked Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons somehow has four already).
My point is that Geno Smith isn't a bad quarterback, but he also isn't playing nearly as well as he was at the beginning of last year when he had a completion percentage over 70 percent and instead of having 9 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions as he does through seven games in 2023, he had 11 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions at the same point last year. Smith didn't get interception until Week 13 in 2022.
So what should we expect from Geno Smith for the rest of the season? The quarterback Seattle had in the first part of last year or the quarterback he's been since? In a weird way, Seattle's upcoming schedule being so tough might help as Smith seems to play more efficiently against good defenses. At the end of the 2022 season, Smith had 6 touchdown passes against just 2 picks against the very good defenses of the Jets, 49ers, and Panthers combined, for instance.
As long as Smith can be efficient and doesn't turn the ball over much against upcoming opponents the Ravens, Eagles, Cowboys, and 49ers (twice), Seattle could steal a couple of those games. That might be all they need to stay in good seeding for the playoffs.
Seattle's defense does seem to be legit
Say what you will about the Seahawks defense against a backup quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, but Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski has proven he knows how to scheme against opponents offensively. One reason for Cleveland's first touchdown drive against Seattle was that the plays were so well designed, especially the screen passes. Sometimes instead of blaming something on one's own team, we must give credit to what the other team is doing.
But since getting healthier in the secondary, Seattle's defense overall has been very good. This is definitely true about Seattle's second half performances. Whatever adjustments defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is doing at halftime is mostly working and a huge difference between he and former DC Ken Norton, Jr. Norton couldn't seem to adjust at all.
In the past four second-halves of games, the Seahawks have allowed only 9 points and no touchdowns. While some of that can be attributed to Seattle playing backup quarterbacks, there is one important outlier. Seattle lost to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals - the same Burrow that just went 28 of 32 and 3 touchdowns against the 49ers in Week 8 - but in the second half of the game, Seattle allowed just 3 points in the second half and less than 100 total yards.
Cleveland still had scored 32 points offensively the week before playing Seattle, and that was with P.J. Walker mostly at quarterback. Seattle gave up too many yards total to Cleveland, but in the second Seattle only allowed the Browns to convert on third down on two of six attempts. Seattle's defense will certainly be challenged over most of the rest of the season, but the group also appears much better than in previous years.
Seattle worst-case finish might still get them in the playoffs
Seattle is 5-2 and currently the second seed in the NFC. There is more than half the season to be played, of course, but the Seahawks are in a good spot right now. The issue is that the toughest stretch of their season is about to be upon us. Seattle faces a tough Baltimore Ravens team in Week 9, then has two winnable games, and then a murderer's row of games happens.
How many games does a team need to win to get into the postseason? In 2022, both the New York Giants and the Seahawks made the playoffs by winning 9 games. That number could be realistic again. In the current playoff standings, the final spot is held by the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, both of whom are 4-4. A 9-8 team making the postseason should be expected.
For Seattle to finish 9-8, they would need to go 4-5 the rest of the way. Let's assume the worst happens and Seattle loses twice to the 49ers, once to the Ravens, Eagles, and Cowboys, but Seattle beats the Cardinals, Titans, Steelers, Rams. That is realistic, right? But expecting something like that to play out also disrespects the way head coach Pete Carroll has got his teams to play in important games over a decade-plus.
Seattle might lose to one of the teams I mentioned they could beat, but Seattle could win two of the games I mentioned they might lose. If Seattle can get to 10 wins, they will almost certainly be in the playoffs. But if Geno Smith plays consistently better and the defense improves even more, Seattle could get to 11 or 12 wins and be a dangerous team in the postseason.