ESPN somewhat hopeful about Seattle Seahawks chances in 2023

The Seattle Seahawks seem well-prepared for the 2023 season. They return most of their offensive pieces, including all the truly important ones, and added to the group by taking receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But the defense should be better as well overall.

That said, the NFL is a week-by-week business where Seattle could be seemingly set one week and then bleak the next. This would be the Seahawks' way, of course. Even in-game Seattle appears to snatch victory most weeks from the jaws of defeat. It's good to be a 12, but stressful at the same time.

Still, entering 2022, we hoped for the best and the best may have been not finishing last in the NFC West. Seattle finished second and made the playoffs. It was a bit odd late in the season as some 12s appeared to complain about play calls and the defense while forgetting about what was expected of the team prior to the season beginning.

ESPN predicts the Seahawks to be mediocre in 2023

I am not here to scold, however. I know no more than the next 12. My point is that we can't get spoiled, and that's my fear entering 2023. After the relative success of 2022, and the addition of talent in free agency and the draft this offseason, one should expect the Seahawks to be even better. But maybe 9 wins is what this team is capable of with the hope for more in 2024 once the 2023 rookies get acclimated?

ESPN put out its win predictions for each team this week and Seattle sits at 8.5. Before you complain about things like, "How can Seattle not win 9 games?!", or "How can a team win half a game?!" let me give some point of reference. Like every preseason analytical, mathematical guess at how good any given team will do, the numbers for wins are usually a bit compressed.

For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs only have a win prediction of 11.5, the same as the Cincinnati Bengals. This means each team would go 11.5-5.5, which of course would be a first for the NFL. But it also means both teams are expected to lose several games. Only two other teams have predicted wins as good as 11.5, the San Francisco 49ers of Santa Clara and the Buffalo Bills of Orchard Park.

Bottom line, the Seahawks are expected to be among the mediocre teams in the NFL just like almost every other team. Which reminds me, a prediction article where most teams are between 7.5 wins and 9.5 wins - 22 of 32 teams - is boring. So let's let the real human beings predict wins-and-losses. They might also be wrong but it just feels more real.