The Seattle Seahawks appear to be on the upswing even after a 2022 season that saw them exceed expectations. But there's even more hope in 2023. To once again get to the postseason, Seattle needs to win the majority of its intradivision and two of the teams in the NFC West seem worse heading into next season.
Seattle was more aggressive than maybe at any other time since general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll started running the football team in 2010. The Seahawks had positions that needed to be upgraded, like the defensive line, and Seattle appears to have done that. And with such high draft capital still to be chosen, there is no reason to think the 2023 version of Seattle football is quite a bit better than the 2022 edition.
Meanwhile, Seattle's division is overall likely worse. Seattle went 4-2 in the division last season which was a huge reason Seattle made the playoffs. The team should be expected to go at least 4-2 in 2023 as well and here are three reasons 12s could hope for even better.
Hope for Seahawks No. 1: 49ers lost right tackle Mike McGlinchey
San Francisco is probably still the top dog in the NFC West. They are well-coached and their defense is fantastic. Even after starting their third-string quarterback for a bunch of last season, the 49ers were so good they dominated games. But losing McGlinchey should help Seattle.
After being injured for much of 2021, McGlinchey started every game at right tackle for the 49ers in 2022. He was very good. McGlinchey had plus grades last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He allowed just 6 sacks in 561 pass-block snaps.
The Seahawks had an inconsistent pass rush in 2022 but have the players to be dangerous. Uchenna Nwosu is very good. If Darrell Taylor ever gets consistent, he could have 14 sacks in a season. Add rising second-year player Boye Mafe and likely a talented edge rusher in the 2023 draft, and the Seahawks should have enough talent to take advantage of a likely diminished right tackle spot for the 49ers.
Hope for Seahawks No. 2: Cardinals lose two key defenders
The Cardinals might be a better team simply because Kliff Kingsbury is no longer their head coach. Kingsbury's greatest coaching ability seems to be that his teams get worse in the second halves of seasons. Even in college, a Kingsbury-led team was not successful past a season's midway point. Kingsbury was fired this offseason, however, so Arizona shouldn't be any worse in the second half of 2023 than they are in the first.
But we don't really know what to expect from the Cardinals this coming season. Their head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator are all new to their respective positions. Quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL late last season and even if he is ready to play this coming season, he probably won't be 100 percent. It is very unlikely Murray is ready anywhere near Week 1.
But what might really hurt the Cardinals is the losses of cornerback Byron Murphy and defensive lineman Zach Allen. Murphy was injured for much of 2022, but there is little doubt that when healthy he is a good player. Allen had 20 quarterback hits last season as well as 5.5 sacks in only 13 games.
Arizona's defense wasn't very good last year. It won't be any better in 2023, most likely. And the losses of Murphy and Allen should help mean that Geno Smith and the Seahawks have enough offensive firepower to get by Arizona twice this coming season.
Hope for Seahawks No. 3: Rams lost their defense
OK, maybe Los Angeles didn't lose all the talent from its defense, but it did lose a large chunk of it. Aaron Donald remains but he has a lot less help. Gone are linebacker Bobby Wagner (who Seattle brought back, of course), edge rusher Leonard Floyd, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and that's just to name three. There is no way the Rams defense is anywhere near as good as it has been over the last several years.
The Seahawks will still have to contend with probably a better Rams offense, though. Los Angeles is unlikely to suffer as many key injuries - Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, for instance - in 2023 so the Rams offense will probably keep the team competitive. And even when Los Angeles wasn't that great in the mid-2010s, they still gave Seattle problems.
But the expectation should be that Seattle defeats the Rams twice in 2023. Seattle will have the better roster and it won't even be that close. Heck, Seattle will even have the better roster on defense which hasn't been the case in comparison to the Rams in years.
If the Seahawks can get 4 wins combined versus the Cardinals and Rams (this is what they did in 2022), and then split against the 49ers, Seattle shouldn't only be worried about getting to the playoffs. Getting 5 wins in the NFC West could mean that Seattle has a good chance of winning its division. Now Seattle just needs to have another great draft and maybe they will even be a championship contender by 2024.