The Seattle Seahawks seem to be on the upswing of things, but it only takes a few little things for a lot to go wrong in the NFL. There is clearly no sure bet on Seattle duplicating even what it did in 2022. Maybe the Seahawks do make the playoffs in 2023, but for that to happen the players who may have overperformed last season need to be just as good again this coming season.
Add to that the fact that Seattle has an even tougher schedule this year and there could be issues. For all the positive feeling that came out of the end of last year, we should still remember that Seattle squeaked into the playoffs with two wins in the last two weeks of the season and needed help from the Detroit Lions defeating the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.
Of course, we all hope that the Seahawks win every game ever, but that also isn't realistic. No team wins every game, of course. Plus, teams will be a little better prepared for Seattle in 2023 because the expectations should be that the team is a bit better. But here are three things that could go horribly wrong for the Seahawks this coming season.
No. 1: The Seahawks 2023 rookie class is nowhere near as good as the 2022 version
We as 12s got spoiled by the Seahawks 2022 draft class, didn't we? It's OK to admit. After off and on years - and 2021 was completely awful, we should say - the 2022 class, which included Tariq Woolen, Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, and Ken Walker III, arrived and it could conceivably be one of the best draft classes in the history of the NFL, let alone the Seahawks. But now we kind of expect the same thing to happen with the 2023 class.
Maybe it will. Seattle chose cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall choice and then took receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at pick 20. But then Seattle also has two second-round picks as well. Based on draft stature, the 2023 class is potentially better than 2022. But we have zero idea how good the players are yet as they haven't played a real down of NFL football.
The issue is that Seattle is counting on at least the first-round choices to be good and immediate contributors. If they aren't, then Seattle could be doomed. The team is thin at a bunch of positions - like inside linebacker and along the interior of the offensive line - so if the rookies at CB and WR and running back don't contribute, this season could be a lost one.
No. 2: Seahawks QB Geno Smith is a full-season version of the second-half of 2022 edition
I like Geno Smith a lot and I think he can be even better in year two as the full-time starter of the Seattle Seahawks at quarterback. But the criticism that he did better in the first half of the 2022 season than the second half is completely correct. This might not all be Smith's fault, or we might just need to find the common ground between where the first half ended and the second half began.
Before the bye week in Week 11 of 2022, Smith had 17 touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown, and just 4 interceptions. He had seven games with a quarterback rating of 104 or better. But after the bye week, Smith had 13 touchdown passes, no rushing touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He also fumbled four times after the bye week. Basically, that is 13 TDs produced against 12 turnovers. That's an awful ratio.
Still, Smith had to try to create points at times when the top running backs were hurt, the defense was struggling, and the offensive line was getting a bit worse. Sure, Smith could have been perfect and not been an issue, but at times it seemed like he was the only positive for Seattle. One shouldn't blame him for trying too hard. Plus, expecting any player to be perfect is just stupid.
But now the Seahawks are theoretically beginning 2023 with more talent around Geno Smith and an offensive line that is more mature and has added more talent. If Smith can be as good as he was in the first half of 2022 and be that way through the full season of 2023, then Seattle is potentially a championship contender. If not, Seattle won't make the playoffs and Smith will be released after this coming season.
No. 3: Seahawks lose Bobby Wagner and Jason Myers to injuries
Seattle has been extraordinarily lucky with health when it comes to quarterbacks over the last 10-plus years. Rarely did former QB Russell Wilson miss a game and Geno Smith didn't miss a game in 2022. While injuries are happening all around the Seattle roster, the QBs have been solid. And let's assume that happens in 2023, too.
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Seattle might be worse off if Bobby Wagner or Jason Myers gets hurt. The Seahawks are extremely thin at inside linebacker, for instance. Heck, even if Bobby Wagner does stay healthy and is pretty good there is no guarantee that any other inside linebacker is any good, including 2023 offseason signee, Devin Bush. But let's even assume Bush is OK but Wagner is hurt. If Wagner gets hurt and isn't next to Bush, who takes Wagner's spot? The likelihood that whoever replaces Wagner is productive is slim. And in no dream world is a person currently on the Seattle roster anywhere close to the talent Wagner is.
Seattle also plays a lot of close games. Even in the glory years of the mid-2010s the Seahawks played a ton of close games. Head coach Pete Carroll envisions a world where his defense is great, his running game is fantastic, and his quarterback doesn't turn the ball over. Even if those things work out perfectly in the NFL, a team's kicker becomes incredibly important.
Myers made the Pro Bowl in 2022, but he has also made 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts since joining Seattle in 2019. He also has a career-long field goal made of 61 yards while wearing a Seahawks uniform. He can be counted on not to miss. But as Seattle plays a bunch of close games and as Myers is money on making field goals, if he were hurt and a lesser kicker took his spot then Seattle might lose a lot of close games and miss the playoffs. Heck, they might even finish with a losing record.