The Seattle Seahawks have seemingly been passed over by many, not only as the favorites to win the Super Bowl again, but also as the favorites to emerge from their division, the NFC West. What the Los Angeles Rams have done this season, in terms of additions, has convinced the majority that they're now the team to beat.Â
Since the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, several Seahawks players have publicly questioned why the Seahawks were dropped so quickly. While their questions are legitimate, haven't the Rams done enough to legitimize themselves as well?Â
The Seahawks and the Rams will face each other twice next season to settle the argument, and hopefully, there will be a third meeting in the playoffs. As for those two regular-season games, Rich Eisen has the Seahawks splitting with the Rams. What about the rest of Seattle's schedule, and how many wins does Eisen predict for the defending champions?
Rich Eisen has the Seattle Seahawks landing in a different place next season compared to last
For starters, compiling a second consecutive 14-win season seems unlikely. Seattle has only just captured their first-ever 14-win season, so for it to happen again, and immediately again in the following season, well, let's just say the odds aren't in its favor.Â
Eisen doesn't believe the Seahawks will win 14 games again either, but that doesn't mean he's not high on them winning significantly more games than they lose. But then again, that would be a majority-held opinion, wouldn't it?Â
It's incredibly hard to imagine the Seahawks going 11-6 or 10-7, for instance. A more realistic outlook would be 13-4 or even 12-5. Outside of their divisional matchups with the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers (Eisen predicts the Seahawks will split with both teams next season), Seattle has a few more challenging matchups compared to last season.
Of course, they kick the season off against the New England Patriots right off the bat. After that, the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles are all sprinkled across the schedule, and none of them should be easy matchups.
That said, according to Eisen, he's predicting that the Seahawks will win the majority of those tougher matchups, and he recently listed each win and loss on the Seahawks' schedule, concluding with their wins total on his show, The Rich Eisen Show.Â
As Eisen went down Seattle's schedule, he pinpointed the Broncos matchup as the Seahawks' first loss of the season, beating both the Patriots and the Chargers along the way. Eisen also sees a Chiefs squad, presumably with Patrick Mahomes in uniform, losing at Lumen Field after Seattle's loss in Denver, then losing at home to the Bears.Â
Seattle's two losses to the Broncos and Bears are the only losses Eisen predicts will occur outside the NFC West. What Eisen said about the Seahawks' second matchup with the 49ers is his most interesting take, however, and it may just come true.
"I think the San Francisco 49ers get 'em," Eisen said. "I think they get 'em in Week 12. I think that is going to be just a frenzied contest, filled with what happened the last time the Seahawks were taking on the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco, that final Week 18 game that the Seahawks won. They were the one seed, and they beat the crap out of San Francisco in Seattle in the playoffs...I just feel the 49ers are going to be so d**n prideful in this one. It's going to be hard for the Seahawks to pull that off."
Keep in mind that by this point, according to Eisen, the 49ers have already lost to the Seahawks earlier in the season. That would be consecutive defeats to their division rival up North, so their Week 12 meeting should have some serious flair and emotion behind it. Seattle going to San Francisco that week might be a game of the season candidate.Â
In the end, Eisen has 13 wins to four losses on Seattle's schedule; not far off from their record last year. Not a bad outlook on Eisen's part. The only question is, what will 13 wins mean for Seattle going into the playoffs? And will the Rams have just one more in the standings?
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