The Seattle Seahawks have reached their toughest part of the 2025 season, but also potentially the most glorious. With three more victories, the team will have won the Super Bowl. The road to get there could feature two familiar foes.
First up is the San Francisco 49ers, who Seattle defeated in Week 18 to earn the top seed in the NFC and, therefore, home-field advantage as long as the Seahawks can stay in the postseason leading up to the Super Bowl. Seattle icon Richard Sherman knows how both teams work as he played for each. He appears to be more of a Seahawks fan now, though.
This could be because Sherman still lives in the Seattle area. He chose to call the area home even after his time with the 49ers was over. He's also made many trips to Seahawks training camp over the past few years.
Richard Sherman speaks the truth about Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold
In other words, when Sherman makes an observation about Mike Macdonald's team, he knows what he speaks. He also understands the mentality that is needed to win a championship, as the former cornerback won one with Seattle in the 2013 season.
A key to a team winning the Super Bowl is how well the quarterback plays. For Seattle, many still question Sam Darnold's ability to win big games. He failed at that in 2024 when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, and while he has been far from perfect over the last couple of months, his team hasn't lost a game since Week 11 and has won 11 of its last 12 games.
But can Darnold elevate his play in the playoffs and help Seattle win games? Richard Sherman said on a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show that he believes so.
"Can (Darnold) get that monkey off his back that’s been haunting him the last few years?" Sherman said. "If he can, that would be phenomenal...If he can play like he did that last drive, I think that last drive of the Rams game did a lot to give him, the Seahawks, and the fans confidence that, hey, when the game is on the line, they can depend on Sam to get the job done and go down and win the football game."
Seattle Seahawks fans should feel pretty good about their favorite team's chances. The defense is elite, and so is the special teams group. The offensive line has improved, too, but the run game needs to continue to be as good as it has the last few games.
Mostly, though, Sam Darnold needs to be as turnover-free as possible. He led the league in turnovers this season, and he can't continue doing that in the playoffs. If he throws one too many interceptions, he will be right back to square one as far as people doubting him.