The Seattle Seahawks might need to start getting used to some disrespect under head coach Mike Macdonald. The team has been underappreciated for years and expected to win less than half of their games. Many national pundits had Macdonald pegged to win seven games or fewer in 2024.
He exceeded expectations in his first year as a head coach anywhere, and the Seahawks won 10 games. That amount was the most of any non-playoff team. Moreover, Seattle was the only team to win 10 games and not make the postseason. If Seattle wins that many games in 2025, chances are the team will be in the playoffs.
There are also good chances that Seattle will be even better this coming season. The defense will likely start at a higher level, as all the main players will return and know their roles better because they spent a season under Macdonald. The offense could be more efficient under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterback Sam Darnold.
AI is likely very wrong about the Seattle Seahawks in 2025
Darnold is a wild card, of course. He had a touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2024 of 35:12, but he did throw untimely picks late in the season. That was his MO before joining the Minnesota Vikings last year. Is he fixed, or was that one-season goodness? The answer to that will determine whether Seattle makes the playoffs.
However, AI must think Darnold will revert to his pre-2024 play. NFL GameDay asked AI to name who will make the postseason this coming season, and Seattle was not on the list. Oddly, two NFC West teams were there, but neither the Seahawks nor the San Francisco 49ers were.
The Los Angeles Rams make sense to make the postseason, as they almost always do. The Arizona Cardinals do not appear drastically better than last season, but AI believes they will make the postseason and win the division. Since 2016, Arizona has made the postseason once so that AI might be making a stretch.
Chat, what do we think? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iZeeTL6SiX
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) May 16, 2025
The Seahawks likely won't use predictive AI to inspire them to play well. They already know how many people doubt them and how good the roster can be. If Darnold is good, the team could be great. That might equate to a deep run in the playoffs.
If it helps Seahawks fans feel better, AI also has the Cincinnati Bengals winning the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons winning the NFC South, and the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the AFC South. None of those things is likely to happen.