The Seattle Seahawks were not awarded any marquee matchups in the NFL 2025 schedule, no trips overseas, and no holiday spectaculars. That is not exactly unexpected, nor is it a bad thing.
Grinding away in relative anonymity as Mike Macdonald enters year two of his coaching journey and breaks in a new quarterback and new offensive identity might be the exact thing the Hawks need to restore past glories.
However, if you are looking for a little headline-making drama, the league powers-that-be did provide a virtually perfect opening day matchup for Macdonald and company. A week one matchup against the San Francisco 49ers allows Seattle to set down a marker in the NFC West. If anyone is going to challenge the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, it will likely be the winner of that game.
No one doubts LA enters the season as the big dog out west. Their QB has won more playoff games than the rest of the division’s starting QBs combined. Their coach is the only divisional head man with a Lombardi Trophy on his resume. They added Davante Adams to an already-potent offense and have begun assembling one of the best young defenses in the league.
The Seahawks are looking to build on last year’s second-place NFC West finish
Seattle can lay just as much claim to emerging as the Rams' major challenger as anyone, but in the eyes of many analysts and betting sites alike, they are considered the least likely to do so.
That’s fine. Games are won on the field, and Macdonald should be able to use this type of disrespect as motivation. And what better team against which to prove your worth than the perennial divisional bully, the San Francisco 49ers?
Between 2021 and 2023, Kyle Shanahan’s boys scored 35-16 and made deep runs in the playoffs every year. Before dispatching the Niners in a week 11 matchup last year, the Hawks had dropped six straight games to San Fran, including their previous playoff game in 2022.
But the tide is turning. San Francisco stumbled to a 6-11 mark last season. Injuries were a significant factor, but the team is also getting older. GM John Lynch has already waved goodbye to more than 20 players from last year’s roster. Some were journeymen or injury replacements.
But ten players logged over 20 percent of the team’s offensive or defensive snaps in 2024. Some were core players, like Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, and Aaron Banks.
Shanahan still has plenty of firepower in the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, Trent Williams, and George Kittle. But there are definite holes in San Francisco’s once-formidable armor. The last time Shanahan posted a losing record was in 2020. He returned with a strong 2021 and then claimed the division titles in ’22 and ’23. San Fran will be looking to do the same thing this season.
But Seattle has their own story to write. With Arizona still trying to build a complete roster that can compete for the postseason, the door is wide open for a second team in the West to challenge the Rams for the title or win a Wild Card spot.
Macdonald will have the power of the 12 behind him on opening day. He has a year of head coaching and a lot of new talent to put on the field. The Seahawks certainly know the reputation that San Francisco will bring to town. Even many of the new players are well-acquainted with the Niners.
Sam Darnold and Eric Saubert played for San Fran in the past two seasons. Cooper Kupp played them year in and year out as a member of the Rams, and Josh Jones did as well during his two seasons in Arizona. The Seahawks should be ready to battle.
A win over San Francisco would get the 2025 season off to a strong start. Every NFL team wants to win at home, and winning divisional games at home is even more crucial. With so much turnover in Seattle this season, getting off to a fast start carries a little added importance.
Beyond the practical benefits, conquering San Fran has symbolic value. The Rams may be the team to beat in the West right now, but San Fran will always have an aura. A Seahawks win over the 49ers will make a definite statement.
It will proclaim to the rest of the division—if not the rest of the league—that there is no rebuild underway in the Northwest. The Seattle Seahawks are already prepared to challenge the best in the league.
Seahawks 2025 schedule:
- Week 1 at home versus the 49ers
- Week 2 at the Steelers
- Week 3 at home versus the Saints
- Week 4 at the Cardinals (Thursday Night Football)
- Week 5 at home versus the Buccaneers
- Week 6 at the Jaguars
- Week 7 at home versus the Texans (Monday Night Football)
- Week 8 - BYE
- Week 9 at the Commanders (Sunday Night Football)
- Week 10 at home versus the Cardinals
- Week 11 at the Rams
- Week 12 at the Titans
- Week 13 at home versus the Vikings
- Week 14 at the Falcons
- Week 15 at home versus the Colts
- Week 16 at home versus the Rams (Thursday Night Football)
- Week 17 at the Panthers
- Week 18 at the 49ers