The Seattle Seahawks clinched finishing with a winning record with a victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 17. The last two years, Seattle has finished 9-8. That record is likely once again as defeating the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 seems almost impossible.
Not that the Rams are the greatest team ever, but they are not bad. Los Angeles also has a way of beating Seattle no matter who the Seahawks head coach is or the difference in talent on the roster. Weird things happen when Seattle plays LA.
Of course, Week 18 might be rather pointless. If the Rams beat the Cardinals then even if Seattle defeats Los Angeles in the final game, the Rams and Seahawks would be tied in the following tie-breakers: Head-to-head, division record, common games, and conference record. Should the Rams lose to Seattle (but beat the Cardinals) then LA would still win the division based on a fifth tie-breaker: Strength of victories.
Playoffs or not, the Seahawks need to make these three changes this coming offseason
In other words, the Seahawks and 12s should be huge Arizona Cardinals fans on Saturday. The issue is the Rams have won eight of their last ten games, and the Cardinals have lost four of their last five.
Whether Seattle makes the postseason or not, to help make for a better future the team must make changes. One of them is not replacing Mike Macdonald. He has shown to be a good defensive coach who will probably be a better head coach after his first year of experience. The issue with the team is not a defensive one.
Seattle Seahawks need to re-think their offensive coaching staff
Even with the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season, the offense is worse than it was last year under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The team averages fewer yards per play (5.5 in 2023 to 5.4 in 2024) and has turned the ball over quite a bit more than last season.
One criticism of Waldron was that he was too pass-heavy and Seattle threw the ball on 61.6 percent of its plays in 2023. This year, though, Seattle has thrown even more under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. That percentage is 63.3 in 2024. At its best, Grubb's scheme gets receivers open deep, but even with a better offensive line than the Seahawks have then that plan would not work as well.
Grubb also seems unable to adjust very well if his initial game plan is not working. That was glaring in Week 17 when Seattle was running well in the first half but after the Bears reacted to what Seattle was doing, the Seahawks could not adjust back. The NFL is a tough business and teams cannot afford to keep coaches who aren't showing they can do their jobs well. Grubb likely needs to go.
Seattle needs to draft a quarterback who can nearly immediately replace Geno Smith
In his first two seasons as the full-time starter for the Seahawks, Smith many times seemed to be able to augment his offense. He led the league in completion percentage and the NFC in touchdown passes in 2022 and then led the NFL in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks in 2023. This season, he has been a disappointment.
He leads the league in red zone interceptions with four this year, and he should have had another against Chicago. Smith should be even more efficient now than he was in 2022, but he makes more mistakes now. These are the kinds of errors that will keep his team from making a deep run in the playoffs should the team even get to the postseason.
As Seattle is going to have a 9-8 record at worst then the team is not going to have an overly high draft pick. General manager John Schneider might need to make a move up in the draft to take one of the better quarterbacks on the board. Smith is under contract through 2025, but the team could save $25 million by releasing him. Either way, at some point in 2025, the starting quarterback needs to be the one the team chooses in the draft. That could make 2026 great.
Seattle must draft a player relatively high who can return kicks and punts
Jaelon Darden has not done the one thing in the few games he has been Seattle's kick and punt returner that got his predecessors fired: He has not turned the ball over. He has averaged 28.4 yards a kick return and been serviceable as a punt returner. He is not overly explosive, though.
In 2015, Seattle hit big in the draft by taking Tyler Lockett. He turned out to be a great receiver as well, but he was chosen to be a high-quality kick and punt returner and he was. Oregon's Noah Whittington is a draft-eligible running back who is likely more of a specialist in the NFL. He could be a steal in the fourth round and has averaged 29 yards a kick return with a long of 100 yards.