The Seattle Seahawks snapped a three-game losing streak to their division rival Rams. Sadly, it made no difference to this year's postseason, but the winners and losers of Week 18 could see a major impact from their performances in the 2025 season.
Seattle had already squandered their chances to make the season finale in Los Angeles really count. Their overtime loss to the Rams in Week 9 really stung. Much worse, though, was the inexplicable loss to the horrible, bad, and generally sucky Giants. New York only had three wins, just one of those against a team with a winning record - and we know who that was.
Even though the Seahawks' final game was meaningless in terms of the postseason, the performances we saw were critical to setting the tone of the 2025 season. The winners from this game showed John Schneider and Mike Macdonald what they bring to the field. Unfortunately, the losers did too. So, let's discuss, 12s.
The Seattle Seahawks closed out 2024 on a winning note - with a few losing blasts included
Winner: Mike Macdonald
Macdonald is the first coach in the glorious 49-year history of the Seahawks to win 10 games in his first season with the team. That's one more than either Chuck Knox or Mike Holmgren, who are tied with nine wins in their inaugural seasons in Seattle. One key difference - Knox was in his 11th season as an NFL head coach, and Holmgren was in his eighth. Macdonald did it as a rookie head coach, not just in the NFL, but at any level.
Loser: Mike Macdonald
Were there bumps along the way? Oh, to be sure. The Hawks were woefully flat against the Giants, as I already noted. He and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb never managed to get on the same page. With Grubb out, the Hawks are back to square one for their offensive game plan for 2025.
And there's the pesky matter of a 30-25 win over a Rams team that started everyone but the waterboy. Seattle should have blown Los Angeles out by three scores. Yeah, a win is a win, but the Hawks - and Macdonald - have to be better than they were in Week 18.
Winner: Geno Smith
Please address the gentleman who still ain't wrote back as Mr. Smith. All he did on Sunday was play his best game of the season. Bob Condotta says so, and as he's right 99.93 percent of the time, yeah, I'll agree. Geno threw a career-high four touchdowns, had zero turnovers, and hit a season-best 137.8 passer rating. Oh, and he hit all three of his contract incentives so that he can pocket a cool $6 million extra.
Loser: Geno Smith
And that's why Mr. Smith might have been a loser after this game. That $6 million in bonus money just raised his cap hit even higher for 2025. The Seahawks were already in a position to save $25 million on their cap by releasing Smith before June 1st. If they release him before March 16th, they'll save the $6 million as well.
I'm not saying that would be the best decision for the Hawks, but considering that they'll already be strapped for cash, shaving $31 million off their bottom line has to look pretty attractive. Yes, I know that if the Seahawks didn't want to pay him the $6 million, they wouldn't have started him. But he was getting $2 million for completion percentage anyway, and a win would have earned another $2 mil. John Schneider may feel differently about that bonus, plus Geno's $10 million roster bonus, on March 15th.
Winner: Leonard Williams
The Big Cat didn't appear too happy that he wasn't named to the Pro Bowl. Williams continued his demolition of the NFL on Sunday with two more sacks, two quarterback hits, and a tackle for a loss. He capped his masterclass 2024 season with 11 sacks, the most since Frank Clark had 13 in 2018. I think it's safe to say that Williams proved he was worth far more than the second and fifth-round picks the Hawks traded to get him.
Winner: Julian Love
Julian Love didn't make the Pro Bowl this season either, at least not as a starter. Pro Football Focus graded him as Settle's second-best defender, just below Williams. You could certainly argue that Love had an even better season this year than last. PFF shows him with fewer missed tackles, a lower completion rate allowed, and a big drop in average yards per catch allowed (from 13.6 to 10.0).
I guess you could say that the New York Giants are the gift that keeps on giving, as they let Love get away to join Seattle. As he said upon joining the Seahawks, "I'm excited to play on the right side of things." Yes, and the 12s are excited to see you here as well, sir. Love is singed through 2027, and yes, his cap hit more than doubles in 2026. But for now, let's enjoy watching the master work.
Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
All JSN did Sunday was tie the Seahawks' all-time record for most receptions in a season. The fact that his mentor, Tyler Lockett, may have played his last down in Seattle makes that even more fitting. Smith-Njigba has been a revelation this season. With DK Metcalf drawing frequent double-teams, the second-year player out of THE Ohio State University proved that he was worth his first-round draft status and then some.
Sorry about the reference to the Buckeyes, but my sister-in-law insists on at least one respectful mention per year. I still think making your mascot a poisonous nut is absolutely fitting for that team. Anyway, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is electric and, much like Lockett, almost always seems to find a way to get open. Look for even better things from him in 2025.
Winner: Artie Burns
Burns was pressed into action against Los Angeles when both Riq Woolen and Tre Brown went down with injuries. mid-season surprise Josh Jobe was already on injured reserve, so the CB room was getting pretty thin. Burns himself spent two months on injured reserve and wasn't activated until mid-December. He bounced between the practice squad and the active roster a couple of times after that.
Well, thank goodness he was ready to play in Week 18. Burns was all over the field Sunday. He allowed just two receptions on four targets for 22 yards and broke up one of those passes. He was in the Los Angeles backfield almost as often as the Big Cat, registering two QB hurries. Burns should have cemented a roster spot next year with his heady play.
Loser: Nehemiah Pritchett
As good as Burns was, just flip the script for Nehemiah Pritchett. The fifth-round rookie was torched early and often by the Rams, even tripping himself while getting deked by Jordan Whittington on a 50-yard pass play. He'd already been lit up for a 31-yard gain in the first half.
I certainly don't always agree with the grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but I'd have to say that 39.6 (on a scale of 0-100), might be a bit high for Pritchett. His grade for the season is 29.5, and yeah, that's probably right.
Winner: AJ Barner
Now, maybe I just dreamt this, but I could have sworn that someone predicted that Barner would be a were for the Hawks. Oh yeah, that was me. As I wrote then, Barner's college stats and his NFL projection were dead-on locks for George Kittle. I'm not suggesting that Barner will develop into a player that dangerous, but the 49ers tight end didn't turn into George Freakin' Kittle until his second year.
Barner had four touchdown catches this season. Kittle had just two as a rookie on nearly twice as many catches. Kittle wasn't battling Noah Fant for playing time either. He was going up against the world-renowned Garrett Celek, a fine blocker, but not someone you'd confuse with Tony Gonzales. Fant, by the way, has caught five TDs in three seasons with the Seahawks. Barner, the "blocking specialist," has four already, adding that fourth against the Rams. Yeah, he's a winner, alright.
Yes, I may have missed a few players here and there, but frankly, my fingers are more tired than your eyes right now. I'll revisit this topic, more or less, with the most promising Seahawks for 2025. But uh, later, okay? Until then, keep the faith, 12s!