#SEAvsWASH

Bad loss exposed negatives, but don’t forget the positives

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The Seahawks turned the ball over three times vs. Washington, couldn’t run the ball, lost the field position battle and failed to take away the ball or make key stops on defense – and they still lost by just two points.

That tells you how good the Seahawks are. They know it – and figure to prove it emphatically at home against the 0-3 Chargers this week.

The Seahawks’ first loss in 13 games – 33-31 at Washington in a 10 a.m. game – exposed a few weaknesses and/or concerns. But it also showed they are such a dominant team that it takes THAT many things to go wrong for them to BARELY lose.

Continue reading Bad loss exposed negatives, but don’t forget the positives →
#SEAvsWASH, Coaches, Franchise history

‘This is the future’: Schneider was prescient in 2024

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This Seahawks-Commanders game is a good occasion to laud John Schneider for his work in replacing Pete Carroll about 32 months ago.

Dan Quinn was a natural candidate, considering his ties to the Seahawks under Carroll. But Schneider decided to go in a new direction, and he sniped Mike Macdonald from Washington, which then settled on Quinn (the third choice behind Ben Johnson, who stayed in Detroit that year, and Macdonald).

Quinn looked like a great consolation pick when he and rookie QB Jayden Daniels surprisingly led the Commanders to the NFC title game in 2024. But it has been all downhill since then. Quinn was 12-5 in his first season, plus two playoff wins, but he is 5-14 since then – including an 0-2 start heading into this game against the Seahawks.

Continue reading ‘This is the future’: Schneider was prescient in 2024 →
#SEAvsWASH

Just one of those years: Darnold returns amid ongoing rash of QB injuries

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The Seahawks are getting their quarterback back just as the Washington Commanders have lost theirs.

That is the story heading into the Week 3 meeting between the teams Sunday in Landover, Md. It’s part of a bigger overall storyline for the NFL season that has seen five teams suffer quarterback injuries over the first two weeks. Beyond creating understandable angst for fans of those quarterbacks and their teams, it has brought out the usual complaints about the “injury epidemic” in the NFL.

One popular podcaster’s tweet was picked up everywhere this week:

News flash for Middlekauff and anyone else who thinks this is a new development: Injuries have been part of football since the founding of the sport. It’s just a dangerous game, and quarterbacks are not immune.

Continue reading Just one of those years: Darnold returns amid ongoing rash of QB injuries →
Free agency, Trades

Hawks won’t trade Lock, but will he start somewhere in 2027?

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The Seahawks are not going to trade Drew Lock, but odds certainly have increased that they might lose him in free agency next year.

With Sam Darnold injured, Lock has been excellent over the first two games. He has led the Hawks to two wins and has played almost as well as top starting quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.

Lock has definitely earned more money for 2027. Some fans also are wondering whether Lock has built a bunch of trade value, but quarterbacks are rarely traded in season and John Schneider and Mike Macdonald are not going to do that (short of some team far overpaying).  

Lock surely will remain a Seahawk this season, but he is up for free agency after that and might have a chance to land a starting job elsewhere.

Continue reading Hawks won’t trade Lock, but will he start somewhere in 2027? →
#SEAvsARI

Hawks have picked up where they left off in Super Bowl

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For those wondering, yes, the Seahawks already are better than they were in 2025. That was the expectation – and that is how it is working out.

As Mike Macdonald said after his team dominated Arizona 31-7, “There’s an excitement and urgency for us to take it to the next level in all three phases.”

With a 2-0 start, the Seahawks have extended their winning streak across seasons to a franchise-record 12 games (counting postseason).

The defense is locked in as the league’s top unit again, led by Julian Love, Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon. They are stuffing the run like no one else, and Love has been an interception machine over the first two weeks.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has burst out of the gates in historic fashion — a bona fide superstar who can dominate no matter who is throwing the ball, even with fewer targets than other WR1s around the NFL. Drew Lock has thrown it well in place of injured Sam Darnold, stacking up as one of the best passers in the league across two weeks. Brian Fleury has made some savvy adjustments to the offense in his first two games as the new play caller. The offensive line got a game ball after the 31-7 win over Arizona despite rotating two players at right guard.

Continue reading Hawks have picked up where they left off in Super Bowl →
Free agency

Great debut by Walker, but Hawks made the right call

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Kenneth Walker III had a career day in his first game with the Chiefs, rushing for 173 yards. It was such a great performance that plenty of people are ripping – or at least second-guessing — the Seahawks for letting him go in free agency.

But that’s pretty nonsensical. It’s OK – in fact, it’s better — for Walker to win elsewhere while the Hawks continue to win without him.

Here’s why the Seahawks made the right choice and why the Chiefs need to be careful about how they use him to avoid wasting their investment.

Continue reading Great debut by Walker, but Hawks made the right call →
Injury report, Schedule

Seahawks look good for 4-0 even without Darnold, but then …

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We all know Sam Darnold is not going to play this week at Arizona. The bigger question is: How many games beyond this one will he miss?

NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Jay Glazer reported that the injury is actually to Darnold’s glute tendon, and Glazer said the Seahawks are still getting medical opinions to figure out what the healing time will be. Mike Florio added that a source told him Darnold could be out 4-6 weeks.

If it is a mild strain of the tendon, medical standards indicate the injury could require 2-4 weeks of rehabilitation. If it is moderate, it could be as long as eight weeks. It sounds like the Seahawks still are trying to figure it out. And, of course, everyone heals at a different rate. So 2-6 weeks seems like a realistic window.

The Hawks should win the next three to start 4-0, but then it gets tougher — especially if Darnold remains out.

Continue reading Seahawks look good for 4-0 even without Darnold, but then … →
Contracts

Big tight end deals set the range for Barner extension in 2027

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AJ Barner’s price has jumped to $15 million. Will the Seahawks want to pay it?

Two big extensions by tight ends over the weekend created the range for Barner’s next contract, assuming he continues to play like he did in 2025.

The Packers extended Tucker Kraft for $18.75 million a year, and the Raiders gave Michael Mayer a deal worth $15 million a year. Barner is not yet at Kraft’s level, but he is more accomplished than Mayer.

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#NEvsSEA, Injury report

Hawks should be OK until Darnold returns

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When Sam Darnold was lost after one series vs. the Patriots in the NFL opener Thursday night, it was definitely a big bummer. But Drew Lock came in and played about like we expected: a couple of sparks and no big mistakes. With the No. 1 defense in the NFL backing him, that was enough to pull off a 13-10 win in a sloppy game by both teams.

With the news that Darnold might miss fewer than four games with his hip injury, the Seahawks look well prepared to weather the storm.

Continue reading Hawks should be OK until Darnold returns →
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Are Emmanwori and Macdonald toying with the Patriots?

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Is Nick Emmanwori really iffy for the season opener? Or are he and Mike Macdonald playing mind games with the Patriots?

Emmanwori is coming back from ankle surgery that was performed in July. He has returned to the field in a limited capacity, based on injury reports.

The final episode of “Hard Knocks” featured another conversation between coach and player, in which Emmanwori said, “I feel like I’m grinding every day to a point where it’s like I’m making progress but can’t really do back-to-back hard days like that. Two days ago, I was pushing it, like I was running, and the next day it was kind of sore.

“I feel like other people’s (idea of) where they think I should be at, or where they want me to be, could be kind of interfering with where I’m trying to go or where I’m trying to get to.”

Continue reading Are Emmanwori and Macdonald toying with the Patriots? →