#SEAvsDEN

Time to bench Darnold

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We’ve been big Sam Darnold fans ever since he came to Seattle. But he clearly has lost his edge, his poise, his focus, his accuracy.

He has thrown seven interceptions in four full games, including two in each of Seattle’s three losses. That includes the 17-14 overtime disaster in Denver on Thursday.

Darnold is not the only thing wrong with the offense, but he is the biggest. When he costs the Seahawks wins and ruins great defensive performances, when it does not seem like he is going to correct it, it is time to make a change.

Mike Macdonald is a winner – a no-nonsense coach who fixes problems. This is a big problem that is not likely to fix itself, and the solution is to bench Darnold and let Drew Lock – who was very competent in his two games to start the season — lead the offense.

Continue reading Time to bench Darnold →
#SEAvsDEN, State of the team

Too early to call Schneider’s offseason a fail

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Did John Schneider fail his Seahawks this year?

That is what some fans think in the wake of a 3-2 start that has seen the top three draft picks go on IR, the backup running backs fail as Kenneth Walker III has led the league in rushing with Kansas City, and Rashid Shaheed underperform his new contract.

It’s all been pretty disappointing — and some of it even predictable. But it is early yet and we are not inclined to judge anything after five games, other than the obvious fact that turnovers have killed Seattle in its two losses and the offense is definitely askew.

Continue reading Too early to call Schneider’s offseason a fail →
#SFvsSEA

Will Hawks bring 49ers down to Earth again?

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The 49ers have cruised through the first month of the season as the perceived best team in the NFL. But that status is about to be put to the test in an early NFC West battle royale between the Niners and the Seahawks in Seattle.

The last time the teams met, Seattle destroyed San Francisco 41-6 in the 2025 divisional playoffs. Of course, this is a new season, and the 49ers have cruised to a 4-0 start behind an average score of about 31-16 – sweeping the Rams, Dolphins, Cardinals and Broncos.

Brock Purdy has not been sacked and has thrown 11 TD passes vs. one pick – yielding a passer rating of 126.2 that leads all regular NFL starters (Seahawks backup Drew Lock actually has the top rating at 127.3 off his two games in place of Sam Darnold).

In the last two meetings last season – the season finale and the divisional playoff – Seattle sacked Purdy five times, picked off two passes and forced a fumble while holding the 49ers to a total of nine points.

How did the Hawks do it — and can they repeat that against a hot 49ers offense?

Continue reading Will Hawks bring 49ers down to Earth again? →
The roster

Hawks decline to sign Mixon; Charbs’ return delayed another week

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(UPDATE: This post originally included thoughts on Joe Mixon signing, but the Seahawks decided not to sign him.)

A lot of fans seem to be pretty displeased with Seattle’s backfield, despite Emanuel Wilson’s excellent game in the 30-23 win over the Chargers.

It’s understandable, with Kenneth Walker III leading the NFL in rushing for Kansas City, Jadarian Price on injured reserve and Zach Charbonnet still a couple weeks away from his season debut. A backfield of Wilson, George Holani and Velus Jones Jr. is not that inspiring.

The Seahawks seem to agree. They had Joe Mixon in for a visit, but they reportedly changed their minds on signing him after his physical. They did add rookie UDFA Robert Henry Jr. to the 53 from Washington’s PS. And then they added Dontae McMillan to the PS instead of Mixon.

Continue reading Hawks decline to sign Mixon; Charbs’ return delayed another week →
#SEAvsLAC

Plenty to fix as undefeated 49ers come to Seattle

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The Seahawks are 3-1, but they are not very happy about how they have gotten there. That’s because they have not played very clean games the past two weeks.

Mike Macdonald was subdued after the Seahawks had to hold on for a narrow, penalty-filled 30-23 win over the Chargers on Sunday. It’s probably because he knows the 49ers are 4-0 and firing on all cylinders as they come to Seattle this week, while his team has played pretty sloppy football.

After a bad loss at Washington in Week 3, the Hawks came out with a vengeance against the Chargers – at least on defense. But that side played a little too aggressively at times, allowing the Chargers to rally from 21 points down to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t help that referee Scott Novak’s overzealous crew assessed a ridiculous 30 penalties to the Hawks and Chargers – a bunch of them completely uncalled for.

Continue reading Plenty to fix as undefeated 49ers come to Seattle →
#SEAvsLAC, Injury report

Injuries and turnovers: Price’s rookie season is a disaster so far

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When the Seahawks eschewed a pass rusher to use the last draft pick in the first round on Kenneth Walker III’s replacement, our first thought was that the Hawks had mistakenly prioritized a position where they continually have had injury issues for over a decade now.

It was partly why they did not want to pay Walker, who got $14.3 million a year from Kansas City. So we wondered why they would use first-round capital on the position.

Unfortunately, that concern has become reality – with Jadarian Price now about to miss at least four games with a chest injury. Price has battled injuries since training camp, missing a couple weeks with some kind of leg issue and then suffering the chest injury in Week 2 against Arizona. [Updated after Price was put on IR Saturday.]

It’s a really rough start for Price, who also has lost two fumbles in the past two games. Injuries and turnovers are a bad recipe for staying on the field and helping your team.

Continue reading Injuries and turnovers: Price’s rookie season is a disaster so far →
#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 →