It's still only June, but for me, it's never too early to talk about the upcoming NFL season. I'm particularly excited for this season. Russ is locked up for 5 years, and the team is looking to build on their 2018 season in which they made the playoffs but lost their only playoff game. I think they will build off that playoff game, and then some. I have five reasons why I believe that to be the case:
1) Easy-ish schedule
Looking at the Seahawks schedule, it doesn't appear to be that bad. They play the AFC North, and that division doesn't appear to be too good for 2019. The Steelers lost their world class playmakers in Brown and Bell. The Ravens lost the heart of their defense and I think Lamar Jackson has a bit of a sophomore slump. The Browns are clearly overhyped and overrated. The Bengals... well they're the Bengals. They also play the NFC South, which shouldn't be its usual great self, either. The Saints are due for a letdown season after two heartbreaking playoff losses. Colin Cowherd is calling it and so am I. The Falcons and Panthers will be fairly competitive, but the Hawks usually don't have much of a problem with them. The Bucs... well we'll see about them. The Hawks also play Philly and Minnesota, two teams with high aspirations but I could easily see us splitting those two games. Then finally, I can see us going 4-2 or even 5-1 in division. Which leads me to...
2) The NFC West won't be that good
The NFC West COULD be a really good division. But it hasn't really been since the 49ers were good. The Rams, like the Saints, are due for a letdown season. Most teams coming off a lackluster Super Bowl performance have an ordinary at best season, which in that case is a disappointment. The 49ers are due for a breakout season, but we said that last year, too. I just don't fully buy into the hype surrounding Jimmy Garoppolo. And the Cardinals will take a year to get there, at least. I have full confidence in saying the Seahawks will AT LEAST compete for the division crown and be in it until the end.
3) Media is counting them out... AGAIN
Last year many were expecting a down season for the Hawks after a large amount of roster turnover. Many predicted 4-12 or 5-11 records. Instead, they won 10 games and got a wild card spot. I think they exceed expectations again. Many are predicting a win total of around 9 games, but I think that's a tad low. I remember back in 2013 before our Super Bowl season, most media "experts" were picking the 49ers to win the NFC West and potentially get back to the Super Bowl. They predicted 9 wins or so, just like for this year. Colin Cowherd said the Hawks will probably compete with the Cardinals for third place. These guys thrive off low expectations, and that's exactly what they got.
4) Offense got better
Our defense should be just as good (didn't get worse... we didn't have Earl for most of 2018 anyway) as last year, but our offense made significant strides. Russ being signed to a long term extension motivates him even more. Penny is poised for a breakout season and should form a tantalizing duo with Carson in the backfield. Dissly returns from injury and if healthy, should provide a decent TE duo with Vannett. We lost Baldwin, but he wasn't his usual self last year anyway. We have a tremendous amount of WR depth after drafting three of them. Either Metcalf, Jennings, or Ursua will break out, and we still have Darboh, Moore, and Brown. Lastly, the line actually improved by replacing Sweezy with Mike Iupati, who is just a beast. Germain Ifedi has another year under his belt and the penalties are slowly going away. I expect our offense to keep us in every game.
5) It's a pivotal and critical season for Schneider and Carroll
Obviously, JS and PC want to win as much as possible. But whenever a season is truly pivotal, it provides that much extra motivation. This year is critical. These next few years will probably be the last of Carroll's as a coach, as the Hawks gear up for another Super Bowl run with Russ. If the Hawks do worse this year, it could mean a bit more of roster turnover and taking longer to get back to true contention, something Pete may not have time for. However, if they get better as I predict (and expect), a Super Bowl birth and title could very well be in the near future.
The Hawks have lost many pieces in the last two years or so: The entire Legion of Boom, Baldwin, Graham, Bennett, Avril. But they've got a ton of young players eager to prove themselves. Kinda sounds like 2012/13, doesn't it? I wouldn't say put all your eggs in the basket for this upcoming season for the Seahawks, but don't be surprised when they get close to the Super Bowl and make a deep run in the playoffs.
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