Look at the NFC West right now. It is a meat grinder. Honestly, if you’re tracking the seahawks standing in the nfl, you’re probably feeling that specific kind of vertigo that comes from watching a team refuse to pick a direction. They aren't bottom-feeders. They aren't elite. They are just... there. It’s the NFL’s version of the "uncanny valley."
Seattle finished the 2024 season with a 9-8 record, missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker with the Green Bay Packers. Then 2025 happened. We saw Mike Macdonald step into the massive, gum-chewing shoes of Pete Carroll, and the results have been a mix of defensive genius and offensive "what on earth was that?"
The Seahawks are currently hovering right around that .500 mark again. It's a weird spot.
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One week, they look like they could stifle the 49ers with a disguised simulated pressure package that leaves Brock Purdy seeing ghosts. The next? They’re giving up 150 yards on the ground to a backup running back because the gap discipline evaporated. This isn't just about bad luck. It's about the identity crisis of a franchise trying to pivot from a decade of "Always Compete" to a new, data-driven defensive era.
The Reality of the Seahawks Standing in the NFL Today
The standings don't lie, even if they're annoying. Seattle is a bubble team.
In the current NFC hierarchy, you have the heavyweights—the Lions, the Eagles, and usually the Niners when they aren't decimated by soft-tissue injuries. Then you have the "middle class," which is where Seattle lives. They are fighting for that 6th or 7th seed, essentially praying that Geno Smith can orchestrate a two-minute drill while the offensive line holds up for more than two seconds.
Speaking of the line, that is the literal and figurative anchor dragging down the seahawks standing in the nfl.
You can have DK Metcalf running 22 miles per hour. You can have Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching everything thrown within a five-mile radius. None of it matters if the interior pressure is so consistent that Geno has to throw off his back foot by the second step of his drop. According to PFF and Next Gen Stats, Seattle’s pass-blocking efficiency has consistently ranked in the bottom third of the league over the last two cycles.
It's frustrating.
Mike Macdonald was brought in because he’s a schematic wizard. He proved it in Baltimore. But schemes require personnel who can win one-on-one matchups. While the secondary—led by Devon Witherspoon’s sheer chaos energy—is performing at a high level, the front four has been inconsistent. Leonard Williams is a pro’s pro, but he can’t play every technique at once.
Why the NFC West is a Nightmare
- The San Francisco 49ers still own the divisional blueprint, even with their recent regression.
- The Los Angeles Rams refuse to die as long as Sean McVay is drawing plays on a napkin.
- The Arizona Cardinals have found a rhythm with Kyler Murray that makes them a trap game every single time.
When you play six games a year against that gauntlet, your standing is always going to be precarious. If you go 2-4 in the division, you basically have to be perfect against the rest of the league to sniff a wildcard spot. Seattle hasn't been perfect. They've been "fine." And in the NFL, "fine" gets you the 16th pick in the draft and a lot of questions from season ticket holders.
The Geno Smith Paradox
Is Geno the guy? It’s the question that haunts every sports radio show in the Pacific Northwest.
If you look at the raw numbers, Geno Smith is a top-12 quarterback. His completion percentage above expectation (CPOE) is usually elite. He’s accurate. He’s a leader. But when you talk about the seahawks standing in the nfl, you have to look at the ceiling. Can Geno win you a game when the defense gives up 30? Occasionally. Can he carry a roster with a bottom-five offensive line to a Super Bowl? Historically, the answer is no.
There's a segment of the fanbase that wants to blow it all up and draft a dual-threat rookie. Then there’s the group that realizes how hard it is to find a quarterback who can actually process a defense like Geno does.
Breaking Down the Roster Construction
General Manager John Schneider finally has total control without Pete Carroll’s "win now" veto power. We saw this in the last draft. He's prioritizing twitchy defenders and offensive versatility.
But the "win-loss" standing is stuck because the transition is mid-stream.
The defense is learning a system that is notoriously difficult to master in year one. Macdonald’s Ravens defense took about 12 weeks to really click. In Seattle, we’ve seen flashes of it—rotating safeties at the snap, disguising blitzes from the nickel—but the consistency isn't there yet. When the defense fails, it fails spectacularly. Big plays. Broken coverages. The kind of stuff that makes 12s want to throw their jerseys into the Puget Sound.
What Needs to Change for Seattle to Rise
To move from "playoff hopeful" to "legitimate contender," several things have to break Seattle's way.
First, the offensive line needs more than just a band-aid. They need a foundational shift. Whether that’s through high-end free agency or another first-round investment, the turnstile at guard has to stop.
Second, the run game under Ryan Grubb has to become a weapon again. Kenneth Walker III is a home-run hitter, but the Seahawks need more "four yards and a cloud of dust" to keep their defense off the field. You can't be an air-raid team if you can't protect the quarterback. It’s physics. It’s basic football.
Third, Devon Witherspoon needs to be the best player on the field every Sunday. Not most Sundays. Every Sunday. He is the engine of that defense. When he’s playing like a maniac—blitzing, hitting, chirping—the whole team plays with more edge.
Actionable Steps for Evaluating the Season
If you are tracking where this team is going, stop looking at just the wins and losses. That’s a surface-level metric. Look at these specific indicators instead:
- Third Down Conversion Rate: Seattle’s offense has struggled to stay on the field. If this is under 40%, they aren't a serious team.
- Red Zone Defense: This is Mike Macdonald’s bread and butter. If they are giving up touchdowns instead of field goals inside the 20, the scheme isn't being executed properly.
- Turnover Margin: Geno Smith has a tendency to try to do too much when the pocket collapses. A positive turnover margin usually correlates directly with Seattle winning games they shouldn't.
Monitor the injury report for the offensive tackles. The moment Abraham Lucas or Charles Cross goes down, the Seahawks' standing in the league usually takes a nose dive. Depth is still a major concern for this roster.
The path forward is narrow. The Seahawks are currently a "spoiler" team—dangerous enough to ruin a contender's season, but not quite disciplined enough to be that contender themselves. To bridge that gap, the 2026 offseason will need to be the most aggressive of the John Schneider era. They have the skill positions. They have the coaching staff. Now they just need the trenches to catch up to the 21st century.