Four weeks ago, the Seahawks were 4-5 and looked like they were trending down. A 3-0 start had turned into a stretch of 1-5, and fans had begun to call for Mike MacDonald to be a one-year head coach.
Fast forward a month. The Seahawks are not only on a four-game winning streak, but they’ve beat the rival Cardinals twice and the rival 49ers, as well as the New York Jets.
Seattle is ahead of schedule here. Mike MacDonald was not hired as an experienced head coach who would be bringing an established culture to the program. He is a first-year coach, the youngest in the league, and he is still learning. Had the Seahawks finished 7-10, as Vegas expected them to going into the season, MacDonald should still have received credit for rallying a young and inexperienced team to seven wins. However, with the Seahawks now knocking on the door of the playoffs, MacDonald deserves serious recognition for what he has done in Seattle.
He’s turning around the defense. The Seahawks defense has not been in the top 20 in points-per-game since 2020. This year, they rank 16th and have been even better since their blowout home loss to the Bills. Seattle is forcing turnovers and stopping the run, two things they have really struggled with in recent years.
Anything more from here is the cherry on top. The Seahawks have already topped their preseason win projection and proven they can compete. Geno Smith is having a bounce-back season and appears to be thriving in Ryan Grubb’s pass-first offense. Even if the Seahawks slip up to the Rams and miss the playoffs, don’t think you will be seeing disappointment from me.
It is important to judge the team based on where they are at and what they are capable of. The Seahawks are not a true Super Bowl contender and entering the season, nobody outside of Seattle gave them a chance to compete for the division. The fact they are leading the division going into week 15 is enough proof I need that MacDonald can coach, and that the future remains bright in Seattle.