Entering the season, the Seattle Seahawks weren't on most people's radar as it relates to championship contenders or even genuine playoff contenders. That argument was based on the switch from Geno Smith — who had a great season last year — to Sam Darnold, who also had a great year last year. Was that the right move? Could Darnold do better?
The questions surrounding Darnold now unquestionably center on Smith, given his generally poor play with the Las Vegas Raiders and their 2-7 record. Clearly, Seattle made the right call by trusting Darnold as their guy over Smith. Darnold is a major reason why the Seahawks aren't just playoff contenders, but championship contenders.
It's not just Seattle's offense that poses a significant threat every Sunday; the defense does as well. Seattle's defense is one of the best in the league, and its latest showing against the Washington Commanders emphasized that. Collectively, Seattle is rolling, and it's fair to ask whether they are more than contenders — the best team in the NFL.
Pat MacAfee jumps on the Seahawks bandwagon
After last weekend's trouncing of the Commanders, that game might have been the best game Seattle had played collectively all season. That's not to say that, as a group, on both sides of the ball, this hasn't happened yet, because it has. But there was something about going against Washington where Seattle's defense got to Jayden Daniels like they did, and how the offense lit the field up that really put a significant emphasis on this season.
Around the tables of the popular sports morning and afternoon talk shows, the Seahawks have emerged as real contenders in the league. One such talk show is The Pat McAfee Show, where, earlier this week, the former NFL kicker heaped a ton of praise on Seattle, signalling that they are a problem for the rest of the league.
McAfee hyped up Darnold and the offense, as he should have, but it was the praise directed toward Mike Macdonald, Seattle's head coach. Macdonald is coaching in his second year, and it's going exceptionally well. What's more impressive, however, is that his first season also went well.
With Smith at quarterback, Macdonald proved he could coach — and he's doing the same now, but even better, with Darnold.
As this season is going down the right path for Seattle, are they proving they're not just very good but possibly the best team in the league? The other contestants, like the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, LA Rams, Detroit Lions, and, no matter their record, the Kansas City Chiefs, have to be at the top of the list with the Seahawks.
Who the best team is may not be the right question; who can be trusted the most should be. Can the Colts be trusted when it comes to the playoffs? They're riding a hot, resurgent Daniel Jones, but just how far can he truly take Indy? The same can be asked about Jared Goff and the Lions. They're having another solid regular season, but can Goff take them over the hump in the postseason?
We know we can trust the Eagles — who thrive on internal chaos and turmoil — and we can trust the Chiefs — who you can never brush off, even if they were 4-5 instead of 5-4. It's the Chiefs, and that's that. As for Buffalo, they should be trusted as long as they can get past the Chiefs in the postseason.
In Seattle, they look the part today, but what happens in the playoffs? Will they be a problem then, just as they are now? They should be counted among the best teams in the league, and yes, they may be the best, given how dominant they are.