The Seattle Seahawks lost their first matchup with the Los Angeles Rams this past week. The good news is they'll get another chance next month, and there's a decent chance that they will get a third meeting in the NFL playoffs, as well.
So, while they remain winless against the Rams with Matt Stafford in the lineup, there is hope that they may yet get over this hump in 2025.
The biggest takeaway from this game is that even though Sam Darnold would have been better off never getting off the plane, the Seahawks came extremely close to upsetting an LA team that's probably the best in the league right now.
That makes Seattle a real heavyweight - and The Athletic analyst Saad Yousuf has ranked them No. 1 on his list of teams that are on the cusp of Super Bowl contention.
"The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL. In fact, Sunday’s loss furthers that case, as theyfell by just 2 points on the road against a top-tier Rams team, despite losing the turnover battle 4-1. The defense is legit, and the offense has a high ceiling."
Leonard Williams
Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) signs autographs before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
The biggest reason to be bullish about these Seahawks is their defense, which seems to be impervious to injuries.
Despite missing multiple pieces in their secondary for most of the season and several other key pieces along the way, the Seahawks head into Week 12 ranked sixth in points allowed per game. That's a stellar place to be considering the circumstances and a credit to Mike Macdonald's coaching.
Seattle is also pretty potent on special teams this year, and the addition of All-Pro punt returner Rashid Shaheed should make them even more dynamic in this phase.
Offensively, there are other good signs - including two straight strong games from a rushing attack that's been inconsistent at best this season. And, with news that Kenneth Walker III will be taking on a larger role over Zach Charbonnet, that element should only get better as the season winds down.
The moral of the story is even if Sam Darnold is literally having his worst day, the Seahawks are so deep that they have a legit chance to take down true Super Bowl contenders.
If they can get Darnold clicking again with an elite defense going into the playoffs anything is possble.
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