The Seattle Seahawks’ Quest To SuperBowl 60

Geno Smith had a good run for the Seahawks. In his tenure there as a starter, they won nine games in 2022, nine games in 2023, and ten games in 2024. The team was solid and was always in the mix.

General Manager John Schneider, however, felt like this team could go to a whole new level. The first step was to relieve long-time head coach Pete Carroll from his duties. He did incredible things with the team, including leading them to a Super Bowl victory in 2014. It was just time for a new voice.

That is when Seattle brought in Mike Macdonald. He came from the Baltimore Ravens as a defensive coordinator, where they ranked first in overall defense en route to the AFC Championship. He was clearly a key piece, and Schneider believed that Macdonald could bring a dominant defense back to Seattle.

In the 2024 season, the Seahawks went 10-7 with Macdonald as head coach and Smith as quarterback. They were a defense that was just above average and were solid offensively. That, however, was not enough to get them into the postseason.

In that off-season, the GM made a big swing. Smith was sent off to Las Vegas, and the Seahawks brought in Sam Darnold. Darnold, in 2024, had a career year for the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to a 14-3 record, throwing for 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with over 4,000 passing yards.

Darnold did struggle late in the pivotal week 18 game against the Detroit Lions and the playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Those struggles were enough for the Vikings not to extend him, so Seattle took a chance on him. Despite the late struggles, the Seahawks believed that he could be that franchise guy.

Sam Darnold’s Growth

Darnold, in his first nine games, picked up right where he left off in Minnesota in the regular season. He threw for 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, and the team was 7-2. Despite his solid play, there was a question looming over his head and the team.

Can Darbold perform in big games? He had a chance to prove it in week 11 against the Rams and MVP favorite Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles, at this point, was considered as the gold standard in the NFC. They also knocked out Darnold in the playoffs last year, so this was his moment.

The former first-round pick, however, struggled mightily. Darnold threw for zero touchdowns and had four interceptions. The team only lost 21-19 because the defense was excellent, but that made people think that he was the weak point. The question became whether Darnold was the one holding them back.

Seattle, as a team, didn’t flinch. They won their next four games, and Darnold was fine in these games. They then stared down their second matchup against the Rams. A primetime Thursday Night game.

If Darnold struggles here, the narrative will no longer just be a narrative. His struggles in big games might just be viewed as the ground truth. Seattle found themselves down 16 early in the fourth. Darnold had no touchdowns and two interceptions up til that point. It was looking eerily similar to the first game.

A special teams play then flipped the game. Rasheed Shaheed converted a punt return that made the score from 30-14 to 30-22. That moment seemed to give the rest of the team, including Darnold, some confidence.

From that point on, Darnold played some solid football. He led a game-tying drive, capping it off with a 26-yard touchdown pass and an odd two-point conversion play to tie it 30-30. In overtime, Los Angeles got the ball first and scored to go 37-30

The Seahawks, led by their quarterback, capped off an efficient three-minute drive to win the game 38-37 as Darnold threw the game-winner. This win put them in the driver’s seat to finish first in the conferecne and they did just that.

Seattle won the last two games 27-10 and 13-3, and earned the first-round bye.

All Coming Together

The Seahawks in the 2026 postseason showed how dangerous they really are. In the first game, they won in all three phases as they dismantled a good San Francisco 49ers team. From the opening play, it was utter domination.

Shaheed got things started with a kick return score on the game’s very first play. The number one-ranked defense swallowed that offense and held it to six points. Darnold and the offense played smart football and didn’t turn the ball over.

The second game was not all sunshine and rainbows for Seattle. They faced the Rams for a third time, and Stafford was unstoppable. He had 374 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

The crazy part was that he wasn’t the best quarterback on the field that day. Darnold had 346 yards and three touchdowns and made crucial plays on third down to ice the game. Seattle ended up winning the game 31-27 because of their quarterback.

That should put fear in the New England Patriots. The fact that Seattle can now win with their quarterback going nuclear should be concerning. The Seahawks are a complete football team and are rightfully favored in the Super Bowl.

End Of My Seattle Seahawks Rant

No one saw this coming. Many people thought that getting rid of Smith for Darnold would backfire. It felt like such a risky move.

Fast forward a few months, and the Seahawks were clearly the best team in the league since that Thursday Night game. Their losses were a combined nine points in three games.

Seattle doesn’t get blown out. The Patriots are going to have to take it up three notches to even stand a chance in this game.