Why you should believe in the 2025 Seattle Seahawks

Cooper Kupp joins Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Seattle's leading receivers, expectedly complemented by rookie Tory Horton and veterans Jake Bobo and Dareke Young. Rookie first-round left guard Grey Zabel is already looking like a high-quality starter on the offensive line, providing a potential immediate boost to Seattle's group.

The trenches appear improved as a whole, powering the team to 268 rushing yards on 48 carries (5.6 yards per attempt) in their preseason Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Kubiak might be cooking something up in Seattle.

Why others are skeptical

It's understandable to be skeptical about the offense, especially. A sweeping change in personnel and scheme always begs for caution. But most are focusing on that area instead of putting weight in how much the defense could fuel this roster.

"Darnold is going from a setup where he had strong skill players and an offensive-minded head coach to a roster which will likely lean more on the ground game with a defensive-minded head coach," CBS Sports analyst R.J. White wrote in a predictive piece on the Seahawks' season. "He has also secured a long-term deal, so there's potential for complacency to set in ... Kupp has a great pedigree but there's a reason the Rams were willing to let him walk."

White likes the Seahawks under 8.5 wins in 2025, which hasn't happened since 2021. They've been trending up every year since then, not the other way around. Moreover, there's no mention of the defense at all in his assessment of betting the under — only why the offense could fail.

"I just can't muster up enough belief in the offense to be competitive in the NFC West, and they'll be on the road for most of their games against projected easier opponents on the schedule," White wrote.

Additionally, NFL.com writers Adam Rank and Ali Bhanpuri published predictions for every team in 2025 after Week 2 of the preseason. Rank had the Seahawks finishing 10-7, while Bhanpuri was far less optimistic at 8-9.

"The Seahawks' offensive unknowns seemed to influence the final win-loss decision whenever more stable operations appeared on the calendar," Bhanpuri wrote. "The significant offseason changes, plus the projected rebound by San Francisco, cloud Seattle's 2025 outlook."

Admittedly, the optimism surrounding Seattle's offense is largely based on its preseason success, which is typically a poor predictor of regular-season effectiveness. It wasn't just about the team performance, however, but rather the individual performances of the starting offense against the Chiefs' (mostly) starting defense.

The offense could pull down the team, or it could be the reason they win games. More likely, the slow-burn approach of Kubiak's heavy run game will help the Seahawks play possession football and enhance their already top-end defense.