Including the playoffs — and why wouldn’t we, considering that’s sort of the point of the whole thing — the Seahawks were a .500 team during the 2022 season, finishing 9-9.
And maybe befitting a .500 team, they played better vs. losing teams and worse against good ones, finishing 2-5 against playoff teams (again, including the postseason loss to the 49ers) and 3-4 against teams that finished with a winning record.
They were also outscored 442-430 for the season, including the playoffs.
But take those darn 49ers out of the picture, and it brightens considerably.
Other than the San Francisco games, the Seahawks were 2-2 against playoff teams and 3-1 against teams that finished with winning records (they played 11 games against teams that finished with losing records, which helped).
Unfortunately for Seattle, though, the 49ers aren’t going anywhere. Standout left tackle Trent Williams, defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, safety Talanoa Hufanga and quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Trey Lance are under contract for 2023.
One thing became clear this season as the Seahawks lost three games all by eight points or more to the 49ers. The Seahawks surprised most of the NFL by achieving a winning season and reaching the playoffs, but they have work to do to get back on top of the NFC West.
Consider that context as we hand out our end-of-season position grades.
Quarterback
Geno Smith was everything the Seahawks wanted, and at age 32 he should be able to play that level for a few more years — maybe for as long as Pete Carroll, who turns 72 in September, wants to coach. Obviously, any QB wants to reduce turnovers, and Smith had 11 interceptions, which he’d admit were a few too many. Still, his 1.9% interception rate tied for 11th in the NFL with none other than Patrick Mahomes. The bigger knock on Smith might be his five fumbles lost, tied for third in the NFL. But it’s worth noting he’s behind Trevor Lawrence (nine) and Josh Allen (six) and ahead of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady (four each), illustrating it kind of comes with the position. Still, that’s the big area to improve next season.
Grade: B-plus
Running back
The Seahawks got most of what they wanted from Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III when both were healthy — especially once Walker dedicated himself to less thinking and more decisively hitting the hole in the last few games of the season. But sadly, Seattle never got to see much of the 1-2 punch it envisioned with Penny lost for the season just five games in. Health issues also hit backups/third-down specialists Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, and Seattle may want to search for additions there, especially with Homer being a free agent.
Grade: B-plus
Receiver
The high expectations that understandably greet DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett might obscure how consistently productive they were — Metcalf’s 90 receptions were a career high, and Lockett topped the 1,000-yard mark for a fourth consecutive season, tying Steve Largent’s team record. The Seahawks also had just 13 dropped passes, third-fewest in the NFL. What Seattle needs is more reliable and consistent productivity from its third, fourth and fifth receivers. Marquise Goodwin was good when healthy and might be back. But Seattle could use more from 2021 second-round draft pick Dee Eskridge, who had seven receptions in 10 games. Maybe Dareke Young will take a big step forward.
Grade: B
Tight end
This is another spot where the expectations might unduly color the perception of the accomplishments. Seattle’s tight ends had the fifth-most targets in the NFL with 136 and caught nine of the team’s 30 receiving touchdowns. And Will Dissly, Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson are under contract for 2023. But obviously, the one big disappointment was Dissly’s late-season knee injury.
Grade: B-plus
Offensive line
One thing Seattle had going for it was consistency on the offensive line — of the top six players there were only six total missed games due to injury. And though the line was far from perfect, the Seahawks got the blocking they needed to rank in the top 10 in yards per pass and yards per rush and ninth in scoring. Bookend rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas largely lived up to the hype — and left guard Damien Lewis was solid in his third year, ranking 11th out of 78 guards according to Pro Football Focus. But Gabe Jackson was 60th at right guard, where he shared time with Phil Haynes, who was 55th. Austin Blythe ranked 36th out of 39 centers. The Seahawks may seek to upgrade the interior offensive line in the offseason.
Grade: B-minus
Defensive line
The playoff loss to the 49ers, and some of the ghastly overall rushing numbers, might overshadow some good play on Seattle’s defensive front this season. Newcomer Uchenna Nwosu was 13th in the league in tackles for a loss with 15, and Darrell Taylor came on late to tie Nwosu for the team lead in sacks at 9.5. Seattle tied for seventh with 45 sacks. But some of the other more advanced numbers illustrate how inconsistent the pass rush was — Seattle’s overall pressure rate of 20.8% was 19th in the league. And then there’s that run defense, which ranked 30th in yards allowed and 26th in yards per attempt. It’s hardly all blamed on the line, but starts there. Carroll said the Seahawks misused Poona Ford some, as they went with more 3-4 looks, by not playing him almost exclusively at nose tackle. If Ford, a free agent, returns expect him to play more there. But more damning than any grade we can hand out was Carroll’s indictment of the line during his end-of-season media session when he said the Seahawks have to be “more dynamic up front.” Expect this to be an area of significant change in the offseason as Seattle seeks more production off the edge, with players who might better fit the 3-4.
Grade: C-minus
Linebacker
There was the good. Jordyn Brooks was on pace to again be among the league leaders in tackles before suffering an ACL injury in the second-to-last game. Cody Barton improved as the season progressed and showed versatility in moving to the middle when Brooks went down. But there were also far too many missed run fits, not enough impact plays and too many big plays allowed overall. Consider that the Seahawks ranked second in the NFL in passing yards allowed to tight ends with 1,115 (and no, those weren’t all by Kittle). That’s not solely the fault of the linebackers, but it illustrates how well opponents were able to attack the middle of the field in the passing game. Complicating things is that it’s unclear if Brooks will be ready for the start of the 2023 season, and Barton is a free agent. Brooks’ uncertainty could mean the team tries harder to keep Barton and maintain some continuity at the inside spots.
Grade: C-minus
Secondary
Cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant were rookie revelations, also showing there is some growing to do. Michael Jackson was also a surprise at cornerback. Safety Quandre Diggs admirably didn’t miss a snap all season after recovering from a broken fibula and dislocated ankle last January. And safety Ryan Neal showed he can be a starting-caliber player in the NFL, taking over for the injured Jamal Adams. Woolen tying for the NFL lead in interceptions with sixth was a highlight, as was Bryant forcing four fumbles to tie for third in the NFL with teammate Taylor. And a year after finishing 24th in yards allowed per pass, the Seahawks cut that to 15th. But some of the improved passing numbers seemed at the expense of the run defense, and there were too many blown assignments, missed tackles and big plays allowed at inopportune times. And Seattle ultimately gave up more points than a year ago — 23.5 per game compared with 21.5 in the 2021 season, falling from 11th to 25th in the most important statistical category.
Grade: B-minus
Special teams
The season began off sort of roughly, with special-teams mishaps contributing to early-season losses to the 49ers and Saints, and making wins over the Lions and Cardinals tighter than necessary. But from there Seattle’s special teams were as good as any in the league. Kicker Jason Myers hit 34 of 37 field-goal attempts, made the Pro Bowl and earned a new four-year contract from the team, making him the NFL’s second-highest-paid kicker. Michael Dickson was second in the NFL in net punting, Nick Bellore tied for fifth in special-teams tackles with 15 and late-season pickup Godwin Igwebuike was a revelation at kick returner, averaging 28.0 yards, which would have ranked third in the NFL with enough attempts to qualify. Seattle gained almost a yard more per punt return than its opponents and 3.4 yards more on kickoff returns.
Grade: A-minus