Pretty much every season in the NFL there are surprise teams that go from worst to first or make the playoffs after everyone having counted them out during the offseason.
It’s possible the Seahawks will be one of them in 2022. They have some elements of a potentially-sneaky wild card team, including a proven head coach, a strong running game and a defense that’s about to embrace a pretty radical schematic change. However, when compared with other teams around the league who missed the postseason last year, their chances are pretty slim to make the playoffs this time around.
In a new list by Nate Davis at USA TODAY Sports, Seattle came in at No. 12 among the 18 teams that missed out in 2021:
“It’s a given a Pete Carroll-coached team will play hard and with an edge. And this offense could score points in clusters given its playmakers. But a leadership void created by the departures of QB Russell Wilson and MLB Bobby Wagner and a major question about how much production this team will get from Wilson’s replacement suggest Seattle will miss the playoffs in successive seasons for the first time since 2008-09.”
The Seahawks are projected to finish 4-13 in some places and as high as 7-10 in others. Even reaching that high end projection is unlikely to earn them a spot in the postseason given how competitive their division is.
Fans should expect a good run game and a sharp defense, but mediocre/poor quarterback play will keep this team’s ceiling relatively low.
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