Was it apparent how good the Seahawks were in Week 1?
Despite losing in Week 1, the Seahawks were already showing championship qualities
A few days ago, I ran a poll asking fans what they think an appropriate suspension would be for a Seahawks player who bet on his own team to win. A little over half of voters were in favor of some type of punishment, but 26-percented voted “no suspension” and 18-percent didn’t know.
For 23-percent of fans to vote to ban the player for an entire season, and 13-percent to impose a lifetime ban, shows that if nothing else the topic is divisive. Let’s hope we never have to find out.
However, after writing about some of the concerns people have with players gambling—even when it’s betting on their own team to win—the results did change when I ran the same poll at the end of the article. By then, only 15-percent voted for “no suspension”, while a one-year suspension went up from 23-percent to 34-percent.
A player betting on his own team may no have any apparent negative consequences, other than on an individual basis if he were to lose. But what it implies and what it could lead to detrimental ramifications for the league.
Next Poll: Did the Rams make the right moves?
Every week, I send a separate newsletter to the “Super Joes” subscribers ($10 per month) asking for questions to do a Q&A. However, I changed the format this week and asked for poll questions we could use on the next newsletter.
Here’s the first one:
Danno wants to know if fans think the Seahawks have a longer/better Super Bowl window than the Rams. I think Seahawks fans will always overly-lean towards Seattle though, so I’m going to adjust the question and fit it into something that I think might get a more measured reaction.
The Rams have been the star team of the offseason, trading for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. They also drafted QB Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick, a move they hope pays off in 1-3 years. Perhaps the only notable loss is the recent arrest of starting left tackle A.J. Jackson on felony battery charges.
Forget about comparing them to the Seahawks for now. Do you think the Rams had the offseason they needed to have after losing to Seattle in the NFC Championship? Or did they overreact, overpay, and sacrifice the future for the present?
If you want to expand on your answer, or answer Danno’s question directly regarding L.A. and Seattle’s Super Bowl windows, join the comments:
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For what it’s worth, I think the Rams did get better—their corners were bad and Jared Verse is overrated—but we can’t sleep on how the Seahawks should also get better and without needing to make any splashy moves. On Friday, I wrote 5 reasons why I think Seattle’s defense will be even better next season.
Seahawks 2025 in review
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve re-visited the Seahawks’ wins over the Rams in the NFC Championship and Week 16’s overtime thriller. There’s a lot of useful perspective to be gained from re-watching these games months later. So what can we learn from Seattle’s games against the other team in the NFC West that almost earned the number one seed?
Seahawks-49ers Week 1
I watched the condensed version of the Seahawks’ 17-13 loss to the 49ers in Week 1, and here are some of my takeaways nine months later.
The Loss Feels like a Fluke
Jaxon Smith-Njigba fumbled three times last season, and two of those happened against the 49ers in Week 1. The first fumble was lost on the first play of the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks were ahead 10-7. Had he not fumbled, Seattle would have had third-and-6 at the SF43, probably setting up for no worse than a Jason Myers’ field goal attempt. No worse than a Michael Dickson punt to pin the Niners back.
That timing just feels like a fluke, especially given that JSN was the only viable threat on Seattle’s offense that day and then he went on to win Offensive Player of the Year. JSN accounted for almost all of Sam Darnold’s passing yards: 124 of 150.
Two drives later, Seattle is facing third-and-7, but Cooper Kupp picks up six yards instead of seven. The same Kupp who was typically so clutch at gaining the necessary number of yards later in the season.
The Seahawks would have had first down at the SF18, and a touchdown would have given Seattle a 17-10 lead instead of 13-10. Worst case, Seattle runs down more clock with only 3:19 remaining at the time.
What we tend to remember is Nick Bosa bulldozing Abe Lucas into Darnold for a forced fumble to end the game. What I forgot is that the Seahawks had so many opportunities to put the game away (Josh Jobe intercepted Brock Purdy at midfield with 7 minutes left) before then and Seattle was the better team.
Luckily we can now watch this game in peace.
Nothing about the loss feels like a lost opportunity because the Seahawks won the division, the number one seed, and the Super Bowl. There’s no need to mess with the timeline now because everything worked out as it should have.
Sam Darnold wasn’t fully formed yet
Stats don’t tell the whole picture. In his first start with the Seahawks, first start with Klint Kubiak, first start with these teammates, Darnold was prematurely criticized by fans (Seahawks and non-Seahawks variety) after going 16-of-23 for 150 yards and the fumble.
Darnold didn’t have a good game, but playing the 49ers in Week 1 was a difficult first test:
But the signs were there that Darnold was a good signing by Seattle. With 2 minutes left in the first quarter, Greg Olsen praises Darnold’s touch passes and ability to “throw his receivers open” on a 21-yard completion to Smith-Njigba.
In fact, Darnold was better than Brock Purdy.
It took Purdy 35 pass attempts to get 277 yards (he got 121 yards after the catch, compared to only 47 for Darnold) and he threw two interceptions. Darnold was better than Purdy—he is better than Purdy—he just didn’t win.
Against the 49ers in Week 18-wild card, Darnold went a combined 32-of-43 for 322 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
Not going to get him into the Hall of Fame, but in three games against San Francisco, Darnold threw zero picks. Purdy threw four against Seattle.
Do you think Brock Purdy is a long-term answer for the 49ers?
Ernest Jones is underrated
I don’t care if he made second-team All-Pro. Jones is underrated. He got his first of six interceptions (including playoffs) and he dropped another.
In pass coverage and in run defense, Jones was the engine that made Seattle’s defense go. I feel like his All-Pro nod was more of a “interceptions total” vote—which is fine—but I think that fails to appreciate how good Jones is as a run defender.
I watched every game that Jones played for the Los Angeles Rams and he never looked like a special linebacker to me. Maybe a lite version of Jordyn Brooks.
Brooks was better in Seattle than Jones was in L.A.. (Ironically, Brooks was the first-team All-Pro linebacker for Miami last season.)
However, since Jones has hooked up with Mike Macdonald, he’s been carrying the torch for Bobby Wagner. At 26 years old and making under $10 million per season, Ernest Jones IV is among the best bargains and hidden gems in the NFL.
His ascension is reminiscent of Demario Davis, a linebacker who didn’t start getting accolades until he was 30, and then he made five All-Pro teams in a row.
Jones is no longer a good linebacker. With Macdonald putting him in position to make plays, and the players around him potentially getting better next season, Ernest Jones could be called the best linebacker next season.
So long, Woolen
Tariq Woolen (or “Woooooooh-len” as Olsen pronounces it) was at his worst here and he’s a player who Kyle Shanahan has known how to expose since his rookie season in 2022.
Woolen allowed 80 yards on four catches, including a touchdown, which was the game-winner by Jake Tonges. It’s not just a size disadvantage…Woolen proved that Tonges knew better how to fight for a ball in the end zone than he did:
Here he is getting absolutely dominated by Ricky Pearsall with a double-move:
Woolen is the type of player who can cover ground and make a play in a hurry because of speed and length, but who is also so undisciplined that smarter players will beat him consistently enough for it not to matter. He also had two illegal contact penalties in this game. We don’t know if Julian Neal is good, but I don’t think he has the “big shoes to fill” like so many others seem to believe.
What do you remember about Week 1?