Seahawks gave fans glimpse of Super Bowl future in Week 2

Sam Darnold, JSN, Mike Macdonald, and Jay Harbaugh had all cylinders running in the second half against Steelers

Six quarters into the season, the Seattle Seahawks were 0-1 and facing a 14-7 deficit to the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. It’s fair to say that after Sam Darnold threw an interception in the first quarter, another in the second, and Jason Myers missed a chip-shot field goal, fan comments about the Seahawks weren’t exactly written as if the team was headed to the Super Bowl.

But as soon as that second half started, it was like waking up the beast for the entire rest of the season, revealing all the reasons why Seattle won the Super Bowl:

• Elite special teams and rules IQ

• Stout defense that can rebound from a lapse

• A running game that eats every available yard

• Talented quarterback who is sneaky-good at escaping pressure

• Number one receiver who can’t be guarded

The manner in which the Seahawks beat the Steelers in their own stadium was a feather in the cap of every coordinator on the team. A 24-3 second half — led by special teams — set the tone for Seattle’s entire season:

It doesn’t matter if you have a good drive, a good quarter, or a good half against the Seahawks. They always come back.

We didn’t know that six quarters into the season, or even six games into the season. We know it now.

So far, Seaside Joe has returned to three games from 2025 (NFC Championship, Week 16 TNF vs Rams, and Week 1 vs 49ers) and now we’ll just go in order.

By looking back, we can learn so much about what’s ahead.

Seahawks are best-coached team in NFL

The Seahawks may not win the Super Bowl if not for two stunning pickups in the end zone. 1) Zach Charbonnet’s two-point conversion against the Rams in Week 16, and 2) This play:

Sure, it’s a fortuitous opportunity made possible because of a boneheaded play by rookie Kaleb Johnson—the announcers talk as if it hasn’t always been a rule that you can’t just let kickoffs go into the end zone untouched and not risk allowing a touchdown—but George Holani’s hustle to get to the ball in time under rare circumstances completely changed the tone of the game.

The last time Aaron Rodgers touched the ball, the score was tied. Now he’s down by 10.

How does it change a quarterback’s mentality to switch that quickly from “we’re going tit-for-tat” to now needing a perfect game AND luck just to probably tie the score and go to overtime?

Seattle both coaches its players to play the right way and scouts for heady players who already know that: Consider DeMarcus Lawrence’s hustle play against the Minnesota Vikings to run down Aaron Jones and force a fumble. That’s a credit to Lawrence and pro scouting.

When we think of a running back, or almost any position, we think of what skills he has for that position. How fast is he? How elusive is he? How good is he at catching the ball? But Holani is more likely to have a long NFL career based on special teams than anything he does as a running back. This wasn’t just a lucky play … It’s a microcosm explanation for why the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.

Because they go the extra yard.

Sam Darnold doesn’t get credit for elusiveness