The best teams the Seahawks have played since 2016
On the podcast with Mookie Alexander this week (Seaside Joe: A Football Podcast) we talked about how long it has been since the Seattle Seahawks had a really good win over a really good team. This is my attempt to cover the last six seasons and which attempts Seattle has even had to play and beat a good team.
And how often they’ve been blown out in these games.
2016
Seahawks 26, Falcons 24 (home)
Seattle holds a 17-3 lead at halftime but trails 24-17 at the end of the third quarter. The Seahawks are in danger of losing when Steven Hauschka misses a potential game-tying PAT, but Earl Thomas intercepts Matt Ryan with 3:48 remaining and sets the offense up in field goal range to win. Ryan goes 0-4 on the final drive.
Seahawks 31, Patriots 24 (away)
Back and forth game has Seattle trailing going into the fourth, but LOB forced fumble helps the Seahawks during a 9-0 run and Tom Brady is stood up at the goal line in the final seconds to seal the win.
Packers 38, Seahawks 10 (away)
The Patriots were 14-2 and won the Super Bowl, but Seattle beat them fair and square. The Packers were good too, but only 10-6 and seventh in DVOA. And they may have officially ended any hope Pete Carroll had to get back to the Super Bowl any time soon. It was an annihilation.
Falcons 36, Seahawks 20 (playoffs away)
After getting wins over eventual winning teams Miami, Atlanta, and New England, the Seahawks were blown out by the Packers in Green Bay. Two weeks later they lost to the remnants of Carson Palmer’s career at home against the Cardinals. And despite beating a playoff team in the playoffs, I don’t consider the 2016 Lions to be a great team. Or even a good team. Only three months after beating them, Seattle was absolutely no match for the Falcons.
Record: 2-2
Not including: Dolphins, Saints, Lions (playoffs)
2017
Seahawks 16, Rams 10 (away)
In hindsight, I think this is the only opponent that Seattle faced over the first nine games of the 2017 that was very good, and the Seahawks only went 6-3 in that stretch. And they did beat LA, which just means that they went 5-3 against the other teams. Then they lost to the Falcons at home.
Falcons 34, Seahawks 31 (home)
Though Blair Walsh did miss a would-be game-tying field goal from 52 yards out, Seattle really had to fight tooth and nail just to stay competitive in this game. Playing at home on Monday Night Football used to be Russell Wilson’s bread and butter.
Seahawks 24, Eagles 10 (home)
This did feel much more like a Russell Wilson primetime home game.
Jaguars 30, Seahawks 24 (away)
This felt like a game that Seattle would have always won in the past, even if the Jaguars did have a great pass defense in 2017. But Jacksonville really handled the Seahawks with ease that day and dropped them to 8-5.
Rams 42, Seahawks 7 (home)
If the Falcons game didn’t end home mystique, this sure did.
Seahawks 21, Cowboys 12 (away)
I think at this point we just have to accept that there’s a late season collapse floor below Seattle and thy name is the Dallas Cowboys.
Record: 3-2
Not including: Packers, Washington (but for the record, the Seahawks lost those games)
2018
Bears 24, Seahawks 17 (away)
Another Monday Night Football loss for Wilson, as the Bears took a 24-10 lead late in the fourth quarter on a pick-six by Russ.
Seahawks 24, Cowboys 13 (home)
I think it’s an easy argument to make that the 2018 Cowboys were not a good team, but I don’t want to catch flak for ignoring them since they did make the divisional round (we’ll get there).
Rams 33, Seahawks 31 (home)
Seattle faced 2nd-and-23 at midfield with 3:49 remaining, but Wilson had two incomplete passes. Literally any amount of yards more than eight and the Seahawks can go for it on fourth down, but instead Pete punts because it’s 4th-and-23. Or maybe he would’ve punted on 4th-and-1, who knows.
Chargers 25, Seahawks 17 (home)
Less home mystique again. Chargers led 25-10 at the two minute warning, so the game was not that close.
Rams 36, Seahawks 31 (away)
Seattle really helped the LA Rams reach the Super Bowl in 2018 by not proving to be the dominant force in the series they once were.
Seahawks 21, Vikings 7 (home)
This was also a MNF game, but I just don’t consider the Vikings to be that notable of an NFL team. Make a counterargument, I dare you.
Seahawks 38, Chiefs 31 (home)
And this may have been the last time the Seahawks had a really impressive win.
Cowboys 24, Seahawks 22 (playoff away)
And then this happened.
Record: 3-5
2019
Saints 33, Seahawks 27 (home)
Ravens 30, Seahawks 16 (home)
Seahawks 27, 49ers 24 OT (away) (no George Kittle)
Seahawks 17, Eagles 9 (away)
49ers 26, Seahawks 21 (home)
Packers 28, Seahawks 23 (playoffs away)
Record: 2-4 (0-3 at home)
Not including: Eagles playoffs (Josh McCown)
2020
The Seahawks drew the NFC East this year, a division that was won by 7-9 Washington. They played the AFC East, which featured the worst Patriots season in 20 years, the 2-14 Jets, and a supremely overrated Dolphins team. The Cardinals were gearing up, but not ready, and the 49ers went 6-10 as Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard started 10 games. The Seahawks faced the last place Falcons out of the NFC South and the 7-9 Vikings out of the NFC North.
Helps give the 12-4 record and the 7-10 follow-up season a little bit more perspective, I think.
Bills 44, Seahawks 33 (away)
Rams 23, Seahawks 16 (away)
Seahawks 20, Rams 9 (home)
Rams 30, Seahawks 20 (playoffs home)
That’s right. I think the Seahawks played a total of two good teams in 2020 and even then, I’m stretching with the Rams. The Rams were not a very good offense with Jared Goff and we’ve seen the differences that I had expected with Matthew Stafford replacing Goff. But Seattle got away with murder on the 2020 schedule, they won’t be as lucky with their away games in 2022.
Record: 1-3 (0-1 if not including Rams)
2021
Titans 33, Seahawks 30 OT (home)
Seahawks 28, 49ers 21 (away)
Rams 26, Seahawks 17 (home)
Packers 17, Seahawks 0 (away)
Cardinals 23, Seahawks 13 (home)
Seahawks 30, 49ers 23 (home)
Rams 20, Seahawks 10 (away)
Seahawks 38, Cardinals 30 (away)
I’m being super generous with including the Cardinals. They did not belong in the playoffs. I’m not including the Steelers, they also didn’t belong in the postseason. If you take away Seattle’s sweep of San Francisco—in fact if you ignore the NFC West for a moment—the Seahawks were 0-2 outside of the division. 0-3 if you do include the Steelers. 0-4 if you include the Saints, the next best team left. Or 0-5 if you include the Vikings. Seattle can throw some punches in the division, but what else is new? The Cardinals did that for years when they were terrible. It wasn’t any consolation prize to Arizona, I’m sure. This isn’t college. There are no bragging rights.
Record: 3-5 (1-3 at home, 1-5 vs non-49ers teams)
The Seattle Seahawks haven’t had an impressive win outside of the NFC West division since beating the Chiefs in December of 2018. That’s three seasons worth of falling short, not just one bad week, one bad month, or one bad year.
Total record: 14-21
Since 2019: 6-12
Outside of NFC West since 2019: 1-6 (win vs. Carson Wentz)
At home since 2019: 2-7