When Will Seahawks Catch Their First Loss?
How Brian Fleury could use "Dash Motion" to make Seahawks a more dangerous rushing offense
The Seattle Seahawks play four primetimes games in the first two months of the season alone, more than they were scheduled for during all of last season. I guess you could say “times” change fast.
The Seahawks had four primetime games in 2025 (the last one was flexed, so not on the original schedule) but have six this year, including night meetings on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and two on a Monday, both of which are at home.
This doesn’t include a Saturday afternoon game against the Eagles on December 19.
It’s a great schedule for Sam Darnold if he wants to win MVP—more eyeballs makes it easier to get accolades, but also to get criticized—but also comes with challenges. The NFL doesn’t tend to put lame games in primetime, unless it’s a Thursday.
In the first eight weeks, Seattle faces at least five teams expected to be Super Bowl contenders, not including the Chargers (the talent is always there, but they consistently suck in the playoffs). And the Moons fell one win shy of the Super Bowl a year ago.
If the Seahawks go into their bye week at 7-3, that’s hardly what I would call a disappointment. But can they go 10-0?
Let’s talk about in part I of Super Joes Q&A.
Seaside Joe opened the Super Joes’ mailbag to all subscribers on Monday, so I’ll start the process of answering all your questions today. The Super Joes mailbag is available throughout the season, upgrade to be able to ask your own questions in 2026.
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Danny Walter: What do you predict the Seahawks win-loss will be by the time the reach their bye week? I believe, barring injuries, it's possible they will be 10-0.
I try to stay as far away from pre-season record predictions as much as possible. Can the Seahawks start 10-0?
Sure.
But Seattle also started 7-3 last season and won the Super Bowl. And when your favorite team wins the Super Bowl, it almost makes their losses seem…funny.
“Remember when the 49ers thought they had knocked off the Seahawks in Week 1??? 😂😂😂”
So I’ll never feel pressed to expect—or even want—perfection. So many things can go wrong between now and Week 1, let alone Week 10, and ultimately playing the Cardinals in Arizona (which we know has its challenges) could prove harder than beating the Chiefs in Week 7.
Do I think the Seahawks are better on paper right now than the first nine teams they play in the opening 10 weeks?
I do think that.
Toughest game to win?
Maybe the Chargers, surprisingly? Jim Harbaugh should have a good read on Mike Macdonald (and vice versa, of course) and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel vs. Macdonald will be one of the best coordinator matchups this season. What do you all think?
Samuel Garfield: Do you have any insight. ideas. or hopes about how the Seahawks might evolve schematically from last year?
Scott M: I keep hearing our offense will feature new motions and other wrinkles not previously utilized. I don't have time to do all the leg work, but maybe you could help us see what might be coming down the line?
Legion of 12s just posted a great video about this.
Legion of 12s specifically spent a lot of time highlighting “Dash Motion” and why Brian Fleury may be taking that with him from San Francisco to Seattle. Dash Motion is when the fullback (although maybe lined up in a TE position) motions before the snap, either to change the math of one side to another (i.e. does the offense have enough blockers to take out every defender?) or even just to do a fake-out if the fullback motions but then comes right back to his original position.
This wasn’t just a motion that Kyle Shanahan used heavily in 2025. When Dash Motion was used, the 49ers posted their best rushing numbers of the season.
Key benefits of dash motion include:
Offensive Flexibility: It allows an offense to begin in a one-back set and shift into a two-back concept at the snap, making it harder for defenses to diagnose the play.
Momentum for Blockers: The motion gives the fullback a running start as they approach their blocking assignment, which can lead to more effective blocks.
Defensive Stress: The motion forces defenders to communicate and react to the shifting alignment. Frequently, linebackers may overreact to the motion or be forced to adjust their positioning, which often creates favorable run angles or cutback lanes for the offense.
Does this dramatically change Seattle’s offensive tendencies from last year? Not really. As pointed out by PFF, the Seahawks were already running motion at an above-average rate with Klint Kubiak, another coach closely tied to Shanahan.
“New Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury spent the past several seasons under Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel, making it likely that Seattle will maintain a high rate of shifts and motion. Questions remain about the offense’s 2026 play-action usage, but given the Seahawks’ recent success with the concept and Fleury’s background in a Shanahan-style system, a significant reduction appears unlikely.”
And the other side to that—which I say every year—is that fans tend to dramatically over-state the differences of one coordinator to another.
But far worse than that, we tend to think that every coach will be a carbon copy of his most recent boss. Why do we do this?
Nobody thinks of Macdonald as a copy/paste of any other defensive coach. He’s his own Mike Macdonald. If Fleury is a good coordinator, he will design a system for the Seattle Seahawks, not just overlay the one that he learned last season onto a team with totally different players.
The 49ers don’t have anyone as good as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, so what is Fleury supposed to do? Turn JSN into Jauan Jennings? It won’t work like that.
That being said, a player like Robbie Ouzts has the potential to thrive in Dash Motion and all Motion concepts in the run game. It will be interesting to see how Fleury does form an offense around Seattle’s personnel, including at the tight end position. For example…
Jimmy Johnson: I am liking what Fleury can do if we field the heaviest Jumbo package in the League. 13 personnel with a healthy Arroyo out in the X position opens some creative run/pass options.
When you’ve got tight ends like Arroyo and A.J. Barner, fullbacks like Ouzts and Brady Russell, and additional blockers like Eric Saubert and Nick Kallerup (or Nick Vannett??), it should free up the Seahawks to do intriguing—and hopefully ORIGINAL—things.
Samuel Garfield: What are your hottest takes about teams outside the NFC West?
Ray: Can SSJ tell us who he thinks are going to be the four best and four worst teams in each conference?
NFC: Seahawks, Rams, Lions, Eagles.
AFC: Bills, Chiefs, Texans, Chargers.
Obviously I tend to lean more on historical success (PHI, KC) than most recent success (NE, DEN) and I guess I’m not very high on some teams as others are, like the Ravens and Bears.
I guess that could be a hot take.
Hottest take?
The Tennessee Titans make the playoffs and are the most improved team in the NFL. What would you say your hottest take is?
Rook: What position do you feel is the most likely target for the Seahawks to try to add talent, either before the season starts or before the trade deadline?
The Seahawks signed former undrafted linebacker Garrett Nelson on Tuesday, but that’s probably not what you meant. I just figured I should make an update there. Seattle waived receiver Kyre Duplessis, a reminder that being a “camp body” sucks. I wonder if Duplessis did anything wrong other than just not playing the right position at the right time.
I wonder if it felt like the Seahawks would need a defensive end going into 2023, or if it felt like they needed a linebacker going into 2024, or if it felt like they needed a speedy receiver and returner going into 2025. Or if the Seahawks just acted on trades for Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones, and Rashid Shaheed because they were the best players available.
The most vivid memory I have of these preseasons is that people were very optimistic about Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson a couple of Augusts ago.
So, help could come from anywhere.
If forced to hazard a guess, here’s one: The running back position looks great right now, but is the one that I could see how an injury or a bad start to the season would force John Schneider to consider outside options.
That’s a surprising pick, I know. I think whatever does happen, it will be unexpected. Not just…”cornerback and edge rushers.”
Sandman: How does the IOL pecking order look so far? Any stand out efforts in camp getting noticed? I hope someone steps up to separate from the pack.
Too soon to say. There won’t be a change at right guard. That I’m pretty certain of. Depth-wise, I’m not sure that it would even matter to say who backs up who because the coaches could change their mind after the season begins. Let’s hope we never have to find out.
I know there will be debates about which 10th or 11th offensive lineman would be the best to keep because we’ve already started to have them, but the Seahawks have barely started to practice with their pads on. Probably nothing to evaluate there until the preseason starts.
Jon Smith: Who do you think will be the most important player over the next few years? Witherspoon or Emmanwori? And can the Seahawks afford them both?
I would like to see Nick Emmanwori play a second NFL season before making any hard and fast determinations about his career. This is that time in a young superstar’s life that we start to etch his name into the Hall of Fame forever…17 games into his career.
Devon Witherspoon has proven more to me. Emmanwori has the higher ceiling.
If the Seahawks are able to keep both of these players for the next four years—and financially, it’s not really an issue of “can” but “want”—the secondary will be great and it’ll be difficult to separate their individual values because it’s an answer that could change every other week. They could both be the best.
More Super Joes answers to come this week, so make sure you’re a subscriber—and share Seaside Joe with a Seahawks fan friend.