Seattle Seahawks Final Predictions for the 2024 NFL Season

As this work week comes to a close, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because we finally did it. It’s early September, the weather is getting cooler, and it’s finally that time of year. Seahawks football is back.

The Seattle Seahawks open the 2024 season at home against the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT. Seattle begins its first season without Pete Carroll since 2009 under new head coach Mike Macdonald. Macdonald and his completely new staff around him will usher in a new era of Seahawks football – and we fans are excited.

Expectations are high, but what does a realistic 2024 season look like for Seattle? Can this new-look, rejuvenated Seahawks team win the NFC West? The NFC? The Super Bowl? Here are my realistic predictions for the Seattle Seahawks in 2024:

Seattle wins games by double digits

When you’re a team with a brand new head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, you want to start the season slow. Luckily for Seattle, the first two games are at home against the disappointing Denver Broncos and away against the underperforming New England Patriots. Ten years ago, that would have been a gauntlet, but in 2024, those games are a great way for Macdonald, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and defensive coordinator Aden Durde to get back on their feet.

The Seahawks have a tough stretch from October 10th to November 17th, where they face the 49ers, Falcons, Bills, Rams and then the 49ers again. If Seattle can win at least two of those games, I think the Seahawks can finish the season with 10 or more wins. The rest of the schedule is pretty favorable for Seattle, who gets to play three of the five worst teams from last season.

On that last point: Under Pete Carroll, Seattle always felt like it was struggling against weaker teams. Carroll never seemed to be able to motivate his players to play games they should win, and the team always lost a game they were clearly favored to win. Mike Macdonald seems to be more of a strict personality who expects full effort and tolerates no nonsense.

However, Seattle has always played against superior opponents under Carroll, and it will be interesting to see how the team fares under Macdonald. Ultimately, I think Seattle will win the games they are supposed to win, and I think they will surprise a few great teams. Seattle finishes the season 10-7.

The Seahawks narrowly miss the NFC West title and secure a Wild Card playoff spot

If I were betting, I’d still bet on San Francisco to win the NFC West despite the turmoil of the offseason and the disappointing end to last season. However, I don’t think they’re a 12-win team anymore. And I don’t think Seattle is a team bordering on a .500 percent record anymore, either.

I think Seattle will win 10 games in 2024, an improvement over last season’s win total. But I still think the 49ers will win 11 games, just enough to snatch the NFC West title away from Seattle. The Rams aren’t shabby either, and will almost certainly finish better than .500. Arizona, the punching bag of the NFC West last season, will also win some games. With a healthy Kyler Murray throwing to phenomenal rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. and a young, revamped defense, Arizona could finish near .500 in 2024.

Needless to say, the NFC West is going to be a fierce battle this season. Is there a reasonable chance Seattle can win the division? Probably! The problem, though, is that both the 49ers and Rams have a good chance of winning the division. I think the Niners will win the division, but Seattle should secure a wild card spot and finish in second place with 10 wins.

Seattle wins a playoff game for the first time in five years

The last time the Seahawks won a playoff game was on January 5, 2020. That was before COVID-19. Seattle, as a 12-5 wild card team, went to Philadelphia and won an ugly affair, 17-9. A rookie, DK Metcalf, caught seven passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch was on that team and ran for a touchdown. Travis Homer had 11 carries for 12 yards… it was a different time.

Since that win in Philadelphia, Seattle has lost three straight playoff games, including a home playoff game after a 12-win season and a division title in which Seattle lost by 10 points to Jared Goff and John Wolford. Seattle missed the playoffs entirely in 2021 and 2023. Under a new regime with a revitalized offense and defense, that should change in 2024.

If Seattle wins 10 or more games and doesn’t win the division, there’s a good chance they’ll secure the first wild card spot and play a road game against the winner of the bottom division. That will most likely be the winner of the NFC South, a division that has struggled in recent years. I expect Seattle to finish fifth and travel to Atlanta to face the NFC South champion Falcons, where the Seahawks will earn their first playoff win since January 2020.

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