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This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

Now comes the true test.

This game has been marked on the calendar as a big matchup before the season started, and the anticipation has only grown since.  A close loss in Week Eleven in which the Seahawks won in every facet of the stat sheet except the most important one has only fueled the rivalry.

And now, with a clear path to both a division title and the #1 seed on the line, we once again see these two colliding.  We should expect nothing less than another memorable matchup.

The Rams are perhaps the NFL’s best team at the moment.  In the last two weeks, they have scored over 40 points and gained over 500 yards of offense in their wins.

Their Week Thirteen loss to Carolina only underscores their prowess.  Carolina needed the following to beat the Rams:

• Three Ram turnovers, including a Matt Stafford pick-6 and two others in Carolina’s Red Zone
• Two daring fourth-down touchdown throws by Bryce Young
• Having possession of the football in 21 of the game’s last 30 minutes

Likely the Rams felt like the Seahawks did after Week Eleven.  We played very, very well.  A couple things go our way and we walk away with a win.

A few things have changed since that game:

The Seahawks have flipped the arrow on the turnover margin, with an excellent +6 number, while the Rams have trended the other way at -1.  Matt Stafford has thrown three interceptions, two of them the familiar variety of poor decision that he has avoided this year.

Seattle’s defense has gotten even better, conceding only 237 yards and 12.25 points per game, while the Rams defense trended down a bit, conceding 338 yards and two touchdown passes to Jared Goff and 164 yards on the ground to Carolina.

Their offense has more than made up the difference, averaging a stellar 37 points and 440 yards per game, while the Seahawks had sputtering halves against Atlanta and Minnesota and could not score a touchdown against the Colts.

On the personnel front, Jarran Reed and Julian Love are back after missing Week Eleven, while Charles Cross will miss the game after an injury Sunday.  The Rams will likely sit Davante Adams with an injury.

Blake Corum is suddenly red-hot with four touchdowns and a crazy 9.3 yards per rush, featuring nine explosive runs.  Old friend Colby Parkinson had a two-touchdown game last week along with five catches for 75 yards.

For the Seahawks, Rashid Shaheed is much more comfortable in the offense.  Byron Murphy and DeMarcus Lawrence have emerged as forces on the Defensive Line to complement Leonard Williams, and Nick Emmanwori’s confidence and role is growing by the week.

Some Game Thoughts

— The Seahawks held Matt Stafford to his worst game of the year in their last matchup.  They will need that and a bit more for this game.  Someone has to make a play that will tilt the game.  In the loss to the Panthers, that someone was Derrick Brown.  He was directly responsible for two turnovers, batting a pass that was intercepted and then strip-sacking Stafford with two minutes to play.

— We talked about the need for poise leading up to the last matchup and unfortunately, that was the key issue in the Seahawks’ loss.  It is no less important this week.  Sam Darnold has a chance to put that performance behind him.  A spectacular game would be fantastic.  But a solidly competent, smart game where he plays within himself and trusts his defense at times to get him the ball back might be just what the doctor ordered.

— The two fourth down touchdowns the Panthers scored?  Emmanuel Forbes was defending on both.  The Seahawks had four completions for 51 yards against him in Week Eleven.  We also pointed out that Nathan Landman is vulnerable in coverage and the Seahawks attacked him three times for 33 yards.  AJ Barner had career-highs in eleven targets and ten catches to log 70 yards against this defense.  Keep going to that well.

— Ken Walker had a quietly effective game on the ground and added three catches for 44 yards in the passing game.  A repeat of that performance would go a long way toward balancing their attack in this one.

— This is the kind of effort the Seahawks need on defense today.

Charles Cross has been ruled out for the Rams game with an injury.

However, rather than be concerned, I’m intrigued to see what a Cross-less Seahawks look like.

There’s an assumption that Cross will be given a hefty extension next off-season. The chances are the new deal would top the $28.5m a year Rashawn Slater earns with the Chargers.

I’m not against the Seahawks extending their young left tackle. I appreciate fully it’s a difficult position to solve.

I don’t think, however, there’s enough of a conversation about how good Cross actually is. It feels like one big assumption that he’s one of the top players at his position. I’m not so sure. And if he isn’t one of the very best tackles in the NFL, what’s the rush to make him the highest paid?

Last summer Jeremy Fowler polled league executives, coaches and scouts to put together a ranking list for each position in the NFL. Cross wasn’t included in the top-10 tackles. He wasn’t even included in the six listed honourable mentions.

He is currently ESPN’s 11th ranked tackle in pass-block win percentage.

PFF has him graded as the 26th best tackle in football this year. In terms of pass-blocking he’s their 38th ranked offensive lineman. He’s their 53rd ranked run-blocking tackle.

How good is he, then?

If Jones is able to come in and play at the levels portrayed above and basically pick up the slack, what then?

I’m not arguing that such a scenario should see Cross run out of town and replaced. I just think there hasn’t been enough of a conversation about how well he’s playing or the state of his development in four seasons in Seattle.

I didn’t grade him as a top-10 pick before the 2022 draft. That wasn’t a hot-take. Daniel Jeremiah had him at #22 in his final top-150 players.

His base and core power always bothered me, as did his non-typical frame. I thought he needed to get stronger. Although his footwork was quick and sharp and effectively his calling card, he would lunge to the outside. You didn’t see him often mirror, engage and finish in the air-raid offense. There was a lot of projection as to whether he could do that consistently well.

We see the same issues exist today. It feels like every year we’re waiting for him to take the next step and it hasn’t happened.

I’m not a fan of paying non-elite players top-end salaries when you’re operating under a hard cap. If there’s a deal to be done without re-setting the market, great. The way people talk about Cross though, it just seems like he has a reputation way beyond his performance level. There’s this grand assumption, locally and nationally, that he’s a top player. I think he’s a decent player. He is not great.

His cap-hit next year is $17.56m on the fifth year option per Over the Cap. Their projection for the offensive lineman franchise tag in 2026 is $27.18m. With two further years of club control, do you need to commit to Cross next off-season?

Many people expected him to be paid last summer. It didn’t happen. I argued it shouldn’t happen at the time because I thought he needed to reach a new level of performance to justify it. Simply put, I don’t think he’s done it.

For that reason, I’d be inclined to play this by ear. If there’s a more reasonable number to be found, fair enough. But this shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion that he’ll top Slater’s deal with the Chargers.

I will say though — you often hear how impossible it is to find good offensive tackles without picking in the top-10 of the draft. Let’s look at the ten players ranked ahead of Cross in ESPN’s pass-block win-rate:

#1 Roger Rosengarten — 62nd pick in 2024
#2 Dion Dawkins — 63rd pick in 2017
#3 Tristan Wirfs — 13th pick in 2020
#4 Zach Tom — 140th pick in 2022
#5 Andrew Thomas — 4th pick in 2020
#6 Ronnie Stanley — 6th pick in 2016
#7 Darnell Wright — 10th pick in 2023
#8 Jawaan Taylor — 35th pick in 2019
#9 Garett Bolles — 20th pick in 2017
#10 Rasheed Walker — 249th pick in 2022

The average draft position of these 10 players is 60th overall. If you take out the two most extreme examples — Andrew Thomas (#4) and Rasheed Walker (#249) the average still settles at #44 overall.

The rest of the top-20 also includes Warren McCledon (174th overall), Spencer Brown (93rd overall), Terence Steele (undrafted), Luke Goedeke (57th overall), Brian O’Neill (62nd overall), Jaylon Moore (155th overall) and, predictably, Trent Williams (dealt to the 49ers for a 5th round pick and a future third rounder).

I’m not suggesting it’s a walk in the park to find good pass-protecting tackles. I just think it’s important to note that the concept of these players being impossible to discover, or that they require premium draft stock to acquire, isn’t strictly true.

A bigger conversation about Cross’ play is required. It’s as if nobody really talks about it. I think it’s convenient not to talk about it because the alternative (having to consider other left tackles) is an uncomfortable thought. Plus, his draft status as a top-10 pick has possibly created a misplaced aura over his play (that has arguably been the case with Witherspoon at times too).

Elite contracts should be for the best players. They shouldn’t be given out simply to avoid having to consider alternatives at some point in the future.

I’m interested to see what happens on Thursday. It might mean paying Cross to avoid a Jones-type future develops into a bigger narrative. It might simply mean Jones isn’t good enough. If he basically does the same job Cross has been doing, that should also be the catalyst for a broader discussion on this topic.

Check out this week’s Seattle’s Sports piece — and if you can, help out in the YouTube comments section (the trolls are back, for whatever reason).

The Seahawks’ running game isn’t very good.

We’re now half-way through December and the chances of this being fixed feel remote. Whether it’s the blocking, the scheme, the play-calling or the performance of the running backs — they’ve not been able to get this going.

It might be the only thing that hasn’t come off for the Seahawks in 2025. Yet because it was such a focal point after last season’s disastrous offensive effort, it’ll probably be a cause for concern in the off-season. Perhaps, even the priority.

If this staff remain together as is, I think you’re unlikely to see significant scheme tweaks. This is very much a zone-scheme staff.

They could look to make changes to the O-line. There are decent zone-blocking linemen eligible for the draft. They could look to free agency.

I also think we could see them move for a different type of running back.

In recent times we’ve seen a little bit of a shift in trend at the position which hasn’t really been talked about that much.

Although the conventionally sized 5-10, 225lbs Jonathan Taylor is leading the NFL with 1443 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, a different type of player is also succeeding.

James Cook, Jahmyr Gibbs, De’Von Achane and Kyren Williams are all under 205lbs and two (Cook and Achane) are sub-200lbs. TreVeyon Henderson, who has emerged as a major threat for the Patriots, is 5-10 and 208lbs.

They succeed with suddenness, burst and a slippery ability to navigate through traffic. Once in the open field they can turn good plays into great plays. They’re also dynamic pass-catchers out of the backfield. Gibbs and Achane are in the top-four for receiving yards among runners.

It’s worth noting that this is a trend that might trace back to Christian McCaffrey. He was 202lbs at his combine. He’s since bulked up to a more robust 210lbs as he prepares to turn 30 next year. Yet he too came into the league as this type of smaller, shiftier back who is comfortable as a pass-catcher.

Typically the Seahawks have gone after a prototypical profile. Ken Walker was 5-9 and 211lbs at his combine, while Zach Charbonnet was 6-0 and 214lbs. Over the years we’ve been able to successfully project draft targets for the Seahawks at the position mainly by looking at just their height/size and explosive traits.

Could they look for a different type of player next year?

It stands to reason that someone with great acceleration would help on those outside zone runs. The big thing about the new-age running backs (if you want to go as far as to call them that) is they’re also tough despite being undersized. Cook is third in the NFL for yards after contact (830) with Achane (792) fifth.

In comparison, Ken Walker is only 20th.

If you look at yards after contact per attempt, Achane actually leads the NFL (4.10). Here are the other significant numbers and rankings:

Achane — 1st — 4.10
Henderson — 4th — 3.61
Charbonnet — 10th — 3.31
Williams — 20th — 3.10
Gibbs — 23rd — 3.08
Cook — 24th — 3.06
Walker — 32nd — 2.95

I can imagine a situation next off-season where Walker is allowed to walk as a free agent with the intention of pairing Charbonnet with a more electric runner — essentially an attempt to create their own version of Detroit’s two-pronged attack with Gibbs and David Montgomery.

The Seahawks were linked to interest in Achance before the trade deadline. If that talk was legit, it suggests they’re already mindful of wanting something different. Perhaps this could be something they look at again in the off-season?

It’s believed Miami’s asking price for Achane pre-deadline was a second round pick. A lot of fans would balk at the idea of making that deal for a running back — especially given the significant second round investments made in Walker and Charbonnet without any great return.

Let’s put it this way though. Are the Seahawks not close to being something of a complete team if they can genuinely fix their running game? What else is there to solve?

You could probably do a lot worse for a second round investment than adding a player who is top-five for receiving yards among runners, top for yards after contact per attempt and fourth for total rushing yards despite playing on a pretty mediocre Miami team and having played a game fewer than his peers.

I do think the Seahawks will be minded to be aggressive next off-season. As I’ve been talking about for a few months now, this is looking like the worst draft class I’ve covered since starting the blog in 2008. I think the league broadly recognises this too. For contending teams wanting to push forwards next off-season, the best bet to do that could be on the trade market.

The main focus of my ‘thinking out loud’ session on this topic has been to wonder if they’d go back in for Maxx Crosby, given the Raiders appear to be closer to embracing a much-needed proper rebuild.

However, that would be a very expensive and competitive deal to complete. It might not be possible to pull even if there’s a desire to get something done. You’re not going to put all of your eggs in one basket. If a Crosby type mega-trade isn’t an option, Achane could be a very reasonable alternative target.

He’s only 24-years-old and won’t turn 25 until next October. He would be in a contract year in 2026. However, the franchise tag would offer some immediate security. It’s projected to be around $14.1m for next year.

Ideally you would just draft your own version but the only prospect I’ve seen so far who truly matches this ‘type’ is Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah love. He won’t be available to the Seahawks — I think people will be surprised by how early he goes next April.

You could look at someone like Rico Dowdle who’s a free agent. Yet if you want to acquire that true X-factor player to supercharge your running game — Achane would be the one to target.

If they added a significant piece to the interior O-line and traded for him, would that give the Seahawks the best chance to fix their running game? Possibly. And that could be the finishing touch that is needed for this very balanced team, if indeed it is needed after this season ends.

There are two ways of looking at this game.

On the one hand, there were some alarming aspects that are becoming concerning trends. Seattle continues to struggle on third down. They were unable to convert drives into touchdowns on offense. The running game is a problem. They’re averaging 8.3 points in the first half over the last three games. Generally the offense has stuttered and stalled.

There’s a more positive angle too. The Colts played a heck of a game. Philip Rivers, Shane Steichen and Lou Anarumo deserve a ton of credit. It might’ve felt like an easy game on paper coming in with Rivers, now a Grandad, coming out of retirement in a crisis. Two starting cornerbacks and Deforest Buckner were unavailable. Then they lost their left tackle during the game.

The Seahawks were double-digit favourites.

However, Indianapolis made this a very different game. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for long stretches. They managed things brilliantly for Rivers — getting him into third and manageable with tough running, clever screens and shorter passes and didn’t put him in a position where he had to chase anything until the final 11 seconds.

Along with this, Indy’s defense played with its hair on fire. Nothing came easy for the Seahawks, even when they found a few solutions in the second half.

Rather than face a patsy, Seattle ended up hosting a wounded-animal fighting for its life. They easily could’ve lost this game after a horrific first half where they were out-coached and out-played.

For anyone saying they can’t play this way in the playoffs — flip that on its head. They may well end up in a war of attrition like this. You could argue they’re now battle-tested in a way they weren’t previously.

It’s one of those games where if they lose — it’s horrendous. If they win, it’s quite easy to spin it as a character-building experience.

Jason Myers’ flawless performance should be noted, as should the offense getting him in a position to kick two vital field goals in the end when the pressure was on.

I also thought the defense did what it had to. A lot of people expected sacks galore against a 44-year-old QB. The Colts never allowed that. The ball was out of his hands too quickly. For those saying Seattle should’ve blitzed more, Rivers would’ve loved that. He’d throw in behind the blitzing defender like any savvy veteran and make quick, easy completions anyway.

The key was to score points, apply scoreboard pressure, make him throw and take Jonathan Taylor out of the game. The Seahawks didn’t manage it until the end and then we saw the interception when he had to push the ball downfield. The defense would’ve eaten today if the offense scored more points.

There are definitely things to fix and the biggest problem remains the running game. It isn’t good at all. Ken Walker is not creating any yards after initial contact and Zach Charbonnet is not showing enough with his reps to convince he should get the bulk of the workload. The blocking isn’t good enough either. I’m not sure they’ll fix this in 2025 — which is putting a lot on the shoulders of Sam Darnold and the passing game.

I suspect they’ll need to re-work this running game in the off-season and that could start with adding a quicker, more shifty, dynamic runner. More on that in a separate article in the week.

For now — on to the biggest game of the season on Thursday and a chance to take control of the NFC’s #1 seed.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

What a strange exercise looking at the NFL schedule is.

In August, this matchup against the Colts was a speedbump. A pretty easy win for the Seahawks that was just a stepping stone toward the final three-game gauntlet of games.  Sure, the Colts had Jonathan Taylor and a good Offensive Line but they signed Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson for the Quarterback job.  The guy the Giants cut and spent a few weeks as QB3 in Minnesota.

By mid-October, the outlook had completely changed.  Jones was in a groove, flourishing in Shane Steichen’s offense.  Jonathan Taylor was looking like an Offensive Player of the Year candidate and their defense was doing just enough to get by.  A massive trade for Sauce Gardner confirmed the team felt like they were ready to make a run.

And now here the Colts are, back to speedbump status.  Daniel Jones is lost for the season with an Achilles injury and they will not have Gardner, Charvarius Ward, DeForest Bucker and Braden Smith (their starting Right Tackle) available due to injury.  They have been forced to bring Philip Rivers in to start at Quarterback.  He has been retired for almost five years.

If you could craft a warmup for the Game of the Year on Thursday night, this would be it.  The Seahawks will have a huge talent advantage and while there are some unknowns, that will help sharpen their anticipation for what Sean McVay will throw at them.

With so much that will be off script, I thought the Watch Points should follow suit and be a collection of some thoughts on this matchup.

Attacking the Colt Defense

Indianapolis’ defense is right about league-average in the number of points they concede.  They excel at run defense and are poor in pass defense.

They are not used to carrying the team this year and yet that is what they will need to do if the Colts are to have a chance in this game.

It will not be easy.

The Colts will be running out backups at both cornerback spots against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed.  They blitz a fair amount but their numbers conceded when they blitz are crazy:

This could help Sam Darnold get ready for the Rams matchup.  Pressure led him to make some unfortunate decisions that led to four interceptions.  Getting blitzed with multiple offensive options at his disposal who should be able to win their one-on-one matchups can help tune him up to face the Rams.

The Colts are one of the bottom teams in the NFL on Third Downs, conceding 43.4%.  They do tighten up in the Red Zone and that will be where the game is decided.  Settling for Field Goals will not be the worst thing given their defensive matchup.  Again though, seeing some execution would be a welcome site and confidence booster.

The Colts are one of the NFL’s worst defenses against offenses who line up under center.

Opposing Quarterbacks have a 108.5 rating, their first down percentage is one of the NFL’s highest and the Colts only have four sacks in over 300 plays.

Which is helpful, because the Seahawks run their offense under center about 57% of plays.  They know how to work under the center.

Another:  While the Colts are one of the NFL’s better defenses against the run, Daniel Jones and the offense have been very effective and taking that feature of opposing offenses away with scoreboard pressure.

However, in the first half, the defense is conceding 4.4 yards per carry on the ground.  While the offense should be able to move freely down the field with passes, establishing the run should be a goal and with a depleted defense, this should be an opportunity to enforce their will on the team.

When the Seahawks Are on Defense

Tackling and keeping Yards After Catch down will be a key against Rivers.

In his last season, Rivers was among the shortest passers in the NFL, with one of the best Yards After Catch numbers.  Steichen relied on him to get rid of the ball quickly, distribute the ball around the field and let the receivers make things happen with their feet.

I think it is fair to expect a game like this from Rivers:

This chart is from Week Nine of the 2020 season.

Look at all those passes five yards past the line of scrimmage or less.  Any pass beyond 10 yards is a 50/50 proposition and the Seahawks have Julian Love, Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen able to defend down the field.

Expect a ton of short screen passes, particularly involving Tyler Warren.

Warren is the fifth-most targeted Tight End in the NFL but he has one of the shortest Average Depth of Targets at five yards.  Nick Emmanwori, Ernest Jones and Julian Love swarming to the ball will be critical.

The same is true of Jonathan Taylor.  He currently leads the NFL in rushing yards, first downs and touchdowns.  He also is on track for a career-high in targets in the passing game.

The natural inclination is to assume that Steichen will load up Taylor with touches in this game.  He might reach 100 yards rushing just simply due to getting 30 or more rushes.

He will have his moments in this game but the offense should keep him in check by putting scoreboard pressure on the Colts.

1. He got a big call on the quarterback right

The online scoffing when the Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Raiders was enormous. The internet cool kids didn’t like it. ‘What are they thinking?’

When it quickly emerged that the replacement would be Sam Darnold, the reaction ramped up even more. You’ve all seen the clips and read the articles. There was an epic internet meltdown from some.

Eight months later and John Schneider has had the last laugh. All those people who slammed the Seahawks and hailed the Raiders for the Smith trade (and the hiring of Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly) have been left with not only egg on their faces but the whole chicken — sat plonked awkwardly just above the nose area.

Darnold hasn’t been flawless but he’s provided far better value for money, he’s enabled the Seahawks to win 10 games (with four more games still to come) and in the process is only the second ever quarterback to win +10-games in consecutive seasons with different teams (the only other being Tom Brady).

The Vikings let Darnold walk and they’ve collapsed amid a quarterbacking shambles. The Raiders are worse than ever despite acquiring Smith. The Seahawks got younger, cheaper, added a third round pick and became a better team. That’s without even noting Brady Henderson’s report on the significant leadership benefit of swapping Smith for Darnold.

Even if Darnold’s issues rear their head again in big games down the line, Schneider smashed a home-run with this decision. It was hotly debated, it carried risk. It would’ve been easier to maintain the status quo. It took some balls to make this switch and it paid off.

2. He had an outstanding free agency

It’s easy to forget that the Seahawks were hammered for their moves in March. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak ranked them 31st for their free agency. He criticised their decision not to throw money at veteran offensive linemen, noting:

“Even if every move general manager John Schneider made this offseason works, the ceiling of this Seattle squad will be capped by its inability to pass protect.”

Oops. Solak’s employer has Seattle ranked in the top-10 for pass-block win rate. Composite rankings have the Seahawks in the top-five. It appears they pass protect in a way that is not capping their ceiling at all.

Amusingly, Solak ranked the Raiders’ off-season the eighth best, stating:

In (Geno) Smith, the Raiders — who were potentially not in position to get a top quarterback with the sixth overall pick in the draft — do more than solve their dilemma. They added a quarterback who couldn’t reach his highest potential due to bad offensive lines and questionable playcalling in Seattle. Trading away a third-round pick to pay Smith $47 million a year on an upcoming extension is good business.

Again… oops.

It felt like the whole internet was screaming for the Seahawks to spend money on any offensive lineman, regardless of actual talent or fit. Even sections of the local media were suggesting it would be an enormous failure if they didn’t spend big on expensive veterans. It was a massive, barmy overreaction as we noted at the time.

Instead the Seahawks drafted Grey Zabel, appointed the right offensive staff to install a new system and trusted the process.

On top of this, they also made inspired moves elsewhere. We’ve already talked about the Darnold signing being a plus. DeMarcus Lawrence might be the best free agent signing of 2025. He’s produced at a consistent level, delivered big impact moments and helped shape Seattle’s attitude and intensity on defense.

As I noted on Bump & Stacy this week — don’t forget the impact of the Red Bryant’s and Chris Clemons’ on the 2013 roster. Yes the LOB era defense was loaded with young talent but it also had something else that was important — true leaders with experience and an alpha mentality.

The Lawrence and Cooper Kupp signings were mocked. Too old, too injured, too past it. They didn’t need a 12-sack season or 1000-yard campaign to justify being added. It’s pretty clear they’ve helped set a tone all year. The ‘MOB’ (mission over bull-shit) mentality is crafted through characters like Lawrence, Kupp, Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones.

Lawrence in particular was a masterstroke addition. He has produced big plays on the field to go with his impact off it.

So while teams like the Vikings were praised for splashing out on Ryan Kelly and Will Fries (a player the Seahawks chose not to pay mega money too without a medical — a wise decision with hindsight) — it’s the Seahawks who made their ’31st worst free agency’ ranking look like a total mockery.

3. Another great draft

The Zabel pick was a big move and while nobody can suggest he’s landed on his feet completely in the NFL, the talent and potential is there to be a mainstay for years to come at left guard. He has been a very solid rookie addition and that’s all you can ask for.

However, trading up for Nick Emmanwori looks like an inspired move.

He’s a perfect fit for the defense. Mike Macdonald, the man who helped Kyle Hamilton become the player he is in Baltimore, is doing it again with Emmanwori. With his physical potential and speed, he could even top Hamilton and Derwin James. They both fell in the draft in part because they weren’t the quickest. There’s no such issue with Seattle’s second rounder — he ran a 4.38 at the combine.

It was a big call to trade up for Emmanwori. People are starting to ask why he fell to round two. There was talk of him not being the easiest to manage sometimes — something a scouting source in the league validated to me. There were some flaws on tape too. This wasn’t a home-run, sure-fire, nailed on pick like some are making out. It was a calculated move to go up and get him and it would do Schneider a disservice to suggest it was a total no-brainer. It was a savvy move — one that had to be judged and shouldn’t be seen as obvious or without risk. They clearly decided it was worth taking the shot and it’s paying off.

I’m convinced over time Elijah Arroyo will prove to be an excellent pick. Tory Horton looks the part. Robbie Ouzts is doing a job at full-back and when he returns from his re-shirt situation, watch out for Rylie Mills.

This was another strong class with star potential at the top and depth in-between.

4. Getting his staff appointments right

This was absolutely critical. Ryan Grubb bombed as offensive coordinator and was lucky to see out last season. Appointing a defensive-minded Head Coach then botching successive offensive coordinator hires would’ve created a lot of pressure on both Schneider and Macdonald. They had to get this right.

They took their time and spoke to multiple candidates. The hiring of Klint Kubiak was absolutely the right one.

Firstly, his contacts within the game saw him bring a loaded staff with him to Seattle. The O-line has massively improved under the experienced John Benton. Rick Dennison has been around the block a few times. Andrew Janocko is well thought of and Justin Outten also added a layer of experience.

This is exactly what the Seahawks needed after the Grubb experience. His lack of NFL chops paired with the equally inexperienced Scott Huff simply didn’t work. They needed people who’d been there and done it. Kubiak had called plays and knew what this job was all about. It wasn’t time for another novice.

Kubiak could not only lean on the experience of his father but also his time spent working with Kyle Shanahan. He’s cut from Shanahan’s cloth — thoughtful, modern but also clear schematically on what he wants to do. Part of Seattle’s problem for too long is it not being obvious what they were actually trying to be on offense. Not any more.

Under Kubiak, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has developed into one of the best three receivers in the NFL. The O-line is unrecognisable from the 2024 shambles. Things function — not perfectly and not all of the time — but the offense works.

They have 47 +20 yard passing plays, fifth most in the NFL. Their 11 +40 yard plays are tied for first with the Cowboys. They’ve given up the joint fewest sacks (17) and have the seventh best sack percentage. Sam Darnold is second only to Matthew Stafford for ‘big time throws’ and he’s thrown as many touchdown passes this season as Josh Allen.

The Seahawks are ranked sixth for EPA per pass. They’re eighth per DVOA.

The running game has been inconsistent and by this point, it seems it’ll never truly reach a formidable level. There’s plenty of room for growth despite the successes we’ve seen this year.

Nobody can deny that Schneider got this hire right. Kubiak is being linked as a hot candidate for Head Coaching jobs next season. That’s a sign of how well things have gone.

An exec of the year award in 2025 can’t take into account the Head Coaching appointment of 2024 — but it also still warrants noting that Schneider’s ‘final two’ to replace Carroll appeared to be Mike Macdonald and Ben Johnson. He had his finger on the pulse when it came to making the biggest decision of his career.

5. Trading away DK Metcalf

The Seahawks had a choice this year — give Metcalf a massive new contract or move on. They chose wisely.

Metcalf is currently ranked 23rd for receiving yards this season. His average salary is now $33m a year — fourth most among receivers in the NFL.

The Seahawks received plenty of criticism for dealing Metcalf — seen as their most dangerous target. It was said his departure would make life much harder for Smith-Njigba. They’d decimated their arsenal of weapons without a realistic hope of adequately replacing their big name.

Seattle didn’t drag things out like the Bengals with Trey Hendrickson. They knew they had to resolve this issue before the draft and took the best deal they could get. That was ‘only’ the 52nd overall pick from the Steelers. That’s the pick they used to trade up for Emmanwori. They might not have made that move without the extra stock acquired in the Smith and Metcalf trades.

This deal saved them a bunch of cap space now and in the future. The Seahawks don’t miss Metcalf. Smith-Njigba, instead of being negatively impacted, has had the freedom to grow into a legit WR1. The pick they turned into Emmanwori looks like a fantastic use of resources.

Another big win for Schneider.

6. Finding contributors everywhere

Part of Seattle’s success isn’t just down to trades, good drafting and big name talent acquisition. It’s also about combing smart scouting to find hidden gems and then letting a talented coaching staff turn those players into contributors.

Drake Thomas is Seattle’s second leading tackles — an undrafted player picked up a couple of years ago after he was discarded by the Raiders. Ty Okada — another undrafted player — filled in during Julian Love’s time out through injury. He and Thomas have been excellent.

Josh Jobe is having a second season of significant play, another former UDFA brought in after he was released by the Eagles. Players like Brandon Pili and Cody White have mucked in. Patrick O’Connell flashed against the Titans.

A Championship team needs to find contributors in non-conventional ways. Schneider and his personnel team have excelled in this area.

7. Turning the Seahawks into a contender again

The franchise had drifted into a middling position in the final years of the Carroll era. Change was needed. Not everyone was a fan of moving on from Carroll. Some thought it was time for a change at both coach and GM.

Schneider took the wheel when Carroll left, picked the right replacement, has drafted superbly, made smart trades and used the open market to his advantage.

The Seahawks are no longer drifting on the periphery, hoping to sneak into the seventh NFC seed. They’re back challenging for the #1 seed. They look set-up for a run over the next few years and fans can dream again of what is possible.

Schneider made this happen. Amid a crowd of vocal doubters and while having to make numerous big calls, he’s come out of this with a confirmed status as one of the very best GM’s in the business.

It’s criminal he didn’t win an executive of the year award for helping create the LOB era team. Now it’s time to make amends.

He should win executive of the year in 2025.

WiFi issues sorted (just about) in time to join Bump & Stacy today to talk about the Seahawks — and why John Schneider deserves to be named Executive of the Year. As always you’d be doing me a big favour by checking out the video below and if you can — leaving a comment on the YouTube page and giving the video a like!

I’m going to jot some brief thoughts down seeing as I’m currently in the middle of the Atlantic ocean on a boat (apologies for the quality of the stream not being great — the expensive WiFi is absolutely useless).

Firstly, this was a great test. The Seahawks were really poor in the first half and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in wondering if this was going to be Seattle’s ‘Bills losing in Miami’ from a few weeks ago, or the Rams blowing their game in Carolina last weekend.

They were lucky to be tied 6-6 at half-time. Could they take advantage of this, play better in the second half and get the job done?

That question was emphatically answered with a blistering final two quarters, demolishing the Falcons.

I’m a big fan of this whole ‘blowing out the bad teams’ thing. It’s a refreshing change from the ‘we like close games, so suck it up’ attitude of the previous regime.

The big positives?

— Nick Emmanwori threatening to be an even more athletic version of Kyle Hamilton and Derwin James. This was an incredible performance. He might not have their polish — yet — but the potential is through the roof.

— Special teams coming through in a huge way again, including Rashid Shaheed’s first big contribution and Emmanwori’s blocked kick. Jay Harbaugh deserves major credit.

— The way Sam Darnold bounced back from a rough first half — and frankly, a difficult last few weeks — to show a lot more sharpness in that second half.

— The general toughness and pride in their performance of the defense. It’s an incredible group that can be the catalyst for a big playoff run.

I’m off for an old fashioned to celebrate.