Your Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and you know what? Some national guys think they are about to run it back, hard. Despite facing arguably the toughest division in the entire NFL, one analyst just laid out a scenario where our Hawks are not only taking the NFC West again, but they are doing it with an absolutely insane 14-3 record this season. Yes, you read that right: 14 wins.
The K-Walk Sized Hole and Sam Darnold’s Moment
First Things First co-host Nick Wright made his NFC West picks this week, and he’s got our boys finishing on top, ahead of the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals. Wright didn’t just pick us to repeat, he doubled down on the Emerald City’s dominance. He flat out said, “They’re going to go 14-3.” He pointed to last year’s dominance and even dropped a question we’ve all been wondering, “Do we see post-Super Bowl win, a free Sam Darnold where he’s actually better than we’ve ever seen him before? It’s certainly on the board.” Talk about high praise for our returning quarterback!
Now, for the gut punch, the “massive loss” he talked about: Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. Losing a guy like that is huge, a real kick to the gut for the 12s, no doubt. But here’s the kicker: even with that void at running back, Wright still doesn’t see why the Hawks “wouldn’t be awesome again.” Our very own Jaxon Smith-Njigba is back, and with Darnold, they are making a strong case to keep that division title right here in Seattle. That’s the kind of confidence we love to hear, even if it feels a little wild after losing a Super Bowl MVP.
The Rams Stack Up, But Broussard Sees a Dip For Seattle
Of course, it is not all sunshine and lollipops, because this division is brutal. The Rams made some serious noise in the offseason, landing defensive end Myles Garrett and safety Trent McDuffie. But the biggest shocker? Four-time Pro Bowler Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to play alongside Garrett! That is a scary defensive lineup. Another First Things First analyst, Chris Broussard, sees those moves as enough to put the Rams as his NFC West favorites, pushing our Super Bowl champs to second. Broussard acknowledged we’ll still make the playoffs, saying, “I just think they’re not going to be quite as good as last.” That stings a little, right?
Even Nick Wright, while picking the Hawks to win the division, cooled his jets on the Rams a bit, predicting them to finish 11-6 and “won’t be ‘quite as good as everyone expects them to be.’” As for the rest of the division, the 49ers are in third on Wright’s list after an injury-plagued last season and, as Wright put it, they “pressed the CMC button so many times last year.” And let’s be real, the Cardinals in last place at 3-14 with the league’s toughest schedule? That’s not a surprise to anyone who watched them last year.
So, here we are, early in the season, with big predictions and even bigger questions. Can Darnold truly elevate his game and lead us to a 14-win season despite the major hole left by K-Walk? The pressure is on, and the NFC West is already shaping up to be a true battle. Get ready, Seattle, because every snap is going to matter if we want to silence the doubters and hoist that division title again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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