The Seahawks finally learned to fly again

One of my earliest memories in my Seahawks fandom was on January 10th, 2016. The Seahawks, coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots in heartbreaking fashion, had an up-and-down regular season. Ultimately, they were unable to repeat as NFC West Division winners and went to Minnesota on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Up 10–9 with 26 seconds left in the game, it had plenty of memorable moments. Doug Baldwin had a one-handed snag over the middle of the field on a dart from Russell Wilson, and a botched snap led to an improbable completion to Tyler Lockett down the field. Ultimately, the game would not be remembered for these moments nine years later. With 26 seconds left and a wind chill of -25 degrees, the Vikings elected to kick a 27-yarder to win the game. However, as most of you know, Walsh missed the kick and sent the Seahawks to the divisional round, where Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers put up 31 points in the first half—enough to handle the Seahawks’ 24-point comeback effort.

As I stated before, this is one of my earliest memories of Seahawks football. I have no memory of Sherman’s tipped pass to win the 2013 NFC Championship Game over the 49ers or the 43–8 beating the Legion of Boom imposed on the best offense of all time. The miraculous comeback against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the 2014 NFC Championship Game and the heartbreaking loss to the Patriots are all moments that are ingrained in Seattle sports folklore, yet I have no memory of them. I was much more interested in video games at the time (Kinect Adventures, anyone?) than sports.

The Seahawks have been stuck in the same story for the past 10 years. An exhilarating and improbable win followed by a loss to a true championship contender. For my entire fan life, the Seahawks have been a mediocre football team. Most seasons, they would go a little over .500 and end up losing in the playoffs to a real contending team. Pete Carroll’s teams were up and down under Russell Wilson and Geno Smith, as both the QB play and the defense declined year over year starting in 2021. As I had written about countless times at the end of Pete Carroll’s tenure, something had to change. Every year felt like a repeat of the past. The team had no real direction, aimlessly wandering in the void of mediocrity. The Seahawks were the Steelers of the NFC, inching into the wild-card round and, in all likelihood, losing that game. Since 2017, the Seahawks had one playoff win. Eighteen teams have more playoff wins than the Seahawks over that same time span. Every single divisional opponent has made an NFC Championship Game since the Seahawks last made it, and the Rams have won a Super Bowl. This was a team going nowhere fast.

This left John Schneider, Seahawks GM, with a massive decision in front of him. He could continue down the same path, hoping desperately that somehow, somehow, things would change, or make the bold call to shake up what had been a solid team for a while. This started back in 2022, when Schneider finally got more control over personnel decisions regarding the roster. An inspired trade of franchise legend Russell Wilson, followed by a stellar draft consisting of Abraham Lucas, Coby Bryant, Charles Cross, Tariq Woolen, Boye Mafe, and Kenneth Walker. Since then, Seattle has continued to reshape the roster. Only specialists Michael Dickson and Jason Myers remain from that 2021 team. The 2022 team also only retains Seattle’s 2022 draft class, both specialists, and Uchenna Nwosu into 2025. The age of Russell Wilson carrying the team had passed, and a new way forward was needed.

Eventually, it was clear that the Pete Carroll and Geno Smith experience needed change as well. Simply turning on the TV to watch the Raiders is more than enough proof of this. Middling seasons from the Seahawks forced John Schneider to again make the same tough decision: continue on in mediocrity or risk it all for a chance at something greater. Once again, Schneider made the right choices. He brought in Mike Macdonald, a defensive mastermind handpicked to counteract the innovative minds of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. He moved on from Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Bobby Wagner, and so many more franchise legends in the last few years. While these were all legends of the team and many are future Ring of Honor members, it was time to go and bring in fresh new players. Experienced veterans like DeMarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones, and Julian Love on defense were brought in to restore the tough, physical identity of Seahawks defenses of the past. Players like Byron Murphy, Derrick Hall, and Devon Witherspoon were brought in as high-character, aggressive, and intelligent prospects who have turned into great players. Offensively, Klint Kubiak has come in and brought a clear vision and plan. Carroll always talked about running the ball to complete the circle on offense, yet Kubiak has actually realized the vision, bringing a productive outside-zone run game with an explosive play-action attack off it. Sam Darnold, JSN, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, and Gray Zabel have transformed the offense into a great complement to a terrifying defense. The much maligned offensive line, the butt of many jokes, now is a top half unit. Even on special teams, Jay Harbaugh has turned what was a mediocre unit into one of the best in the league.

Seattle now sits at 15–3. They lost all three games by a combined nine points. They have the number one team per DVOA, earned the number one seed in the NFC, and are now hosting an NFC Championship Game. If they win, they face either an upstart but young Patriots team or a Broncos team with a backup quarterback. They have reached their first NFC Championship Game since 2014, won their first home playoff game since 2016, and recorded their first playoff win since 2019. Finally, this team is actually competing at a high level, and it’s a great feeling.

I remember growing up watching many games that would come down to the end. Random weekend games on rainy October afternoons that, in the end, didn’t really mean much in terms of progressing toward something more. There are countless videos of me pacing up and down my living room in Seattle in the last two minutes of a game—either watching Russell Wilson with the ball, trying to make magic happen and carry the team, or a porous defense playing bend-don’t-break football. Regular-season games against the Eagles in 2017, Chiefs in 2018, 49ers in 2019, and Rams in 2020 were the highlights of the year. Yet deep down, I always knew this was not a team that could realistically compete with the great teams. Even in 2019 and 2020, two of their best years, the hope was to maybe make a great run off a Wilson playoff heater. However, that was never the case. The team was never ready to compete with the best. They preached being a tough, physical, and complete team, yet were a finesse team reliant on their quarterback and receivers while paying money to safeties and linebackers. They were reliant on fluky heroics and kept games close even against bad teams. Mike Macdonald has gotten this team to play well in big games and beat teams they should. Instead of pacing the room hoping the Seahawks could stop the ghost of Cam Newton with LJ Collier in 2020 Week 2, I am now jumping up and down watching Shaheed score enough points to win a playoff game against the 49ers.

As I sit here today reflecting back on it all, I remember how I used to feel at the end of previous seasons. I was defeated, wondering if these teams would ever go anywhere, stuck in a rut. Yet the Seahawks have shown me that while change in life is scary and difficult, it’s necessary. A lot has changed in my life in the last year, and while not all of it seems great at first, it is all necessary. Growth is impossible without change—whether it be Seattle finally reaching an NFC Championship Game or any of us in our personal lives. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Change has led to the success we as sports fans so desperately crave, and now it is here.

Oftentimes, my family and friends make fun of my obsession with this sport and this team. Yet I recently went to India to visit my grandparents and was reminded of where my love of sports came from—my Nani. She was an incredibly talented badminton player growing up, which is where her love of sports began. She may even be as much of a fanatic as me. Whether it be tennis Grand Slams, World Cup matches, or the Summer Olympics, she will watch everything. I still distinctly remember waking up at 2 a.m. to watch Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps swim or eating dinner while watching PV Sindhu play badminton. Texting my Nani about the France–Argentina final or the Roger Federer–Andy Murray Wimbledon final—these are core memories I have from growing up and spending time with her. Learning to understand the tactical and mental sides of these games while marveling at the athletic talent on display is a unique feeling. Nobody knows how these events will end, and it is an incredible shared experience watching them live.

Whether it be with my family at home or with 68,000 fans in Seattle registering seismic activity during “Speed Quake,” community is the best part of sports, and I hope all of you enjoy your communities as well. Win or lose tomorrow, I am proud of this Seahawks team for making the changes necessary to compete, and I will gladly sit and watch in anticipation with millions of fans waiting for that final whistle—hoping for a miracle run to continue just as it did on that cold day in Minnesota all those years ago.

Until next time, Go Hawks!