Seattle’s Super Bowl Blueprint Was Masterful - But Don’t Expect the Steelers to Copy It
The Seattle Seahawks are back on top of the NFL world, and if you followed their 2025 campaign closely, their Super Bowl LX win wasn’t a shock - it was the natural conclusion to a season of dominance. From start to finish, they were the league’s most efficient team by DVOA, led the NFL in point differential, and topped the charts in defensive EPA per play.
This wasn’t a fluke. It was a clinic.
And here’s the kicker: they did it without a superstar quarterback.
That’s right - Seattle hoisted its second Lombardi Trophy with Sam Darnold under center, a player many had written off after a rocky start to his career. But Darnold didn’t have to be Mahomes or Burrow. What he had was a front office that nailed the draft and a coaching staff that schemed circles around the competition.
That’s the piece Pittsburgh needs to pay close attention to.
Seattle’s Secret Sauce? A Young, Elite Coaching Staff
What separated Seattle in 2025 wasn’t just talent - it was vision. Head coach Mike Macdonald, in just his second year, became the first defensive play-calling head coach to win a Super Bowl.
That’s a historic feat. We’ve seen defensive-minded head coaches win it all before, but none who also called the plays on that side of the ball.
Macdonald wasn’t alone. On offense, Klint Kubiak orchestrated one of the most creative and effective attacks in the league.
At 38, he was dialing up mismatches and manipulating defenses like a seasoned vet - and it didn’t go unnoticed. He’s now the head coach in Las Vegas.
That duo - Macdonald and Kubiak - was the engine behind Seattle’s run. And that’s the part the Steelers can’t replicate.
Pittsburgh’s Coaching Staff Isn’t Built Like Seattle’s
Let’s be clear: Mike McCarthy isn’t a bad coach. He’s won plenty of games in this league and has a Super Bowl ring to prove it.
But he’s more of a stabilizer than a ceiling-raiser at this point in his career. He can get a team to 10 or 11 wins, but recent history suggests that’s about where the ride ends.
Three playoff wins over the past 13 seasons - that’s the reality.
Pair that with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, whose résumé lacks top-tier success, and it’s hard to see how Pittsburgh’s current coaching setup can match what Seattle just pulled off.
The Seahawks had innovation. They had synergy.
They had a coaching staff that elevated the roster. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, made safe hires - not bad ones, but not groundbreaking either.
The Ravens Took the Swing Pittsburgh Didn’t
If you're looking for a team that tried to follow Seattle’s coaching model, look at Baltimore. They went bold this offseason, hiring Jesse Minter - a young, defensive-minded play-caller - as their head coach. Then they brought in Declan Doyle, a rising offensive mind from Ben Johnson’s coaching tree, and paired him with respected defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
That’s a staff built to innovate. That’s a staff built to evolve.
The Steelers? Their 2026 hires don’t have that same upside. And that’s where the comparison to Seattle falls apart.
So What’s Pittsburgh’s Path?
If Pittsburgh wants to get back to Super Bowl contention, they may need to look at a different model - one that doesn’t rely on an elite QB or a cutting-edge coaching staff.
Think back to the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles. That team didn’t reinvent the wheel.
They had a solid head coach in Nick Sirianni, a stable quarterback in Jalen Hurts, and a deep, talented roster. The key?
They built that roster primarily through the draft - hitting on picks, developing talent, and creating a complete team.
That’s the path that might make the most sense for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers haven’t picked high enough in the draft to land a generational quarterback, and they didn’t take the coaching swings that could elevate a good roster into a great one. But what they can do is stack talent.
Build depth. Win in the trenches.
Dominate the draft.
There’s a version of the Steelers that can be a real contender under McCarthy - but it won’t look like Seattle’s 2025 juggernaut. That was lightning in a bottle: a perfect blend of scheme, youth, and execution.
Pittsburgh’s road will be different. But if they stay patient, draft well, and play to their strengths, it can still lead to the same destination.