The Seahawks are sitting at 4-4, but the bigger problem is how quickly this season can slide from bad to ugly. After Monday night’s 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears, Seattle is staring at a version of 2026 that could get a lot worse before it gets better.
That defeat was Seattle’s worst since 2024, and it wasn’t just one side of the ball getting exposed. The Bears controlled the game in all three phases, leaving the Seahawks with more questions than answers as the season reaches its midpoint.
The offense remains the main issue. Sam Darnold has looked flustered at times, and nobody outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba has consistently stepped forward in the passing game. Up front, the line has slipped enough that the front office brought in guard Quenton Nelson to try to steady things this season and beyond.
A lot of the blame lands on Brian Fleury. The hire has not gone smoothly, and he still hasn’t found the right rhythm with the unit. Seattle brought back veteran Zach Charbonnet and rookie Jadarian Price on Monday, but the ground game still went nowhere in a meaningful way, with the two combining for 52 yards on 16 carries.
Fleury is expected to stay in place as offensive coordinator for the rest of the year, which makes the next stretch even more important. If he can’t figure out how to use the personnel better, the losses are going to keep piling up.
The Seahawks do have a couple of chances to steady things. They host the Arizona Cardinals, who are 3-5, in Week 9, then head to the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 4-4, before their scheduled bye in Week 11. But those are also the kinds of games that can turn a season sideways fast.
Seattle could have its 10-game winning streak snapped by the Cardinals and/or lose to the Raiders, who are led by head coach and former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Dropping either game would be a brutal outcome and would take a serious bite out of the team’s playoff chances.
The rest of the schedule still leaves room for a turnaround. Seattle has three games left against the NFC East, a road trip to the Carolina Panthers, one matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, and two games against the Los Angeles Rams, who look dysfunctional. There are wins available, but if the offense keeps sputtering and the frustration starts bleeding into the defense, the Seahawks could miss the playoffs and go under .500%.
In Other News...
Seahawks May Not Be Done After Their Biggest Trade Yet
The Seahawks already made the kind of move that can reshape a season, landing six-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from the Colts before the NFL trade deadline. For a team trying to keep building around its roster in the middle of the year, it was the sort of aggressive swing that signaled Seattle was not content to stand pat.
John Schneider has since made it clear the work may not be finished, with Seattle still in trade conversations as the deadline approaches. Running back, wide receiver and edge rusher remain the most obvious areas to watch, and ESPN has already pointed to several candidates who could fit what the Seahawks are looking for if they decide to keep adding. [Read more 🡒]
DeForest Buckners Colts Exit Just Took On A New Twist
The Colts decision to bring in Quenton Nelson has already started to reshape the conversation around their offensive line, and it has a ripple effect that reaches well beyond Indianapolis. For Seattle, it is another reminder of how quickly roster moves can change a players role, especially for someone like Anthony Bradford, who had been in the starting mix before the upgrade at guard altered the depth chart.
Mike Macdonald addressed Bradfords situation with the kind of measured tone teams usually reserve for a player they still value. He made clear that Bradford remains important to the Seahawks and expected him to handle the shift professionally, even as the competition in front of him tightened. In a league where starting jobs can disappear fast, the real test now is how Bradford responds to the change. [Read more 🡒]
Russell Wilsons Next Career Move Will Catch Seahawks Fans Off Guard
Russell Wilsons post-playing career already has taken him into the broadcast booth, but his name has now surfaced in a far different kind of football conversation. The former Seahawks quarterback interviewed for the North Carolina State head coaching job after Dave Doeren was fired, a development that ties Wilson back to the school where he once starred before his NFL rise.
Wilson is currently working as a CBS Sports analyst, so a move into college coaching would be a major pivot from the role fans have seen him in most recently. He is not the only former quarterback linked to the opening, either, with Philip Rivers also having engaged in discussions about coaching at NC State, adding another layer to an already intriguing search. [Read more 🡒]