The Seattle Seahawks took their first loss in nearly a year, and that was enough to spark the usual overreaction machine. Mike Macdonald, John Schneider and even the social media department were apparently all supposed to be fired on the spot. Devon Witherspoon, naturally, was not spared in the joke department either.
But the reality is a lot simpler: Seattle has issues to clean up, not a crisis to survive. The pass rush hasn’t been consistently dominant beyond a couple of players, the secondary doesn’t have much depth, and the running game still hasn’t found its stride.
Those are real things to monitor. They’re just not the kind of problems that knock the Seahawks off the top of the pile among the 2-1 NFC teams.
That’s because the loss to the Commanders fits the classic trap-game mold. It was a messy, perfect-storm kind of defeat, and not the kind that changes the basic read on this team. Even after Week 3, Seattle still looks like the strongest club among the NFC teams sitting at 2-1.
The rest of that group has plenty of flaws, starting with the Giants at No. 5.
They looked shaky even before Jaxson Dart went down, and now the quarterback situation has turned into a mess between Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy.
The defense took another hit with Brian Burns' season-ending injury, and after two flukey wins, this feels like a team headed back toward the top of the NFL Draft.
Detroit comes in at No. 4, and the story is familiar: the Lions can score in bunches, but they can’t keep anybody out of the end zone. Dan Campbell’s group has major issues in the secondary, and his approach on the sideline - the aggression, the clock management, the decision-making - hasn’t exactly helped. The division only makes things harder, too, especially since Detroit still hasn’t played an NFC North opponent and already showed how ugly things can get against a real contender.
Philadelphia lands at No. 3, and the frustration there is all about a defense that has gone sideways. The year is 2026, and Vic Fangio still can’t figure out how to stop Vic Fangio.
The journeyman quarterback is now 4-0 against him, and Ben Johnson has turned the Eagles’ once-disciplined defense sloppy and out of sync. The talent is there, but Jalen Hurts and his 3984393489th offensive coordinator still don’t inspire much confidence.
At No. 2, the Bears are surging behind Ben Johnson, who has come in looking like a true football maniac. Chicago’s offense is loaded, and the creativity and aggression have shown up even with Caleb Williams out. Dennis Allen’s defense has also taken a step forward despite a battered secondary and limited talent up front, which makes the Bears a legitimate threat.
And at No. 1, Seattle stays put.
Week 3 wasn’t enough to knock the defending Super Bowl champions off the top spot. It was a bad break, not a collapse.
Sam Darnold hadn’t played much since the Super Bowl, but there’s no reason to think he won’t settle in. And the Dark Side defense is not likely to cough up 33 points very often, or let a quarterback keep breaking loose for big scrambles over and over.
They’ll be fine.
In Other News...
Marshawn Lynch Just Put Beast Modes Punishment In Brutal Perspective
Marshawn Lynch has never needed much help explaining what his style of football felt like, but he offered a fresh reminder of it while looking back on the final stretch of his NFL run with the Seahawks. He said the team once used small sensor packs inside players shoulder pads to measure how much contact they absorbed during games, a window into just how punishing those Sundays could be for a running back built like he was.
One game, Lynch said, produced a reading that put his total contact at the equivalent of seven car crashes. It was the kind of number that gives some perspective to a 12-season career defined by collisions, and it also underscores why the physical toll of his approach was always part of the story in Seattle, even when the highlight runs made it look effortless. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Have One Big Health Concern Entering Sunday
The Seahawks got their first real look at the practice-week injury picture on Wednesday, and it was a mixed one. Several key players were full participants, including Nick Emmanwori, Brandon Pili and Rashid Shaheed, while Julian Love and Leonard Williams were listed as limited as Seattle opened preparations for Sunday.
Across the field, the Chargers report carried its own notable names, with Derwin James, Ladd McConkey and Donte Jackson among the players limited or out as the week began. For Seattle, the attention now turns to how the secondary and defensive front hold up through the rest of the practice week, especially with one health situation suddenly shaping the matchup more than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Tyreek Hill To Seattle Would Force A Tough Seahawks Decision
Seattles early 2026 offense has looked sharp through the air, which is exactly why any chatter around Tyreek Hill lands with extra force. Hill recently sent out a cryptic tweet about being ready to play in colder weather, and that was enough to send fans and observers wondering whether a northern destination like the Seahawks could make sense if the situation ever got real. Given how much Seattle has leaned on its passing game, the fit is easy enough to imagine on paper.
The complication is just as obvious. Hill is still working back from the major knee injury he suffered in early 2025, and Seattles receiver room under offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is already thin. Any move involving a player with Hills profile would not just be about adding explosiveness, but about deciding how much risk the Seahawks are willing to take with an already limited rotation. [Read more 🡒]