The Seattle Seahawks are heading to Super Bowl LX, and while plenty of credit will go to the players on the field, it’s impossible to ignore the behind-the-scenes shift that helped spark their late-season surge: the hiring of Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator.
Seattle’s offense, which had been stuck in neutral under Ryan Grubb, found a new gear under Kubiak - and it wasn’t just about calling better plays. It was about designing an offense that kept defenses guessing and put players in positions to thrive. That’s something Kubiak knows well, having grown up immersed in the Shanahan-style system his father, Gary Kubiak, helped perfect during his long run with the Denver Broncos.
This year, Klint brought that same DNA to the Pacific Northwest. And while the Seahawks’ run game didn’t fully click until late in the season, the overall results speak volumes.
Seattle finished the regular season ranked third in scoring, eighth in total yards, ninth in passing, and tied for 10th in rushing. That’s a dramatic turnaround for a unit that had struggled to find balance or identity just a year ago.
Now, Kubiak is expected to take over as the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the Super Bowl. But before he heads to the desert, his offensive blueprint has the Seahawks one win away from a championship.
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who played under Gary Kubiak in Houston, offered some insight into what makes Klint’s system so effective. He’s seen the philosophy up close - and he’s been a fan of the younger Kubiak’s work for years.
“He’s been around the NFL since he could breathe,” Orlovsky said. “I’ve known Klint for almost 20 years from my time with his dad in Houston.
I’ve always liked how he sees the game. Even early last year in New Orleans, you could see the creativity.”
What sets the Shanahan-Kubiak tree apart is how it blends the run and pass into one cohesive illusion. Every play looks like something else.
A run could be a play-action. A bootleg could be a screen.
A motion could be a decoy. It’s all designed to make defenses hesitate - and that hesitation is where the offense wins.
“That’s the beauty of the system,” Orlovsky explained. “The way they pair the run game with everything else.
It’s all an illusion. You show one thing and can run five or six different plays off of it.”
One of the clearest examples of that sleight of hand is how the Seahawks have used quarterback Sam Darnold. He’s rarely throwing from the same spot twice. Whether it’s bootlegs, rollouts, or play-action, Kubiak keeps him on the move - and that movement keeps defenses off balance.
“How often have you seen Darnold throw from the same place three or four plays in a row? It just doesn’t happen,” Orlovsky said.
“They’re always moving the quarterback. The defense doesn’t know where he is, and they don’t know when the ball is coming out.”
And it’s not just Darnold. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has become a chess piece in this offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, including the playoffs, he’s lined up out wide 732 times, in the slot 172 times, and even in the backfield 17 times. Fourteen of those backfield snaps have come in the last six games - a clear sign that Kubiak is dialing up new ways to get his playmakers involved.
Take the NFC Championship Game against the Rams. Smith-Njigba’s touchdown came from one of those backfield alignments - a wrinkle that caught the defense off guard and paid off in the biggest moment.
Orlovsky pointed out how this constant motion and alignment variety forces defenses to think, and thinking slows them down.
“How often do you see JSN line up in the same spot for multiple plays? They don’t do that,” Orlovsky said.
“(Kubiak) always forces the defense to think. That forces them to play slow.
And that’s an advantage.”
As the Seahawks prepare to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, it’s clear that Kubiak’s fingerprints are all over this run. His system has elevated the offense, unlocked Darnold’s potential, and turned Seattle into one of the most dangerous, unpredictable units in the league.
If this is Kubiak’s final act in Seattle, it’s one heck of a curtain call. And if the Seahawks hoist the Lombardi Trophy, don’t overlook the architect who helped build the blueprint.