Staying competitive in the NFL over the long haul is about as hard as it gets in team sports. Some teams like the Packers, Eagles and Ravens have managed to field playoff contenders for most of the seasons in the 21st century. The Seahawks have typically been about one tier lower than that group in recent years. While they have consistently made the playoffs or just barely missed they haven’t gotten past the divisional round since 2015.
One reason why is they simply haven’t fielded as much overall talent as other heavyweights around the league. According to an analysis by Ian Hartitz, Seattle ranks roughly in the middle of the pack (No. 17) as far as supporting casts go over the last five seasons – that includes basically everything except quarterback. Meanwhile, the division rival 49ers came in at first place on his list and by a wide margin compared to the NFC competition.
NFL ranks in "Supporting Cast Rating" in terms of average team PFF rush, receiving, pass blocking and run blocking grades (everything except passing) over the past five seasons: pic.twitter.com/4l7WSUlWGb
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 6, 2024
Tough scene.
As the man said though, desperation is the father of genius. If the Seahawks are going to build another Super Bowl team in the Mike Macdonald era, it will largely be because they had to set the highest possible standard just to get out of their own division. That was the case during the early Legion of Boom years when the 49ers were the best team in the conference and that’s clearly the case again now.
More Seahawks Wire stories
Ranking the league’s top 50 quarterbacks after 2024 NFL draft
