Sunday’s 23-20 overtime Week 2 win over the New England Patriots wasn’t pretty for the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, nor was their 26-20 Week 1 victory over a bad Denver Broncos team. It’s a common-used cliche, but winning road games is a difficult task in the ever-competitive NFL. The Seahawks are already showcasing the ability to emerge victorious in difficult circumstances, and that spells excellent news for the Mike Macdonald era.
The Seahawks missed running back Kenneth Walker, who is nursing an injury. They rushed for just 46 yards on offense. Macdonald’s unit uncharacteristically struggled to defend the run on the opposite side, allowing the Patriots to accumulate 185 rushing yards. They didn’t force any turnovers, and let Patriots tight end Hunter Henry rack up 109 receiving yards via eight receptions.
Ryan Grubb’s offense struggled throughout the second half. Five Seahawks possessions resulted in three punts, one turnover on downs, and one field goal. The latter was enough to send the contest into overtime, after safety Julian Love blocked a Patriots field goal attempt.
Yet Seattle overcame all of those non-ideals to improve their record to 2-0 for the first time since the 2020 campaign, drastically improving their playoff probability early in the season. They sit atop the NFC West, where the Los Angeles Rams are 0-2, and the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals are each 1-1. Historically, Seattle’s postseason odds improved to 77.3%.
Everybody wants to win big by lighting up the scoreboard weekly. Overcoming adversity and showcasing the ability to dig deep and pull out victories even when your best football eludes you is arguably more important. The Seahawks are already displaying terrific character under Macdonald.
