Seattle Seahawks: Predicting 2023 record after schedule release
PNWS Staff
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Ed Stein
Last year the Seattle Seahawks benefited from a last-place schedule. This year the competition is better because they made the playoffs.
The first thing that stands out is a Week 5 bye. It’s early, but any player who starts the season on IR can return for Game 5 with an extra week of rest. This ends the good news portion.
When doing an exercise like this, I always start with a split within the division which would be 3-3. The NFC West is very competitive, and no matter how good or bad a team is, they fight like heck in these games.
The Seahawks have three games in the Eastern Time Zone which come in in a five-game span, and all three NYG, Cincinnati, and Baltimore are playoff contenders. Two of these games bracket the bye, meaning three long plane trips. Let’s say they go 1-2.
Rounding out the first half of the season, I believe Seattle takes two of three from their road game at Detroit and home games against Carolina and Cleveland. On to the second half, beginning with Game 10.
I don’t like back-to-back Thursday Night games in November. even more so because tthe first one against San Francisco after playing Los Angeles the week before.
However, wins against Washington in Game 10 and then knocking off Dallas the week after Thanksgiving make the Seahawks 2-0 against non-division opponents.
The season’s final five games in December/January work out nicely. If the Seattle Seahawks remain healthy, they beat Pittsburgh at home and Tennessee in Nashville. Week 15 against Philly is a tough matchup, so I’ll be conservative.
There is one scenario that could lead to more wins. We all know how much Pete Carroll loves to run. If Kenneth Walker and newly drafted Zach Charbonnet click, time of possession changes in Seattle’s favor, and that could be worth an additional victory or two.
Seattle’s regular season record will be 10-7, which should be good enough to make the playoffs.