After missing playoffs, Seahawks have lengthy offseason to-do list

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Well, at least they got the win.

On the fortune of two missed field goals in the fourth quarter by usually reliable Arizona kicker Matt Prater, the Seattle Seahawks eked out a 21-20 road victory over the Cardinals in the final regular season game, finishing without a penalty for only the second time in the Pete Carroll era.

And while the Seahawks earned an identical 9-8 record as last season, the feeling for Carroll and his players was much different this time.

Instead of sneaking into the playoffs after moving on from the franchise’s best quarterback in Russell Wilson last season, the Seahawks fell short of reaching the postseason when the Green Bay Packers won their game to punch the final ticket. 

“My assessment is we didn’t do enough,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith told reporters after the game. “We didn’t meet our goals. We have high expectations. We believe that we can do some great things as a team. And for us to not make the playoffs was a disappointment.” 

Now that their season is over, the Seahawks have several questions heading into the offseason. And at the top of that list will be whether Carroll will remain with the organization in 2024, along with the coordinators on both sides of the ball and veteran players such as Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner. 

Let’s look at the issues for the Seahawks as they enter the offseason.

Seahawks are not built to win NFC West

The easiest way into the playoffs is to win your division. The Seahawks have won the NFC West just once since 2017 after Carroll’s teams captured the NFC West three of his first five seasons in Seattle.

Seattle finished 2-4 in the division this season, the worst record for the Seahawks in the Carroll era. And they don’t appear to be anywhere close to competing with the San Francisco 49ers, who have won back-to-back NFC West titles.

Smith is 0-4 as a starter against the 49ers since taking over for Wilson at the start of…

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Publish date : 2024-01-08 04:01:08

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