What’s going to happen with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018?
The preseason is over, the 53-man roster has been set (for now), and the Seahawks are six days away from the season opener Sunday at Denver.
The Seahawks head into the season amidst all kinds of change. Gone are defensive stalwarts Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. So, too, is mercurial tight end Jimmy Graham, who who seemed to divide opinions. Even the coaching staff has been overhauled with Brian Shottenheimer taking over for Darrell Bevell as offensive coordinator, Ken Norton Jr. replacing Kris Richard as defensive coordinator, and Mike Solari coming in for Tom Cable as offensive line coach.
Even among players who didn’t leave there are issues. Star free safety Earl Thomas continues to hold out and almost certainly will not play in Seattle’s opener. Pro Bowl linebacker K.J. Wright just underwent a procedure on his knee and is also believed to be unavailable against the Broncos. No. 1 receiver Doug Baldwin is nursing a knee issue of his own. When the Seahawks take the field for the first time Sunday there will new starters all over the field, particularly on defense as Seattle tries to transition quickly from the group that dominated the NFL from 2012-16 to younger crew.
Therefore, we have a lot less data to work with in trying to predict how the season will go for Seattle.
The one constant is at quarterback, where Russell Wilson is entering his seventh season as the Seahawks starter. In 2017 Wilson just missed surpassing the 4,000-yard passing mark for a third straight season, and he tied a career and franchise record by throwing 34 touchdown passes. Wilson is also playing for a contract extension, though Wilson isn’t the type of person who needs financial motivation to give a full effort.
Seattle has historical precedent in its favor. The Seahawks went 9-7 last year and have had winning records in each of the past six seasons — though they fell short of the playoffs last year, missing the postseason for the first time during that stretch.
However, the trend line is headed in the wrong direction, as in each of the past four seasons Seattle finished with fewer wins that the previous one, with the exception of 2016 when the team matched its win total from the preceding campaign. And you can decide for yourself whether to give any merit to the fact the Seahawks went winless in the preseason for the first time in franchise history.
So how many wins do you think the Seahawks finish with this season? Make your prediction here:
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