Russell Wilson (3) and the Seattle Seahawks finished 12-4, won the NFC West title, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Russell Wilson (3) and the Seattle Seahawks finished 12-4, won the NFC West title, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

POLL: Was the Seahawks’ season a success or a failure?

Seattle finished 12-4 and won the NFC West, but was upset in the first round of the playoffs.

How do you characterize the Seatlte Seahawks’ 2020 season? Success or failure?

Seattle’s season came to an end Saturday when the Seahawks lost 30-20 to the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field in a first-round playoff game. In the aftermath the hot takes came out fast and furious on a Seattle season that had so many twists and turns that it can be evaluated in many ways.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons:

PROS

n Seattle finished the regular season 12-4, just the fifth time in the franchise’s 45-year history the team won that many games. The Seahawks beat the preseason over/under win prediction of 9.5 handily.

n Seattle won the NFC West championship, its first since 2016 and the 11th division title in franchise history. The Seahawks accomplished that in what many considered to be, top to bottom, the toughest division in the NFL.

n The acquisition of strong safety Jamal Adams just before the season began gave the defense a difference maker who set an NFL record for sacks in a season by a defensive back (9.5, despirte missing four games). He and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, a fellow trade acquisition, led a mid-season renaissance that saw the defense go from being historically bad to being among the league’s best.

n Seattle’s special teams were special, as kicker Jason Myers went the entire season without missing a field goal, while punter Michael Dickson boomed long punts to the sideline all season long.

n Seattle’s games were almost always exciting, with 11 being decided by a single score.

n The Seahawks navigated the coronavirus pandemic as well as any team in the league, managing to avoid any kind of significant outbreak, and Seattle didn’t lose a single core player for a game.

CONS

n The unexpected first-round playoff loss stung, considering it came against a Rams team the Seahawks beat just two weeks earlier to claim the division crown, was using a quarterback with a damaged throwing thumb, and lost its best defensive player to injury for most of the second half.

n Seattle’s offense fell off a cliff during the second half of the season, as the “let Russ cook” high-flying passing game disappeared overnight, and the Seahawks never found a way to get back on track offensively.

n While Adams proved to be a big addition to the defense, the Seahawks mortgaged a big piece of their future to acquire him from the New York Jets — a package that included two first-round draft picks — and the move ultimately didn’t push Seattle forward at all this season, as the Seahawks were eliminated one round earlier than the previous year.

n Seattle’s games were almost always excruciating, with 11 being decided by a single score.

n Because of the coronavirus pandemic, fans were unable to to see any games in person.

There’s a lot to consider, both good and bad. So what do you think? Was the Seahawks’ 2020 season a success or a failure? Give us your opinion here:

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