Seahawks schedule: 4 prime-time games, and a midseason stretch that may decide their fate (2024)

The Seattle Seahawks will enter the 2024 season with a bit less optimism than one year ago, when the team was coming off a surprising playoff appearance in the first year without Russell Wilson and appeared to be trending upward.

A second-half swoon led the Seahawks to a 9-8 finish in 2023, costing them a playoff berth and leading to a coaching change, as Pete Carroll moved into an advisory role. New head coach Mike Macdonald will lead the team into its first season without Carroll since 2009.

This year, oddsmakers do not see the Seahawks as a likely playoff team. BetMGM has their odds to reach the postseason at +200, which implies a 33 percent chance, and their odds to miss the playoffs at minus-250 (which implies a 71.4 percent chance). However, the league does not appear concerned about Seattle drawing viewership, as the team is scheduled for four prime-time games — one more than when the schedule was released a year ago (Eagles-Seahawks was later flexed into prime time) — although two are Thursday night games.

Here’s the Seahawks’ full schedule and everything you need to know.

Week 1 keys to victory

The Seahawks beat the Broncos at home in Week 1 two years ago in a game that had just a little bit more hype. This time, instead of facing Russell Wilson, Seattle could see rookie quarterback Bo Nix, Denver’s first-round pick. Expect Sean Payton to lean on his run game to support Nix, presenting a good test for Macdonald’s defense given the Seahawks’ struggles to stop the run in recent seasons. On offense, new coordinator Ryan Grubb might be wise to draw things up for Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as DK Metcalf will likely see a lot of Pat Surtain II and the Broncos’ cornerback group is otherwise unproven.

Must-watch game: at Lions, Week 4

The last two Seahawks-Lions games, both in Detroit, have been electric. Seattle needed 48 points to win a shootout in 2022 and 37 points to win the rematch in 2023 on a walk-off touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett in overtime. Both teams hope to be better on defense in 2024 than they were in those two games, but even if they are, the offenses on each side are still stacked, so Round 3 should be another thriller that comes down to the wire, this time on Monday night.

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Toughest stretch: Weeks 6-11

Unlike last year, there’s no obvious answer here, but this midseason stretch looks very challenging, even with three of the games at home and a bye week mixed in. The sequence is sandwiched by meetings with the 49ers, who have dominated the Seahawks lately (more on that below), opening with a short-week home game and closing with a trip to Santa Clara following the bye. In between, there’s a cross-country trip to face the improved Falcons, then visits from Josh Allen’s Bills and Sean McVay’s Rams, who are 10-5 (including playoffs) against the Seahawks in the coach’s tenure, including five wins in the past seven meetings and two wins last season.

Game that has gotten tougher: at Falcons, Week 7

Seattle’s road trip to Atlanta didn’t look very daunting in January when the Falcons were led by head coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Desmond Ridder. Those two have since been replaced by Raheem Morris and Kirk Cousins, respectively. Morris spent the last three seasons giving Seattle problems as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, and Cousins is a significant upgrade at the quarterback position. He’s also had some productive games against Seattle, including a three-touchdown performance in a win over the Seahawks as a member of the Vikings in 2021.

One game the Seahawks can’t afford to lose: 49ers (Weeks 6 and 11)

Playoffs included, the Seahawks are 0-5 against Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers since the start of the 2022 season, and they’ve been outscored by 76 points in those games. Seattle’s goal each year is to win the NFC West, and Shanahan has stood firmly in the team’s way for the last two seasons. Macdonald was hired to get the Seahawks over that hump. Failure to beat the reigning division champs — who are 12-1 (including playoffs) against the NFC West over the last two seasons, with the lone loss coming when they rested their starters — would be a disappointing start to the Macdonald era.

Best offense the Seahawks will face: 49ers (Weeks 6 and 11)

Three of the top four offenses from 2023 by points per drive are on Seattle’s 2024 schedule: the 49ers, Dolphins and Lions. All three of them should be as good as they were last season, if not better. The 49ers have arguably the best of the three, but they’re all going to be tough tests for Macdonald in Year 1. The 49ers and Lions have given the Seahawks trouble defensively the past two seasons, but Macdonald’s Ravens shut down all three offenses in 2023, so maybe he can carry some of that magic with him to Seattle.

Best defense the Seahawks will face: at Jets (Week 13)

The Jets’ defense ranked fourth in points per drive last season, and despite some shuffling at edge rusher, the unit should be similarly stout this year. It put up those numbers without getting any help from the offense, which was among the worst in the league and deep in quarterback drama throughout last season. A healthy Aaron Rodgers should lead to more complementary football, which will make the defense even tougher when Seattle goes to MetLife Stadium.

Predicted record: 9-8

I expect the Seahawks to be better than they were in 2023, but that might not necessarily be reflected in the record because of their schedule. Last year, the Seahawks were 9-8 with a minus-38 point differential, which ranked 22nd. In 2024, they should be more competitive and less reliant on narrow wins (their final three victories came by a combined seven points). The Seahawks have a few elite position groups, several average ones, a handful of questionable ones and a relatively unknown coaching staff. A middle-of-the-pack finish feels appropriate based on the information currently available.

Predicted NFC West finish: Third

The 49ers still have the best team in the division until proven otherwise. The Rams’ McVay lost his defensive coordinator and best defensive player, but he’s done enough in his career to earn the benefit of the doubt, especially after drafting a couple of decent rookie prospects in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske (the secondary might be a concern, though). Los Angeles improved its offensive line and brought back nearly all of the other important pieces from last year’s unit, which was one of the few to move the ball efficiently against Macdonald’s Ravens.

(Photo of Geno Smith, 7, and Tyler Lockett, 16: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)

Michael-Shawn Dugar is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Seattle Seahawks. He previously covered the Seahawks for Seattlepi.com. He is also the co-host of the "Seahawks Man 2 Man" podcast. Follow Michael-Shawn on Twitter @MikeDugar