We haven’t seen Sam Darnold and the starting skill players in action yet – that apparently will happen a bit this week against the Chiefs – but the first preseason game showed everything we need to know about what this Seattle offense is trying to do.

If it succeeds, as we expect it to, the Seahawks should be well poised to repeat their 2011-13 ascent and come away with a Super Bowl trophy in Mike Macdonald’s third year (like Pete Carroll did in his fourth year).

Let’s run through the similarities that make us think this is how it is going to go.

Carroll had his defense largely assembled in 2011, when it was a top-10 unit. In 2012, second-round pick Bobby Wagner came along and helped it become a top-five defense. In 2013, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were added and the Hawks became the best defense in the land (for the next four years).

Macdonald’s defense is on pace to follow the same progression.

In 2024, his defense ranked 10^th (and was really a top-five unit in the final month of the season). With all key players back, Seattle is poised to be a top-five crew all season long, like the 2012 Legion of Boom was.

Like the 2012 defense, Macdonald added a key defender in the second round: Nick Emmanwori. For the next two years at least, the Hawks have the following defenders under contract: Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II, Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight, Derick Hall, DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love and Emmanwori. If they can find a stout nose tackle and shore up cornerback and edge rusher in 2026, they could ascend to No. 1, like the 2013 squad did.

The key is the offensive makeover.

The QB situation in 2025 is eerily similar to the one in 2012: all new quarterbacks, with a third-round rookie in the mix. Of course, the difference is the third-round rookie, Russell Wilson, became the starter in 2012, while Macdonald’s 2025 offense will depend on the veteran Darnold to continue his growth as a quality NFL starter while the rookie Jalen Milroe will be the third QB behind top-notch backup Drew Lock.

Carroll’s offense jumped from 25^th in 2011 to eighth with Wilson as the QB in 2012. A big part of that was the running game, which went from 21^st to third – thanks to Wilson and Marshawn Lynch (before he became a sideline photographer).

The combination of that running prowess and a strong defense helped the Hawks get to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost in the final 30 seconds at Atlanta. Pretty much everyone knew they were set up to contend for the Super Bowl the next year – and they made good on that by going the distance, beating San Francisco in the NFC title game and blowing out Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.

The key to replicating that success in 2025-26 will be running the ball. Macdonald knows it, which is why Klint Kubiak is now Seattle’s offensive coordinator. Kubiak showed in the first preseason game that he means business. It was preseason, but the Hawks ran for 170 yards against Carroll’s Raiders.

Better tests of the offensive line will come against the Chiefs and Packers in the final two preseason games, but the intent is clearly there. As first-round left guard Grey Zabel said: “Run the damn ball is what … we’re going to hang our hat on this year.”

If the Hawks can put together a top-10 running game to take the pressure off the quarterback, Darnold should have a fantastic season – and the Hawks should make a similar jump to the one they made from 2011 to 2012.

Seattle’s offense under Ryan Grubb ranked 17^th last year, so there is no reason to think Kubiak and Darnold won’t be able to make a leap into the top 10. And that – coupled with Macdonald’s elite defense – would put Seattle in position to repeat 2012-13 and bring another Lombardi Trophy to Seattle in 2026.

It all lines up for history to repeat.