The Seahawks are about to play their third straight prime-time game and fourth straight game against a playoff contender. They are trying just to split these four – because they gave away games against the 49ers and Broncos before stopping the turnover fest and dominating the Chiefs last Sunday night.
This is a big game not only because of the potential NFC playoff ramifications – the 5-2 Bears at the 4-3 Seahawks — but because it pits two successful young coaches who were Seattle’s top two choices after Pete Carroll was fired in 2024.
This is one of those what-if matchups. As in what if Ben Johnson had not wanted to stay as Detroit’s OC in 2024?
We wanted Johnson above all others, based on the trend of offensive coaches dominating Super Bowls over the past decade. As John Schneider conducted his search to replace Carroll, we wrote: “Johnson seems hands-down to be the best choice.”
But Johnson ended up wanting to stay in Detroit, which had lost in the NFC title game in 2023. He said he wanted to help the Lions reach the Super Bowl.
Mike Macdonald seemed like a darkhorse candidate for Seattle, but he blew away Schneider in their initial meeting and then turned down Washington, which ended up with third choice Dan Quinn.
If Macdonald had preferred the Commanders, Schneider might have had to settle for Quinn. Fortunately, the young defensive wiz liked Schneider’s Seahawks better. Atlanta also had pursued him before hiring Raheem Morris.
“If I had gotten any of those (other) opportunities, I don’t think we would have had the success because of the infrastructure we had in Seattle,” Macdonald told Graham Bensinger last summer. “Seattle definitely ended up being the best opportunity for me.”
It was the best for all. He turned around a franchise that had been directionless in Carroll’s final few years, winning the Super Bowl in his second season.
Johnson is trying to accomplish that feat in Chicago. He has to go through Seattle to do it.
He has gone 16-8 over his first 24 games (Macdonald was 25-9). He loves running the ball. He did it in Detroit, and his Bears led the league in that department coming into Week 8. It will be a great matchup against one of the top run defenses in the NFL (second in yards per rush at 3.5).
Chicago’s defense has not allowed many rushing yards itself – largely because teams have been throwing it a lot more (61%, sixth in the NFL) to keep up with Johnson’s high-scoring club. The Bears rank ninth in total defense (Seattle is first) and ninth in scoring (20.4; Seattle is third at 17.9).
They are looking to be even better with the acquisition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jefferey Simmons – a move that countered Seattle’s trade for All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. Those two have faced off twice a year in the AFC South since 2019, and they coincidentally see each other – on “Monday Night Football” no less – in the same week they both were traded to new teams.
Hawks out on Taylor
On Halloween, ESPN reported that the Seahawks were among the teams interested in Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor. But it turned out to be more trick than treat. On Sunday, they were no longer being mentioned – removed from the story that had first included them.
The day of the initial report, Macdonald also was cryptic about Jadarian Price’s return from IR, mentioning “some things going on roster wise.” We surmised these things could be connected – Price possibly being offered in a package for Taylor — but it looks like they were not.
Corbin Smith of Emerald City Spectrum reported that Schneider and Ed Dodds, Colts interim GM, briefly discussed Taylor before they got into the Nelson trade talks. Nelson is the guy Schneider really wanted from the Colts all along.
This jibes with our original thought that Schneider would not want to pour more resources – picks and pennies (many, many pennies) – into another running back.
We still might not see Price on Monday night, but we should see Zach Charbonnet running behind Nelson, against Simmons. If so, that will be pretty cool to see.
