Tag Archives: Kenneth Walker

#LARvsSEA

Macdonald on historic comeback: ‘Great teams figure out a way to win’

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Mike Macdonald knows he has a great football team because it can beat in team in any style of game.

And the Seahawks are so resilient that it can give up a franchise-record 581 yards, go minus-3 in turnover margin, trail by 16 midway through the fourth quarter and still rally to beat the “other best team” in the NFL with a two-point conversion in overtime.

That’s what the Hawks did to the Rams in a wild 38-37 comeback that (a) clinched a playoff spot, (b) gave the Hawks control of the No. 1 seed and (c) got the Big Game Monkey off Sam Darnold’s back.

Macdonald said he was “really, really proud” of his team for overcoming all of the negatives in the massive NFL battle royale.

“What a friggin’ football team you guys are,” he told his players afterward. “What a freaking football team, man! We’re the freaking Seahawks! Let’s go!”

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Contracts, The roster

JSN is earning a big payday — let’s look ahead to 2026

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With every passing week that he helps the Seahawks notch another win, Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes himself a lot more money.

He had perhaps his best game of the season in a 30-24 win over Tennessee in Week 12, catching eight passes for a season-best 167 yards and scoring twice, including a season-long 63-yarder.

JSN set the franchise record for receiving yards in just the 11th game. His 1,313 yards are 10 more than DK Metcalf had in 16 games in 2020. JSN is on pace for 2,029 yards, which would break Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 from 2012 (in 16 games). JSN is just 0.4 yards per game behind Johnson’s pace through 12 weeks.

With JSN eligible for a contract extension after this season, it is time to start looking at what he will cost — and how it all fits with the rest of the roster.

Continue reading JSN is earning a big payday — let’s look ahead to 2026 →
Trades

Hawks ‘in the market’ for O-line help — what about Saints’ Ruiz?

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With the trade deadline days away, moves are being made and chatter is picking up – so let’s connect some possible dots around the Seahawks.

One of the big ones that emerged today was Saints guard Cesar Ruiz to Seattle – a move that conceivably would help the Hawks at right guard.

The Seahawks are “in the market” for an offensive lineman, per Jordan Schultz. And ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported: “Teams I’ve spoken to are under the impression that guard Cesar Ruiz might be available at the right price.”

Scuttlebutt is that “the right price” would be a third-round pick. That surely is too steep for John Schneider, but what if it came down to a 5 or 6 by next Tuesday’s deadline? Or what if it was a pick swap – maybe the Hawks give up a 3 and get back a 5? Ruiz is signed for two more years, so they would have a chance to get value out of such a deal.

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The roster, Trades

The promising future of the Hawks this year and beyond

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As the Seahawks take a week off to rest, self-evaluate and prepare for the final 10 games, they are in great position – both for this season and beyond.

At 5-2, they are one of seven NFC teams with a winning percentage over .700 – and right where we thought they would be, positioned for a second-half run into the playoffs.

By DVOA, they actually are rated the best team in the league – thanks to the top-ranked special teams and the No. 2 defense. Their net point differential (plus-57) is fifth.

The Hawks are blowing away Vegas projections, which had the Hawks finishing with seven or eight wins (a 7.5 over/under). We had predicted at least 11 wins. Well, this team is on a pace for 12. Looking at the rest of the schedule, the Hawks look capable of a 7-3 finish – thus a 12-5 record for the season.

This is clearly a playoff team. The bigger question: What happens once the playoffs arrive? Do the Hawks have what it takes to go all the way?

Let’s look at what they have and what they might need to make a Super Bowl run this year and beyond.

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#HOUvsSEA, X's & O's

Hawks are winning with play action, not giving up on run game

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“We need to improve on our run game. It’s pretty cut and dry.” – Mike Macdonald

The Seahawks have the NFL’s No. 5 scoring offense (27.7 ppg), the No. 10 offense by EPA and the No. 4 offense by DVOA – all without any consistent running attack.

There are two schools of thought about the Seahawks’ struggling running game – and both have their merits.

The first is what Mike Macdonald said on his radio show Monday: The running game is not good enough. The second is that the threat of the running game via play action has enabled the passing game to thrive and it’s a fair sacrifice to make.

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#SEAvsARI

Because the good outweighed the bad & ugly, the Hawks are 3-1

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The Seahawks should have beaten Arizona by two touchdowns on Thursday. Instead, they needed Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and more special teams magic to win 23-20 on the final play and get to 3-1 this season.

That gave the Hawks a pair of crazy 8s: Eight straight wins over Arizona and eight straight road wins.

The Hawks would have won long before the last play — if Tyrice Knight had not knocked the ball loose on Coby Bryant’s interception return, if Kenneth Walker III had not thrown a football at a Cardinal for a 15-yard taunting penalty, if Riq Woolen had not committed three penalties, if the offensive line could have asserted itself for a game-sealing four-minute drill.

Continue reading Because the good outweighed the bad & ugly, the Hawks are 3-1 →
On the air, Preseason, The roster

Charbonnet should start over Walker

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The Seahawks have been plowing through the preseason, ramping up a running game that they plan to make the focal point of their offense in 2025. And it is looking more and more like the guy leading that ground attack – at least in the season opener vs. the 49ers — should and probably will be Zach Charbonnet.

Mike Macdonald seems frustrated that Kenneth Walker III (sore foot) has not been available, and he seemed to drop a huge hint that Charbs is probably the Week 1 starter when he said of Walker: “At some point, you’ve gotta do it on the field so you feel confident to go out there and execute at a high level and play your best football. So that’s something that we’re working through. He’s doing the best he can, and we’re doing the best we can as a coaching staff. We’ve just gotta work together on this thing as it unfolds.”

The way it is unfolding is for Charbonnet to be the main ballcarrier and Walker to potentially be the changeup – a home run back on a snap count.

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NFL draft, Trades

Will this class be as good as the excitement around it portends?

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The Seahawks are stoked about their 2025 draft and are getting rave reviews from fans and media as well. That’s great, but is this really the transcendent group so many seem to think it is? Will these guys help this team become a Super Bowl contender?

The Seahawks obviously aimed for explosive athletes — they apparently put together the most athletic Day 1-2 draft since 2003. But there is a lot more to playing winning football in the NFL than just being a great athlete.

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NFL draft, Trades

Trade talk: Howell, Woolen — who else?

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When the Seahawks brought back Drew Lock last Friday, the first thought that came to mind was: Whither Sam Howell?

With Lock reportedly signed to a two-year deal, it sure seems to put Howell on the trade block.

The Hawks acquired Howell in a pick swap last year, getting a fourth and sixth while giving up a third and fifth. It was not a bad price to pay (equivalent of a fourth-rounder) for a look at a guy who had started a full season in the NFL and might be a possible long-term QB.

But Howell was no competition for Geno Smith and showed very poorly in clearly trying circumstances against the Packers late in the season.

John Schneider had said he looked forward to seeing Howell in Klint Kubiak’s offense because Ryan Grubb’s offense “wasn’t a good setup for him.” But now here comes Lock back, and he seems like as good a fit or better as the backup in Kubiak’s offense, which includes plenty of rollouts and bootlegs.

Continue reading Trade talk: Howell, Woolen — who else? →
Week 7: At Atlanta

Have Hawks learned enough about selves to start a new streak?

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Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks finally got themselves a quality win – and they needed it big time.

With a surprising 34-14 blowout of a red-hot Falcons team that had won three straight, the Hawks avoided the dreaded four-game losing skid that might have been the death knell for any playoff hopes (just one team out of 15 in Seattle history had overcome a streak of four or more losses to make the playoffs).

And now the question is whether they can sustain it.

“It was inevitable that (adversity) would happen, so you want to see a rebound,” Julian Love said. “We’re still learning how to win as a team. … We’re still building; we’re still learning who we are as a team.”

Continue reading Have Hawks learned enough about selves to start a new streak? →