The Seattle Seahawks are a team on the rise, and their 2026 Football Almanac by Aaron Schatz is a treasure trove of insights into their success. While the source material provides a solid foundation, I'll take a more analytical and opinionated approach to exploring the Seahawks' key takeaways. Get ready for a deep dive into the team's offensive prowess, defensive dominance, and special teams excellence, all with a healthy dose of personal commentary and analysis.
The Passing Game: A Monster in 12 Personnel
The Seahawks' passing game was a force to be reckoned with in 12 personnel sets, averaging 9.3 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, third-best in the NFL. This is a significant improvement from their 11 personnel heavy approach in 2024, which yielded less desirable results. The flip in identity under Klint Kubiak has been a game-changer, and the expectation is that Brian Fleury will continue to utilize heavier formations. Personally, I think this is a smart move, as 12 personnel sets allow for a more balanced and dynamic offense, with the potential to stretch the field and create mismatches.
Play Action: The Secret Weapon
The Seahawks' offense without play action was good, but their play action game was exceptional. They were the best play action team in the NFL, with a disparity in PA vs. non-PA that was wider than any other team. Sam Darnold in play action passing is a lethal weapon, and his ability to stretch the field and create big plays is a testament to his skill. What makes this particularly fascinating is the contrast between the Seahawks' play action and non-play action offenses. While the non-play action game was good, it couldn't compete with the play action game's ability to create big plays and stretch the field. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively balance their play action and non-play action offenses to maximize their potential?
Health: The Foundation of Success
The Seahawks' offensive success can be attributed, in part, to their health. They didn't suffer many long-term injuries to key players, and their offense had the third-best Adjusted Games Lost (AGL) metric. This is a significant achievement, as AGL measures how often a team's starters and other important players are missing games or playing at less than 100%. The Seahawks' offense was among the cleanest, which makes sense when you consider that only Charles Cross and Jalen Sundell missed multiple weeks due to injury among all starting players. Cooper Kupp and Zach Charbonnet each missed a game during the regular season, but no more than that. This highlights the importance of health and depth in an offense, and the Seahawks' ability to maintain their offensive prowess despite injuries is a testament to their coaching and player development.
Running Back Screens: The Underrated Weapon
The Seahawks' running back screens were seldom used, which might be considered sweet music given how bad this aspect of their game has been for an eternity. However, this doesn't mean they didn't excel at breaking tackles and making people miss. In fact, they led the NFL in broken and missed tackles on offense by a large margin. This is an astonishing statistic that is worth quoting: The gap in broken tackle rate between the Seahawks and the No. 2 Falcons was larger than the gap between the Falcons and the No. 23 Bears. A lot of this can be attributed to Kenneth Walker III, who had 105 of the 203 broken tackles and ranked third among all running backs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was ninth among receivers and tight ends with 16. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively utilize their running backs to maximize their breaking tackle and making people miss potential?
Pass Catchers: No Yards Left on the Field
The Seahawks' pass catchers did not leave yards on the field, with only 14 dropped passes out of 435 attempts, good for the fourth-lowest drop rate in the NFL. You're not going to find a single Seahawks target at the top of any dropped pass list. This is a testament to the team's ability to execute and the trust between the quarterback and his receivers. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a deep trust in their pass catchers and a commitment to executing their plays to perfection. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain trust between their quarterbacks and receivers to maximize their passing game potential?
Sam Darnold: Staying Upright
Sam Darnold stayed upright in 2025, ranking eighth-lowest among starting quarterbacks in knockdowns (sacks + hits) suffered. His raw total was 62 knockdowns, but his knockdown rate was just 11.7%. For comparison, Justin Herbert's KD rate was 23.4%, which led all QBs who started the majority of the season. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the Seahawks' ability to protect their quarterback and the offensive line's ability to hold up under pressure. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively protect their quarterbacks and minimize knockdowns to maximize their offensive potential?
The Defensive Dominance: Three of the 15 Best Coverage Corners
The Seahawks had three of the 15 best coverage corners by DVOA: Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Josh Jobe. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the team's ability to develop and utilize their defensive backs. What makes this particularly fascinating is the contrast between the Seahawks' defensive backs and the rest of the league. While the Seahawks had three of the 15 best coverage corners, the rest of the league struggled to find consistency and dominance in their defensive backs. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively develop and utilize their defensive backs to maximize their defensive potential?
DeMarcus Lawrence: Raising the Ceiling of the Edge Group
DeMarcus Lawrence raised the ceiling of Seattle's edge group, leading the team in defeats (23), pressures (54), and QB hits (13). His ability to stop the offense from gaining first down yardage and create turnovers is a testament to his skill. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a dominant edge rusher who can create pressure and force turnovers, which is a key component of a successful defense. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a dominant edge group to maximize their defensive potential?
Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II: Dominant Interior Tandem
Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II were as dominant as you thought, with each having 39 pressures and ranking in the top 20 among all defensive linemen in run stop rate. Williams led all Seahawks with 14 QB hits. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the team's ability to develop and utilize their interior defensive linemen to maximize their defensive potential. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a dominant interior tandem who can stop the run and create pressure, which is a key component of a successful defense. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a dominant interior tandem to maximize their defensive potential?
Nick Emmanwori: Scarily Good
Nick Emmanwori, technically a nickel safety but functioning like a linebacker, led the entire secondary in defeats with 19. His coverage DVOA ranked 11th among all nickelbacks, and his broken tackle rate was 16th best among all qualifying defensive players. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the team's ability to develop and utilize their nickelbacks to maximize their defensive potential. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a scarily good nickelback who can cover and create turnovers, which is a key component of a successful defense. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a scarily good nickelback to maximize their defensive potential?
Josh Jobe: One of the Most Penalized Defensive Players
Josh Jobe was tied for fourth-most flagged among all defensive players, but his penalties weren't lethal in terms of long pass interference penalties or anything of the 15-yard variety. For context, Riley Moss of the Denver Broncos was flagged 12 times for 203 yards. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the team's ability to develop and utilize their defensive backs to maximize their defensive potential. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a defensive back who can cover and create turnovers, but needs to be more disciplined in his play. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a disciplined defensive back to maximize their defensive potential?
Ernest Jones: Good at Football
Ernest Jones, Seattle's underappreciated linebacker, ranked 14th in pass coverage DVOA at his position and tied for 13th among all defensive players in defeats. This is a significant achievement, as it highlights the team's ability to develop and utilize their linebackers to maximize their defensive potential. What this really suggests is that the Seahawks have a good linebacker who can cover and create turnovers, which is a key component of a successful defense. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a good linebacker to maximize their defensive potential?
Special Teams: At the Top of the Class
Michael Dickson and Jason Myers are at the top of the class, with Dickson's gross punt value over average being +8.3, good for best in the NFL. Jason Myers, the NFL's leading scorer, was second in gross kickoff value and first in net points. Special Teams has long been considered a highly volatile year-to-year statistic, but there must be something to the fact that, outside of the disastrous Dee Williams/Laviska Shenault Jr experience, Seattle's ST unit has been one of the most consistently strong units for several seasons. This raises a deeper question: How can teams effectively build and maintain a consistently strong special teams unit to maximize their overall potential?
In conclusion, the Seattle Seahawks are a team on the rise, and their 2026 Football Almanac by Aaron Schatz is a treasure trove of insights into their success. From their passing game to their defense to their special teams, the Seahawks have a lot to be proud of. As we look to the future, I'm excited to see how the team continues to build on their success and maximize their potential. In my opinion, the Seahawks are a team to watch in the coming years, and I can't wait to see what they achieve.
