Reason why the Seahawks will and won't repeat in 2026
By Andy Davies
Sunday 8th February 2026 will be a date that lives long in the memory for the Seattle Seahawks organisation and fanbase.
This was the date when they secured their second Super Bowl in franchise history, beating the New England Patriots 29-13 and earning revenge on their opponents for denying them back-to-back championships 11 years earlier.
The Malcolm Butler interception and decision by Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to throw the ball instead of handing off to Marshawn Lynch is a painful memory that Seattle looked for a long time like they were not going to ever recover from it as an organisation.
A lot of the players left and the team soon started to struggle and fail to live up to those heights. The disconnect between the players have been evident since they left the organisation. Whilst the players involved that day may still have tough memories of that day, the Super Bowl LX win might have gone a long way to heal those battle scars for the fans.
Just as they almost did after winning their first Super Bowl, can the Seahawks repeat in the 2026 season?
Here are reasons why they will or won’t repeat in 2026.
Reasons why the Seattle Seahawks will repeat
If there is any one factor as to why the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, it is the head coaching of Mike McDonald.
In his first job in the role, McDonald was hired in 2024 after an impressive time as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, who were the number one seed in his last season there. They also allowed the least points in the league, were sixth in total points allowed and against the pass, as well as 14th against the run.
Since joining the Seahawks, he has gone 24-10 and helped build a brilliant defense, nicknamed the Darkside, alongside British defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
This was a unit that allowed the least points in 2025, ranked sixth for total yards allowed, 10th against the pass and third against the run.
Seattle have lost players on defense in the offseason, such as Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe and Coby Bryant. However, they still have Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori. This is still a very impressive unit and even if the offense struggles, this defense can win the Seahawks games singlehandedly.
There is no suggestion that their offense is going to slow down either, certainly when it comes to the weapons on display.
The Seahawks have the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, fresh off a league leading 1,793 receiving yard season. He also ranked fourth for receptions (119) and tied for sixth for receiving touchdowns (10).
Alongside him, they have experience wideout Cooper Kupp, who has now won a Super Bowl for two different franchises, as well as tight end AJ Barner, who scored the opening touchdown of Super Bowl 60.
Seattle may have lost running back Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs through Free Agency this summer, but they brought in Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame 32nd overall in this year’s draft to compensate. They also have Zach Charbonnet, who was the perfect sidekick to Walker last season.
The franchise may have lost some players, but they still have a good proportion of the group that helped them secure the Lombardi Trophy in their biggest rival’s backyard.
Reasons why the Seattle Seahawks won't repeat
The Seahawks had the perfect run to winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Not only did they beat divisional rivals in the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl, but they also hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in the 49ers’ own stadium.
It was a run that saw them establish themselves as the kings of the NFC West. Expect the Niners and Rams to improve in 2026.
The 49ers made it all the way to the Divisional Round, despite being one of the most injured teams in the NFL last season. With Fred Warner, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Brock Purdy available for the full season, alongside Christian McCaffrey who ironically remained healthy in 2025, this is a team that can absolutely challenge for a spot in Super Bowl LXI.
Myles Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1st. This adds the best defensive player in the league to the team that was already the bookies’ favourites to win the Super Bowl prior to the trade going down.
Rams head coach Sean McVay looked distraught when they lost in the NFC Championship to Seattle. He and general manager Les Snead seem men on missions to go one further in the 2026 season, having gone out and addressed areas of need in the offseason, most notably trading for defensive back Trent McDuffie.
This is a division that will be a lot tougher for the Seahawks in 2026, and also a conference as a whole. The Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles are expected to have better seasons.
Seattle also has to face the Dallas Cowboys, who have had a great offseason, the entire AFC West and Chicago Bears. This could go massively against their favour.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS