As the NFL trade deadline approached, I was nervous for the Seattle Seahawks. Not necessarily nervous because of the Sam Darnold injury, or the Drew Lock injury, or the fact that if feels like half the team is hurt while Seattle tries to find itself at 5-4. I was most nervous about what the NFC was going to do before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Seahawks kicked off a wild trade deadline by acquiring future hall-of-famer Quenton Nelson, and then watched the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears answer
back with major trades of their own. An ass whooping by the Bears, followed by numerous injuries, and the Seahawks felt their most vulnerable in two years, while conference rivals were rolling.
With the closing window and pressure facing NFC West rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles as well as the entire NFC North, I assumed all of these teams would make moves at the deadline.
Instead of putting the throat on the Seahawks, I think the conference contenders failed to put the champs away.
The Rams got their superstar back in Myles Garrett, but then subsequently lost their main offensive weapon in Puka Nacua to a knee injury that landed him on IR. Losing a guy like Nacua really takes a bite out of an offense that feels unrecognizable from what we saw last year in LA. With the Rams still to face the Seahawks twice, as well as the Packers and at the 49ers. It’s hard to imagine this nightmare season ending with a playoff spot.
The 49ers continue to lead the pack in the NFC, while they yet again overcome injuries. While they added DeForest Buckner, and Keenan Allen before the deadline, I don’t think they landed a potential haymaker in the way that Chicago did with Jeffery Simmons.
In the North, the Lions went silent at the deadline, and although they’re 6-2, they continue to win ugly and yet again are dealing with major injuries to some of their best players. After a dream start to the season, reality hit Minnesota. Despite a championship caliber defense, the Vikings embarrassed themselves on Monday night in the worst offensive performance I have ever seen. Their answer is to go back to the Kirk Cousins Experience, hoping he can save their season. Despite the 6-0 start, they’ve lost two games in a row and now will be facing the red hot Packers and 49ers in the next two weeks. 6-4 feels very real.
Speaking of red hot, the Bears and Packers right now have arguably the highest ceilings in the conference. The Packers put on a spectacle in Foxborough, picking off Drake Maye three times and then hanging nearly 50 points on the New England defense. After such a dominating performance, I thought that Green Bay would go for it and make a move for Jonathan Taylor, especially with Josh Jacobs out with a hand injury. I truly thought that he could’ve been their final piece, as I just don’t see a team making a Super Bowl run with the worst rushing attack in the league. This deadline feels like a big miss for a desperate coach in Matt LaFleur, who needs a playoff run to stay employed.
And lastly the Bears. If I had to make a Super Bowl bet right now, I’d pick the Bears to come out of the NFC. The Seahawks did themselves no favor in their embarrassing MNF loss, but the Beats owned the line of scrimmage and controlled that game. After the victory, I thought that Chicago would go for the kill shot, and bring Kahlil Mack home. It was the type of move that you see Super Bowl champions make, essentially double-tapping on creating a monstrous defensive line. The Bears are flawed, but their best is better than possibly the rest of the entire league. Adding Mack could’ve made them near unbeatable, now they’re just really scary.
Rightfully so, the Seahawks stayed pat. There wasn’t a move out there that made sense, or would realistically give them a 2-3 win bump. The best way the Seahawks could make a move was to survive the trade deadline, and get their shit figured out in the building.
They survived the deadline, in my opinion. The offense has Vegas and a bye week to figure out if they can be playoff caliber or more, as Brian Fleury tries to avoid becoming Ryan Grubb 2.0.
As for their current standings, the Seahawks sit tied with the Rams as the last teams out, looking in the playoff picture. The NFC North dominates the standings as all three wildcard spots are filled by the North. While the Seahawks currently have a 50% chance to make the playoffs, the North will likely help Seattle’s odds dramatically here on out. The Packers and Lions have three more divisional games on their schedules, while the Lions and Bears still have four. The North is going to be weakened, and I look at the Vikings and Lions as the most clear regression candidates.
Seattle controls the playoff fate of the Rams, as they will play twice in their final three games. The NFC West is likely gone, but if Seattle can find a way to finish off the Rams, and get to 11 wins, I truly believe that one of two NFC North teams will regress or fail to hold up against the wrath of such an unforgiving division. The expectations before the season were not about finding a way to scratch and claw to get into the dance, but here we are. The NFC’s best could’ve made some more moves to bury the Seahawks, but they now have left the door open.
If Seattle can right the ship and make the playoffs as potentially the No. 5 or 6 seed, they could be looking at going on the road to somewhere like Tampa Bay or New York, where I’d wager they’d be heavy favorites in those contests. Win, and you’re likely heading to Levi’s Stadium (good place), or whoever survived to win the NFC North. It may not be the path we all envisioned, but I think all Seahawk fans right now would sign up for a divisional playoff game again, with the hopes of reaching a second straight NFC Championship.
Door still feels (slightly) open, Mike Macdonald and the boys just need to run through it.
