Seattle Is The Best Team In The NFL Everyone Is ignoring

If you watch the sports networks, listen to sports radio, or watch/listen to the endless number of sports podcasts, you've heard a familiar refrain among the pundits.

You've heard these talking points ad nauseum:

• The Packers have Micah Parsons might be the best team in the NFC
• Once the Eagles get it together watch out for the Champs
• That Rams offense looks unstoppable
• The Lions can beat you on both sides of the football

What you haven't heard is those pundits talking about at 6-2 team that might be playing better than all of those aforementioned teams.  That would be the Seattle Seahawks.

Stats only tell part of the story.  Seattle currently leads the NFC West by 1/2 game over the 49ers and by tiebreaker over the Rams by virtue of a better division record.  Sam Darnold is having a MVP caliber season for the second year in a row.

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Darnold has thrown for just over 2,000 yards with 16 TDs to 5 INTs and a league high 9.6 yards per pass play.  He's also only hit the ground 9 times (which is also a league low) thanks to a much improved offensive line (which has also helped resurrect the run game).

Then there is the emergence of WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba.  The third year wideout, who was the team's 1st round pick in 2023, leads the NFL with 958 yards after adding 128 yards on 8 catches last night against Washington.

He has been Sam Darnold's go to receiver with 58 catches, more than double the next receiver on that list.  The other story of this team might be what Seattle's calling card has been for much of the franchise's 50 year history - the defense.

They have the second best run defense in the league (85.9 yards par game), are 5th best in points allowed (18.8 points per game), and are tied for 3rd with 27 sacks.  They held Jayden Daniels and the Commanders to 7 points last night and under 300 total yards.

Maybe the biggest advantage this team has is they have a franchise record 10 game road winning streak and are 11-1 away from home under second year Head Coach Mike MacDonald.  MacDonald joins George Seifert (49ers), Paul Brown (Browns), and Sean McVay (Rams) as the only NFL coaches to win 10 or more of their first 11 road games.

The Things The Stats Don't Tell You

Most team's have a lull when they switch Head Coaches, especially after one who has loomed as large as Pete Carroll did in Seattle.  It hasn't happened here.  After a 10 win season in year one, Mike MacDonald has changed the culture without missing a beat.

Looking at the schedule the rest of the way, they could easily have 12 or 13 wins at the end of the season.  12 gets them in the playoffs for sure, 13 probably gets them the NFC West title and maybe the #1 or #2 seed.

This team is no fluke and they could be on their way to their third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, whether the pundits talk about them or not.