Despite a strong start to the Mike Macdonald era that ended with a 10-win season, most analysts are down on the Seattle Seahawks heading into 2025. To be fair, there are legitimate reasons to think about fading their projected win total this year - including a radical offensive overhaul.
However, the biggest obstacle is still the fact that Seattle is playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL right now. They still haven't beaten Matt Stafford when he plays for the Los Angeles Rams, who took the NFC West title last year. They also have to contend with the San Francisco 49ers, who are rightfully considered a potential heavyweight as they attempt to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024 season.
Not everyone agrees that the Niners are going to instantly turn back into the thousand-pound-gorilla that opponents have come to expect heading into each new campaign, though. According to Mike Jones at The Athletic, the 49ers are actually one of the league's most overrated teams.
The Athletic labels 49ers 'overrated'
"But a quick rebound could prove more challenging than some expect. Gone are mainstays Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga after an offseason that Lynch described as “uneasy..."
"Asking second-year pro Ricky Pearsall to assume a big role alongside veteran Jauan Jennings —who is seeking a new contract— is a big ask, so George Kittle will be called on for continued dominance. The Niners will have little margin for error this season."
San Francisco did lose a lot of quality role players this offseason as they had to make room for Brock Purdy's big new contract. That said, they still have all the key pieces that made them a potential Super Bowl team the last several seasons - and Purdy's contract won't really start to hurt until next year. We would be completely unsurprised if the Niners are once again the team to beat in the conference, not just the NFC West.
Meanwhile, Jones thinks that another Seahawks rival is actually underrated. Here's what he shared about the Arizona Cardinals.
The Athletic calls Cardinals 'underrated'
"Nobody is picking the Cardinals to win the NFC West, but after an offseason devoted to aggressively upgrading the defense, additional strides forward seem possible... If everything falls into place, the Cardinals could make things interesting in the division."
As Jones mentioned, a big leap forward from Marvin Harrison Jr. is an indispensable part of real surge from this team. However, we just don't see what all the hype has been about this offseason regarding Arizona's roster changes.
On paper, the Cardinals' starting lineup on offense looks almost exactly the same as last season when they finished 8-9. Defensively, they have made some nice additions up front - especially bringing back Calais Campbell and signing Josh Sweat.
Still, the overall picture remains underwhelming - certainly not worth all the oxygen that's been spent promoting a break-through year for this team. This remains one of the worst-run organizations in the league and anything beyond another 8-9 finish will come as a pretty big surprise.
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