The common phrase of "defense wins championships" is true. That is the case in nearly every sport. While offenses can dip and struggle, defenses mostly remain the same and constant. If a defense is good, a team is going to win more games than it should. The argument could be made that was what happened with the Seattle Seahawks this year.
But no one could have watched what the Philadelphia Eagles were able to accomplish in Super Bowl LIX and not think the offensive line matters greatly as well. Sure, star running back Saquon Barkley did not have a huge game for the Eagles, but the Kansas City Chiefs were also loading up against him. That left quarterback Jalen Hurts more freedom.
Philadelphia has a great offensive line, and while Hurts is somewhat limited as a quarterback, he succeeds in the Eagles' scheme because the offensive line allows him to. In the Super Bowl, Hurts was sacked twice (Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and the quality difference between the two O-lines was vast), but he also ran for 72 yards and had the time to complete 17 of 22 passes.
Did Seahawks general manager John Schneider learn any lessons from watching the Eagles' Super Bowl domination?
The issue between Philadelphia and Seattle is not that all of the Eagles' offensive line were first-round draft picks. Each did receive at least one All-Pro vote this season, however. Left tackle Jordan Mailata was a seventh-round pick in 2018, for instance.
Only two of the starting five were first-round picks, and right guard Mekhi Becton was not taken by the Eagles. Philadelphia picked him up after he basically washed out with the New York Jets. Still, the interior offensive linemen were drafted no later than the second round. Not because they were simply great players but because the Eagles saw how they would fit in the scheme of the offense and chose quality and need.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider does not view the offensive line the same way as Philadelphia does, clearly. Schneider said last offseason that guards are over-drafted and overpaid. In other words, their importance is not that valuable in Schneider's view. He is wrong, and he is wrong on many levels.
He has been the GM in Seattle since 2010 so the offensive line's philosophy should have been established long ago. A good offensive line coach can make a difference, and Seattle hired a good one this offseason in the person of John Benton, but a line coach can only try to improve what the team has given him. Schneider seemingly has little idea how to build an offensive line.
The Seahawks have a lot of work to do along the interior of the O-line this offseason. From left guard to right guard, every player's job should be in question. But will Schneider aggressively pursue quality in the draft or free agency? Unlikely. In turn, the Seahawks will probably have the same problem in 2025 that they have had for years: A bad offensive line.
Meanwhile, the Eagles will keep competing for championships. As they and the Seahawks are both in the NFC, Seattle is going to have to find a way to defeat Philadelphia's offensive line. The Eagles' defense won't have the same difficulty with Seattle's O-line.
