Filling the massive shoes left behind by legend Pete Carroll, Mike Macdonald didn't step into a typical first time head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks, as he inherited a team that won nine games each of the past two seasons.
With veterans such as Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Leonard Williams returning and a young nucleus featuring rising stars Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba among others, the Seahawks had lofty expectations for themselves, even if the media and experts didn't share that optimism. After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last year, Macdonald was expected to come in and shore up a defense that struggled the past several years, in turn leading to more wins.
From a record standpoint, though Seattle failed to earn a playoff spot after being eliminated this past weekend, Macdonald still has a shot to get his team to double digit wins on Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Rams on the road in their season finale. The franchise hasn't reached that mark since way back in 2020 when they went 12-4 and won their last NFC West title, signifying the significance of such an accomplishment in the coach's first year.
A big part of that success has revolved around the work Macdonald did with the Seahawks on defense, including making a pair of changes at linebacker during the middle of the season with newcomer Ernest Jones and rookie Tyrice Knight paired up. Once those two entered the lineup, the unit gave up 18 or fewer points in four of the past seven games, emerging as a top-10 caliber defense after a somewhat sluggish start to the season.
With that said, Seattle didn't make such progress on offense, which may have been the difference between being home in January and winning a division title. In fact, with a new coordinator in Ryan Grubb calling plays, the group regressed as the year unfolded, scoring more than 20 points in a game just twice in the previous seven games and currently ranking 19th in points per game.
On a new Locked On Seahawks, host Corbin Smith shares his thoughts on whether Macdonald's inaugural season on the sidelines should be seen as a success or a failure, dishes out his Week 18 takes for "Tell The Truth" Tuesday, including the current state of the quarterback room, and examines which backups could be playing for the Rams this weekend in a meaningless finale against the Seahawks.
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