These 3 teams would be dream opponents in Seahawks' 2025 preseason

Do we care about who wins or loses the preseason games, 12s? Man, I hope you don't. I only want to see how well the Seattle Seahawks play in situational football. These three teams would give the Hawks good tests, and be entertaining for so many other reasons as well.

The preseason schedule will be released in May, sometime after the NFL Draft. But why wait until then to speculate? The Seahawks should host two preseason games this year. They had two road games last preseason and nine regular-season games on the road this year. So, I would hope that they get two preseason contests at Lumen Field in 2025.

So, what's the purpose of preseason games? We all know they are primarily there to add more dollars to the NFL's coffers. The league could schedule the joint practices Mike Macdonald likes, but that wouldn't draw much revenue. So, it's games. And if possible, there should be some hook to the game.

Give the fans another reason to spend a few hundred or thousand dollars on a meaningless game. All three of these opponents fit the bill for the Hawks.

The Seahawks need these three games on their 2025 preseason schedule

Let's do a little background here first. Over the past five seasons, there hasn't been an established pattern for the Seahawks' opponents. I'll include the scores just because some 12s might be interested. I mean, they're right there, so why not? The 2020 preseason schedule was canceled due to the pandemic. The teams scheduled were the Raiders, Texans, Chargers, and Vikings.

2021 saw the Seahawks make the first road trip to the newly relocated Las Vegas Raiders. All three preseason games were lopsided affairs, as you can see. Was this a precursor of Seattle's 7-10 record, their only losing season since 2011? I think it had a lot more to do with Russell Wilson's decline than trying to play when he was clearly still hurt when he came back.

The preseason record looked even worse in 2022. At least the Seahawks were competitive in two of the losses. But honestly, if you're going to get blown up, do it on the road, not at home. This was Geno Smith's "I ain't wrote back" season, and the Hawks went 9-8. So preseason, shmeeseason. Or however you spell it.

Seattle stepped it up in 2023 with two wins at home and a competitive game at Green Bay. It didn't do anything to improve their regular season record, though, as the team went 9-8 again. Pete Carroll, a highly valued advisor, was shown the door to the executive suite. Also known as "Pete, you're fired."

2024 ushered in the Mike Macdonald era. The Seahawks still missed the playoffs, but their record improved to 10-7, and the defense improved. In retrospect, this does look a lot like Seattle's regular season. Better than average, a defensive battle, a shootout, and a random easy win that showed nothing about the team.

Which brings us to the 2025 preseason. The Seahawks should get two home games, especially as they have nine games on the road in the regular season. Gotta get butts in the seats at Lumen Field 10 times a year, or Jody Allen isn't going to be too happy. And whether the Hawks are going to be sold soon or not. So why not play these three teams in the 2025 preseason?

Detroit Lions

The Seahawks and Lions are developing quite the fun intra-divisional rivalry. Seattle booted Detroit out of the playoffs in the first round in 2016. They beat the Lions again on the road in 2018, then crushed the Motor City Kitties 51-29 at Lumen Field in 2021. The Lions improved significantly in 2022, but the Hawks still prevailed in a wild 48-45 shootout in Detroit.

The rivalry ratcheted up another notch in 2023 as the Seahawks traveled to Detroit after a humiliating Week 1 loss to the Rams. The Lions took the Hawks into overtime, but the good guys - that would be the guys from the Emerald City pulled off a 37-31 overtime win. I know. How is this a rivalry if the Seahawks have been 5-0 since 2016?

For one thing, the Lions kept getting closer and closer. Then there's the little matter of the 42-29 shellacking they handed to the Hawks last season on Monday Night Football. After their 3-0 start, the Hawks were riding high, and the Lions gave them a reality check. So yeah, it's a rivalry that needs to continue this year at home, even if it's just in the offseason.

Minnesota Vikings

I'm pretty sure we 12s know why the Vikings need to be on the preseason schedule. Minnesota and Seattle have faced each other six times since 2016, the same as the Lions. But only once since a 30-17 loss in 2021. That 2024 meeting was a bitter loss for the Seahawks, though, as it cost them a shot at the division title and the playoffs.

Plus, there's the little matter of the Hawks' new signal-caller, Sam Darnold. Yes, the Vikes are on the regular season schedule, but it's slated for a home game for the Seahawks. Darnold deserves a return trip after helping lead the Vikings from a 7-10 2023 season to last year's stunning 14-3 record.

Minnesota would be an excellent test for the new players fighting to make the Hawks squad on both sides of the ball.

Las Vegas Raiders

We have more than a few reasons here for a visit from the Silver and Black. The Raiders have been an old-school rival of the Seahawks since their days in the AFC. They've only met twice in the regular season in the past decade.

Seattle stifled Oakland 27-3 in 2018, with Las Vegas getting payback in 2022 in a 40-34 overtime win. As we remember all too painfully, that was the game when Josh Jacobs gave his best impression of Bo Jackson, slashing his way to 229 yards.

The Raiders were awful last season, so it's not like they're a marquee team. But for the final preseason game, it would be nice to get a team in Lumen Field that would give Seattle's roster hopefuls one last shot to prove they belong in the league. Oh, I almost forgot: they were so bad, they replaced their coach. Now, who was the guy they hired... oh yeah...

...Pete Carroll. Carroll has been nothing but gracious regarding his departure from the Seahawks organization. More importantly, he's clarified that his love for and appreciation of the 12s has only grown stronger since he left. When he returns to Lumen Field, the 12s would give anything to pay their respects to Carroll.

This is the one game above any other in the entire season that the NFL has to make happen. His loyalty was one of the reasons he was forced out of the organization. It's the overriding reason he deserves to return as a visiting coach. His former players deserve it, his fans deserve it, and above all, the greatest coach in the Seahawks' history deserves it.