Ranking the Seahawks’ 2024 games from hardest to easiest

May 15, 2024, 5:27 PM | Updated: 5:56 pm

Seattle Seahawks DK Metcalf 49ers 2023...

DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks hauls in a touchdown catch against the 49ers in 2023. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

BY CAMERON VAN TIL

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks’ 2024 schedule was released Wednesday night.

Seattle Seahawks Schedule: Breaking down their full 2024 NFL slate

Seattle will open the Mike Macdonald era at home against Denver on Sept. 8, marking the second time in three seasons the Seahawks have opened against their old AFC West rivals. Seattle will have four primetime games, including a Thursday night NFC West clash against San Francisco on Oct. 10 at Lumen Field. It appears to be a relatively favorable schedule overall, with no daunting stretch like last year’s four consecutive games against the Rams, 49ers, Cowboys and 49ers again. In terms of opponent win percentage from last season, the Seahawks’ 2024 slate ranks the 24th-hardest in the NFL.

Here’s a quick ranking of all 17 games, listed from hardest to easiest:

1. at San Francisco 49ers – Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 17)

The defending NFC champion 49ers still have an absurd amount of talent on both sides of the ball and remain the class of the conference until proven otherwise. The Seahawks have lost five straight games to their bitter NFC West rivals by an average of 15.2 points. Macdonald can certainly close the gap with his defensive schematics, and he’ll have an extra week to prepare with a bye in Week 10. But the overall talent discrepancy still might be too much for Seattle to overcome.

2. vs. San Francisco 49ers – Week 6 (Thursday, Oct. 10)

The 49ers games taking the top two spots on this list is a testament to just how loaded San Francisco’s roster is. Seahawks fans certainly would like to forget the Niners’ last trip to Seattle, when San Francisco steamrolled the Hawks in a Thanksgiving night beatdown. One small bit of encouragement, though: As Baltimore’s defensive coordinator last year, Macdonald oversaw a Ravens defense that flustered Niners QB Brock Purdy into a career-high four interceptions.

3. vs. Buffalo Bills – Week 8 (Sunday, Oct. 27)

The last time the Seahawks faced Josh Allen & Co. was back in 2020, when they gave up 44 points in one of the worst defensive performances of the Pete Carroll era. The Bills traded away star receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason, but their offense should still be a nightmare to face. With Allen at the helm, Buffalo remains one of the premier teams in the league.

4. at Detroit Lions – Week 4 (Monday, Sept. 30)

Purely based on Detroit’s talent level and it being a road game, this would’ve ranked No. 3 on this list. The Lions reached the doorstop of their first-ever Super Bowl last season and have all the pieces to contend for the Lombardi Trophy. However, the Seahawks might have two things working for them here. One, Macdonald’s Baltimore defense held Detroit to a season-low six points in their meeting last year. Also, the Hawks’ highest point totals each of the past two seasons have come in a pair of shootout wins over the Lions at Ford Field. Can they do it again?

5. at Los Angeles Rams – Week 18 (Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 4/5)

Seattle closes its season with a divisional clash against the Rams. The Seahawks no longer have to worry about eight-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who retired after tormenting Seattle for the past 10 seasons, but the Rams are on an upswing after a surprising playoff trip last year. And the Seahawks haven’t had much success in Los Angeles, losing five of their past six road games to the Rams.

6. vs. Green Bay Packers – Week 15 (Sunday, Dec. 15)

Since 2000, the Seahawks are 5-1 against the Packers at home and 0-10 against the Packers on the road at Lambeau Field. The good news for Seattle? This game is in the friendly confines of Lumen Field. However, the youth-laden Packers look like a team on the rise after catching fire down the stretch last season. If second-year starting QB Jordan Love can build on a strong second half of 2023, this could be one of the tougher games on the Seahawks’ slate.

7. vs. Miami Dolphins – Week 3 (Sunday, Sept. 22)

After opening the season against the Broncos and Patriots, this marks the Seahawks’ first big test. Miami has one of the more explosive offenses in the league, including one of the most dangerous receiving duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins’ defense leaves plenty to be desired, but their high-scoring offense makes them one of the top teams in the AFC and a great early measuring stick for the new-look Hawks.

8. at New York Jets – Week 13 (Sunday, Dec. 1)

If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy and is still the same QB at age 40 that he was before last year’s Achilles injury, the Jets have the pieces around him to be a playoff-caliber team. The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Jets, but they will have their work cut out for them in this cross-country trip.

9. vs. Los Angeles Rams – Week 9 (Sunday, Nov. 3)

This will be the first meeting between Macdonald and Sean McVay as head coaches, pitting a trend-setting defensive guru against arguably the league’s brightest offensive mind. Macdonald was coined “the Sean McVay of defense” in a recent article by The Athletic, which illustrates just what a fascinating chess match these Seahawks-Rams games could be over the years with these two coaches in charge.

10. at Chicago Bears – Week 17 (Thursday, Dec. 26)

The Seahawks close their season with back-to-back road games, including this Boxing Day clash against the new-look Bears. Chicago could have one of the more exciting offenses in the league, with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams taking over at quarterback and a potential three-headed monster at wide receiver in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and former UW Huskies standout Rome Odunze.

11. at Atlanta Falcons – Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 20)

Could Seahawks fans get to watch their team face former UW Huskies star QB Michael Penix Jr.? It’s probably unlikely, given that Penix is expected to back up veteran Kirk Cousins this season, but you never know. The Falcons have had six consecutive losing seasons, but Cousins gives them a significant upgrade at QB after two rough years of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder.

12. vs. Minnesota Vikings – Week 16 (Sunday, Dec. 22)

There’s probably a good chance J.J. McCarthy is Minnesota’s starting QB by this point in the season. If so, that would pit the former Michigan Wolverines standout against Macdonald, who was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021 when McCarthy was a freshman backup. The Vikings, who are coming off a 7-10 season, have lost each of their past five games in Seattle.

13. at Arizona Cardinals – Week 14 (Sunday, Dec. 8)

In many ways, State Farm Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Seahawks over the years. Most notably, it was the site of their infamous Super Bowl 49 loss to the Patriots. It also was where Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas each suffered devastating injuries that ultimately ended their Seattle careers. But in terms of the win-loss record, the stadium has been awfully good for the Hawks. Over the past 11 seasons, Seattle is 9-1-1 against the Cardinals in Arizona. The Hawks should be favored to pick up another win in the desert this year.

14. vs. Arizona Cardinals – Week 12 (Sunday, Nov. 24)

Marvin Harrison Jr., the first wide receiver off the board in this year’s draft, should provide a jolt to the Cardinals’ offense. And a full season of health from Kyler Murray certainly would help matters for Arizona. But after back-to-back four-win seasons, the Cards still look like the fourth-best team in the NFC West.

15. vs. Denver Broncos – Week 1 (Sunday, Sept. 8)

The Seahawks open the season the same way they did two years ago – at home against the Broncos. Russell Wilson won’t be involved this time, however, as the former Seattle star QB is now in Pittsburgh after being released by Denver this offseason. The Broncos have been mired in seven consecutive losing seasons and are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, giving the Hawks a great chance to open the Macdonald era on the right foot.

16. at New England Patriots – Week 2 (Sunday, Sept. 15)

After facing the Broncos in Week 1, the Seahawks have a great opportunity to start 2-0 while facing another team expected to be among the league’s worst. With the Patriots in rebuilding mode following their worst season in three decades, the only thing keeping this game from the bottom spot on the list is that it’s a cross-country road trip. This matchup features the two youngest head coaches in the NFL, with the 36-year-old Macdonald and 37-year-old Jerod Mayo in their first seasons since replacing coaching legends Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick.

17. vs. New York Giants – Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 6)

The Giants finished in the bottom 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense last season, and there isn’t much to suggest they will be notably improved in 2024. Last year, the Seahawks routed the G-Men on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium. It’s not hard to envision a similar type of result this year in Seattle. However, with the Thursday night showdown against the 49ers just around the corner on Oct. 10, the Seahawks have to keep themselves from looking ahead.