Bump and Stacy: 6 takeaways from Seahawks’ schedule

The Seattle Seahawks’ 2024 schedule is out.

The NFL released its schedule for the upcoming season on Wednesday, which has become one of the biggest days on the league’s offseason calendar. Teams and their fans now know when they will play each opponent, when they will play in primetime, when their bye week occurs, and more.

Seahawks Schedule: Breaking down their full 2024 NFL slate

During Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Thursday, former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost delved into the Seahawks’ schedule. Here are six takeaways they have.

Seattle Seahawks get four primetime games

The first thing Bumpus and Rost noticed was that Seattle has four primetime games. The Seahawks face Detroit on Monday Night Football in Week 4, San Francisco on Thursday Night Football in Week 6, Green Bay on Sunday Night Football in Week 15 and Chicago on Thursday Night Football in Week 17.

Seattle was originally slated to have three primetime games last season, but ended up having four after its Week 15 game against Philadelphia was flexed to Monday Night Football. In 2022, the Seahawks had just two primetime games.

“That’s the first thing that stood out to me, because we know the NFL is very strategic with how they manufacture these schedules,” Bumpus said. “So they’re telling us that they see the Seahawks as a team that can put on a show.”

Ranking the Seahawks’ 2024 games from hardest to easiest

Furthermore, Seattle’s primetime games come against some of the top teams in the NFC. The 49ers are the defending NFC champions. The Lions were on the verge of a Super Bowl appearance last year. The Packers nearly reached the NFC championship game. And the new-look Bears could be a playoff-caliber team after drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, taking former UW Huskies wideout Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick and trading for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen.

“Your primetime games are also a chance for you to go against some teams that will be contenders,” Rost said. “These are going to be tough battles for you in games that really, really matter.”

Winnable games in Weeks 1 and 2

The Seahawks open the Mike Macdonald era at home against the Broncos in Week 1 and on the road against the Patriots in Week 2. Both teams are projected to be among the worst in the league this season. Both also could be breaking in rookie quarterbacks. Denver drafted Oregon QB Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick, while New England took North Carolina QB Drake May at No. 3 overall.

“I like (potentially) getting these two rookies early in the year,” Bumpus said. “Maybe we can catch them slipping, because that third week is gonna be tough.”

Miami in Week 3 is first big test

The first big test of the Macdonald era comes in Week 3, when Seattle hosts the Dolphins. Miami went 11-6 last season behind a prolific offense that averaged 29.2 points per game, which ranked second in the NFL. The Dolphins feature one of the league’s most dangerous receiving duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, which should provide a nice early measuring stick for Macdonald’s new-look defense.

“That’s gonna be a big test,” Bumpus said. “What is this secondary gonna be able to do and how is this defensive line – which I really like – how are they gonna be able to get after Tua (Tagovailoa) and this offense?”

Seattle Seahawks’ toughest stretch mostly at home

The most difficult stretch of the Seahawks’ season appears to come between Week 6 and Week 9, when they face the 49ers, Falcons, Bills and Rams over a four-game span. The 49ers reached the Super Bowl last season, the Bills reached the AFC divisional round and the Rams were a playoff team. All three of those games against the 49ers, Bills and Rams are at home in the friendly confines of Lumen Field. The only road game during that span is against the Falcons, who clearly look like the weakest team of the bunch.

“These are games that you will be outmatched and outmanned on paper right now,” Rost said. “The very least you can say is you’ll have home-field advantage. That’s huge.”

Bye week comes at perfect time

The Seahawks’ bye week comes in Week 10, just past the midway point of the season. And most notably, it comes before a Week 11 clash against the NFC West rival 49ers. That will give Macdonald and the Hawks an extra week to prepare for San Francisco’s talent-laden team.

“Week 10 is the perfect bye for the Seahawks,” Bumpus said. “It’s dang near in the middle of the season, allows guys to get healthy, and it allows you to get ready for the second half of the season where you know you’re going up against the 49ers in San Francisco. I couldn’t pick a better place for that bye.”

Lots of late-season travel

One of the few negatives with the Seahawks’ schedule is that it’s backloaded with four of their final six games on the road. Seattle begins its six-game closing stretch with back-to-back road games at the Jets and Cardinals. Then after back-to-back home games against the Packers and Vikings, the Seahawks have a Thursday night road game against the Bears on Boxing Day and then a road game against the division rival Rams in their regular-season finale.

“It is what it is,” Bumpus said. “Every team is gonna have stretches where they’re on the road against divisional opponents or maybe guys in the conference. You line up, you lace ’em up, you play the game. So I don’t particularly like the finish with these guys going on the road in December. But man, other teams have gotta do it too.”

Bump and Stacy airs live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports. Find podcasts of every show at this link.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage

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• Which Seahawks rookies will make an immediate impact?
• 2 Takes: Should Seahawks bring back Jamal Adams?
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