Lefko: Week 1 of NFL season showcased Seahawks’ greatest strength

In the midst of watching Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos perform what could only be described as “soccer players attempt to play football for the first time” in a 31-10 loss to the Chiefs, I kept thinking about Seth Wickersham’s immersive piece on Payton and his 16-hour days and the dichotomy of how successful Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has been in just two seasons, while essentially doing the opposite of everything Payton does.

Macdonald empowers his assistants, has built a culture of respect and trust, and somehow is able to find a way to get everything done without the performative act of living at the office, which he relayed to Dan Patrick a month after the Wickersham article came out.

“I tell the team, if I’m making decisions after 9 p.m., we’re in trouble,” Macdonald said to Patrick.

Stacy: The keys to Seattle Seahawks winning without Darnold

In a league where starters rarely, if ever, play in the preseason now, Week 1 provided a referendum on how coaches prepare their teams in the offseason, with a number of them falling short of lofty expectations.

The Texans’ defense was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s preview issue, but they were ripped apart for 409 yards and 36 points by the Bills on Sunday. The Rams’ coronation, postponed. All the Seahawks did was stifle last season’s MVP runner-up with a defense that had called a safety up from the practice squad and a cornerback who had made just one start in his career. Oh, and their quarterback, who took every meaningful snap last year, was injured on the opening drive.

Rodney Thomas, Nehemiah Pritchett and Drew Lock rising to the occasion against the Patriots is just the latest in what has become a plentiful list of under-the-radar players who have thrived under Macdonald. Guys like Tyrice Knight, Drake Thomas and Ty Okada, by no means household names (unless you’re a part of their households) have emerged as mainstays on a defense that continues to play at a high level.

Week 1 also affirmed that Macdonald is the antithesis of Rams coach Sean McVay. No detail is too small or unimportant for the Seahawks under Macdonald. Just look at the importance they put on all 70 guys on the roster, something that Cooper Kupp alluded to in “Hard Knocks” as being an afterthought for McVay. We also learned about McVay’s neglect of special teams, which undermined them throughout last season, despite his offseason protestations that the Rams were unfairly brought down by a 2-point conversion.

McVay and the Rams highlighted one extreme when it came to Week 1 coaching (much more on that below), but there are a couple of head coaches who deserve praise for how much of an impact they had in steering their respective teams in the right direction to open the season.

Best

• Mike LaFleur, Cardinals

The Cardinals are not going to be mistaken for a Super Bowl contender, but the Seahawks’ Week 2 opponent does look like a competent squad heading in a positive direction for the first time in over a decade. The glowing coverage from our sister outlet, Arizona Sports, makes it clear that LaFleur’s authenticity and offensive prowess are a welcome sight after the uninspiring Gannon and Kingsbury tenures.

• Klint Kubiak, Raiders

The first branch on Mike Macdonald’s coaching tree turned in a memorable debut. Even without his best receiver in Brock Bowers, it was an offensive masterclass from the last year’s Seahawks offensive coordinator in his first game as a head coach, who found a plethora of ways to get running back Ashton Jeanty in advantageous situations. The playcalling was never in question; it was how Kubiak could handle the entire operation and whether his personality could win over a locker room. That doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore.

We feel you, Coach! 🏴‍☠️ #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/ZJwdcPKeBR

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 13, 2026

Worst

• Sean McVay, Rams

There is an arrogance to Sean McVay, and perhaps it’s well earned when you get hired as a head coach at 30 and reach a Super Bowl in your second season. Yet, the belief in being the smartest guy in the room has blinded McVay to a number of weaknesses. Whether it’s that lack of attention to special teams or neglecting the practice squad, it’s clear that McVay believes in doing things his way.

That leads us to the Week 1 disaster against the 49ers in Australia. Conventional wisdom would tell you that flying to the other side of the world and immediately trying to play a football game on a 17-hour time difference would not go well. Enter Sean McVay. It was such a bad performance that McVay waved the white flag with over four minutes left and put rookie Stetson Bennett in at quarterback. Not quite the start most envisioned with their preseason anointing of the Rams as Super Bowl champions.

• Matt LaFleur, Packers

For as inspiring as his brother’s debut was, Matt LaFleur ran into a familiar problem of choking away a late lead. The Packers were outscored by the Vikings 22-0 in the fourth quarter, and a lone field goal in the third comprised the totality of their scoring in the second half.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Brock floats a trade target to make Seahawks elite at cornerback
• Rodney Thomas II embodies Seahawks’ 70-man mantra
• Drew Lock showed off his best trait in Seattle Seahawks’ Week 1 win

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