Seahawks’ rocky start is similar to the last defending champ

After winning the Super Bowl two seasons ago, the Eagles faced early speed bumps in their title defense like the Seahawks have so far this year.

BY MICHAEL STRITE

Oct 18, 2026, 9:57 AM Updated: 11:40 am

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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked by Malcolm Roach of the Denver Broncos on Oct. 15, 2026, in Denver. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

(Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

A run of three losses in four games has sparked fear the Seattle Seahawks will not reach the same heights they did in 2025. Fans are now pointing out the eerie similarity between this year’s Seahawks and last year’s Philadelphia Eagles.

How they found success

February 2025 was a crowning achievement for the Eagles’ defense, completely shutting down the Kansas City Chiefs on the way to a 40-22 Super Bowl win. The Eagles were dominant on both sides of the ball, but especially defense, which ranked best in the NFL in yards allowed, and second in points allowed. The offense was no joke, ranking among the best in the league thanks to AP Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. This helped the Eagles to a 14-3 record.

What history says about 3-3 Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl chances

Sound familiar? It gets better.

Before they hit their stride, the Eagles stumbled to a 2-2 record, which featured an ugly Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They won 16 of their next 17 games, winning three of their four playoff games by double digits. The only team that challenged them in the playoffs was… you guessed it, the Los Angeles Rams.

Questions about the quarterback

Looking at the Eagles key players from 2024 to 2025, hardly anything changed. The defense remained one of the league’s best despite the departures of defensive backs Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The other side of the ball took a step back despite retaining almost every single starter from the year before. The Eagles’ offense ranked 19th in points scored. Much to the dismay of fantasy owners, Saquon Barkley’s rushing yards tumbled from 2,005, to 1,140. The biggest culprit was an uninspired passing attack. The Eagles only passed for more than 300 yards in one of their 17 games.

Immediate criticism was lobbed at quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts and Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold have more in common than you what you see at first glance. They both excelled on their teams, unquestionably playing a significant role in winning the Super Bowl. These are the two most recent Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, but despite the rings, national media hesitates to call them top-10 quarterbacks in the league. Before the season, Pro Football Focus ranked Darnold and Hurts as the 14th and 15th best QBs in the league, respectively.

After a difficult stretch of games, the doubters who stayed quiet during the playoffs are quick to return. One key difference is where they get criticized. Darnold is critiqued for being too aggressive and turnover-prone. Hurts only threw six interceptions in 2025, instead facing criticism for being too conservative.

First-time offensive coordinator

As the season dragged on, the Eagles maintained a winning record, but fans turned on first-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. This proved to be the most significant change on offense. Kellen Moore, their offensive coordinator in 2024, took the head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles promoted Patullo from within. His play calling was sharply criticized. By late November, Eagles fans were chanting “Fire Kevin!” during games. Head coach Nick Sirianni stood by Patullo all season, but his tenure only lasted one year. Patullo is now the passing game coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.

Where do they go from here?

The good news for the Eagles is they still enjoyed a successful season. Many of their losses were close games. An 11-6 record was able to comfortably win the NFC East. There’s no doubt the Eagles remained a good team, with so much of the same DNA from 2024. The pressure to repeat as Super Bowl champions can warp expectations. That quest to go back-to-back ended quickly, when they were eliminated in the wild-card round by the San Francisco 49ers.

This is the daunting task facing the Seahawks right now. They must recapture the harmony in all phases of the game, dubbed “complementary football” by head coach Mike Macdonald. Unlike the situation the Eagles were in last year, the NFC West leaves the Seahawks no room for error. If Seattle can’t fix its problems on offense, a daunting schedule could keep it out of the playoffs entirely.