By The Numbers: How far are Seahawks from Chiefs and Eagles?

There were plenty of positives for the Seattle Seahawks in Year 1 of the Mike Macdonald era.

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They finished 10-7, which marked the franchise’s first 10-win campaign since 2020. They closed on an upswing, winning six of their final eight games. And they orchestrated a dramatic midseason turnaround on defense, with Macdonald’s unit evolving into one of the league’s best over the second half of the year.

However, there’s still a definite gap between the Seahawks and the league’s top teams.

Just how wide is that gap? As an exercise, below is a detailed look at where the Seahawks ranked in a variety of statistical categories compared to this year’s Super Bowl teams – the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs and Eagles make for particularly good measuring sticks, as they not only reached the Super Bowl, but also posted two of the three best win-loss records in the league.

NOTES:

• This season was a tale of two halves for the Seahawks’ defense, which underwent a dramatic midseason turnaround due to personnel changes, improved health and a growing comfort in Macdonald’s cutting-edge scheme. Because of that, most of the defensive stats below include both the Seahawks’ full-season stats and their stats over the second half of the season between Weeks 10-18.

• Since yardage isn’t always the best measure of success, another metric called expected points added (EPA) is also included below. This metric provides a more accurate view of how teams perform on a per-play basis, while factoring in situational context. All references to EPA are according to the statistical site RBSDM.com.

THE BIG PICTURE

Over the second half of the season, the Seahawks’ defense was a top-five unit that performed on par with the Chiefs and Eagles. Seattle’s offense, however, was quite a ways behind both teams. (Keep in mind, the Seahawks’ points per game are inflated by five non-offensive touchdowns and a safety. Their offense actually only averaged 19.9 points per game.) There’s also a wide chasm in turnover margin between Seattle and the two Super Bowl teams.

Scoring offense (points per game)

• Eagles: 7th (27.2)
• Chiefs: 15th (22.6)
• Seahawks: 18th (22.1)

Scoring defense (points per game)

• Eagles: 2nd (17.8)
• Chiefs: 4th (19.2)
• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 5th (18.4)
• Seahawks, full season: 11th (21.6)

Offensive EPA

• Eagles: 6th
• Chiefs: 9th
• Seahawks: 18th

Defensive EPA

• Eagles: 3rd
• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 5th
• Seahawks, full season: 10th
• Chiefs: 15th

Turnover margin

• Eagles: 6th (+11)
• Chiefs: T-10th (+6)
• Seahawks: T-23rd (-6)

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE OFFENSE

The Seahawks were 20th or worse in both rushing EPA and passing EPA. That’s a far cry from the Eagles (top 10 in both) and the Chiefs (top 15 in both). To no surprise, there’s also a massive gap in offensive line play. Seattle is 20th or worse in all four of the blocking metrics listed, while the Eagles and Chiefs are top-10 nearly across the board. And of course, the Seahawks were crippled by their turnovers. As is the case with most Super Bowl teams, the Eagles and Chiefs did a good job protecting the football.

Rushing yards (per game)

• Eagles: 2nd (179.3)
• Chiefs: 22nd (105.3)
• Seahawks: 28th (95.7)

Passing yards (per game)

• Seahawks: 8th (236.5)
• Chiefs: 14th (222.4)
• Eagles: 29th (187.9)

Rushing EPA

• Eagles: 1st
• Chiefs: 13th
• Seahawks: 25th

Passing EPA

• Eagles: 8th
• Chiefs: 10th
• Seahawks: 20th

Sacks allowed

• Chiefs: 17th (41)
• Eagles: 20th (45)
• Seahawks: T-29th (54)

Pass blocking

• Eagles: 6th in PFF grading, 6th in ESPN pass-block win rate
• Chiefs: T-13th in PFF grading, 8th in ESPN pass-block win rate
• Seahawks: 26th in PFF grading, 21st in ESPN pass-block win rate

Run blocking

• Eagles: 4th in PFF grading, 9th in ESPN run-block win rate
• Chiefs: 8th in PFF grading, 7th in ESPN run-block win rate
• Seahawks: 24th in PFF grading, 28th in ESPN run-block win rate

Turnovers

• Chiefs: T-4th (14)
• Eagles: T-6th (15)
• Seahawks: T-24th (24)

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DEFENSE

After the midway mark of the season, Seattle’s defense was among the best in the league against both the run and the pass. And somewhat surprisingly, the Seahawks actually finished with more sacks than both the Chiefs and Eagles. The next step for Seattle’s defense will be to generate more takeaways.

Rushing yards allowed (per game)

• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 7th (99.8)
• Chiefs: 8th (101.8)
• Eagles: 10th (104.2)
• Seahawks, full season: 16th (120.8)

Passing yards allowed (per game)

• Eagles: 1st (174.2)
• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 8th (205)
• Seahawks, full season: 11th (211.9)
• Chiefs: 18th (218.8)

Run defense EPA

• Eagles: 2nd
• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 6th
• Chiefs: 11th
• Seahawks, full season: 13th

Pass defense EPA

• Eagles: 3rd
• Seahawks, Weeks 10-18: 6th
• Seahawks, full season: 11th
• Chiefs: 15th

Sacks

• Seahawks: T-8th (45)
• Eagles: T-13th (41)
• Chiefs: T-18th (39)

Takeaways

• Eagles: 6th (26)
• Chiefs: T-14th (20)
• Seahawks: T-16th (18)

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