It’s about to get a lot tougher for Seahawks after playing NFL’s easiest strength of schedule

The Seattle Seahawks have raced out to a 5-2 begin and the NFC West lead as we close to the halfway level of the 2023 NFL common season. Inside the context of the accidents alongside the offensive line and the widely inconsistent play of the offense (and the standard gradual begin by the protection), I think most followers are glad with the win-loss document given pre-season expectations.

Effectively now it’s time to show up the problem, as a result of the Seahawks have performed absolutely the best schedule within the NFL based mostly on opposition DVOA. (Why sure, DVOA nonetheless exists and it is best to take a look at FTN Fantasy for that!)

What’s to come back for the remainder of the season? The third-hardest schedule by DVOA, beginning with the present No. 1 total Baltimore Ravens.

Through Aaron Schatz:

Seattle has confronted just one top-10 group by DVOA this season (Detroit Lions) and performed three of the 5 worst groups (Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and New York Giants). The Cincinnati Bengals have been within the 20’s on the time they performed the Seahawks, however have now risen to thirteenth after thumping the San Francisco 49ers. In the meantime the Los Angeles Rams have fallen closely and are actually within the 20’s, and Seattle misplaced to them badly in Week 1. As for the Cleveland Browns, they have been eleventh getting into final week and stay eleventh as we speak, one spot behind the Seahawks. We’re usually on the level of the yr the place there’s a big sufficient pattern dimension to take DVOA extra severely, too.

With ten video games to go, the Seahawks have half of their schedule in opposition to the present top-10:

at Baltimore Ravens (No. 1 by total DVOA)

2x vs. San Francisco 49ers (No. 2)

vs. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 9)

at Dallas Cowboys (No. 8)

The “weaker” groups are the Tennessee Titans (No. 18), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 20), Los Angeles Rams (No. 21), Washington Commanders (No. 24), and the rematch with the Arizona Cardinals (No. 28).

Final season the Seahawks have been fairly lucky that what was initially a troublesome schedule on paper turned out to be an enormous nothingburger. The Rams and Cardinals collapsed, the NFC South was totally below .500, and the closely hyped AFC West just about was a bust. Even the New York Giants, a playoff group, have been a lot worse than their document and had a unfavourable level differential. This season will not be the identical.

Now if I can level to some optimism for this yr’s group: Seattle dropped loads of video games to unhealthy groups in 2022, together with the entire of the NFC South and the Las Vegas Raiders. Thus far, their solely “unhealthy” loss is to the Rams, and divisional video games (particularly in opposition to the Rams) have a tendency to supply some loopy outcomes. If they’ll maintain serve in opposition to the much less daunting a part of a troublesome schedule—have in mind the Titans may very well be revived if Will Levis’ debut is an indication of issues to come back, whereas the Commanders are in all probability packing it in after buying and selling Montez Sweat and Chase Younger—that needs to be sufficient to see Seattle by way of to a different postseason.

But when the Seahawks wish to be taken severely as precise Tremendous Bowl contenders? They should be much more aggressive and win no less than one among these video games in opposition to the 49ers, Cowboys, Eagles, and Ravens, as a result of final yr’s group wasn’t notably shut in opposition to the one two critical contenders they confronted all season (49ers and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs).