Seahawks Finish Strong But Fall Short Of Playoffs: Key Takeaways And Offseason Questions
The Seattle Seahawks 2023 season has ended.
Although the Hawks finished the season with a win, they won't be headed to the playoffs and many questions linger going into the off-season.
Seahawks beat Arizona 21-20
Coming into the week 18 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks knew what they had to do if they wanted to get to the playoffs. They had to win.
Mission accomplished, the Seahawks beat the NFC West rival Cardinals by a score of 21-20 and it went right down to the wire with a late Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion to take the lead with a couple of minutes left. Arizona would miss a 51-yard field goal as time expired.
Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears - Hawks miss Playoffs
Unfortunately, the pathway to the playoffs for the Seahawks to get into the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs required some cooperation from the Chicago Bears.
The Seahawks had to win today, but they also needed the Chicago Bears to beat the Green Bay Packers to attain the 7th and final wild-card spot. That didn't happen, as the Packers defeated the Bears and Green Bay will advance to the 7th and final spot in the playoffs, even as they have the same record as the Seahawks but hold a tie-breaker advantage.
Will Pete Carroll Return as Seahawks Coach?
Always speculation going into the off-season after a disappointing finish. Many fans are saying it's time for the Seahawks to go in a different direction with their head coach, while others simply feel the Hawks are heading in the right direction, and after a few adjustments - perhaps a defensive coordinator change - the 2024 campaign should be promising.
It's hard to imagine that Pete Carroll would step away, as he still chews gum faster than someone half his age. Meanwhile, the Cardinals showed some spark in their loss today versus the Hawks, and as a young team, they'll be back stronger next year. This would solidify the NFC West as being perhaps the toughest division in the NFL.
PTHOTOS - Seahawks vs Cardinals
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Gallery Credit: Laura Ratliff