CBS Sports Predicts Seattle Seahawks to Make 2024 Playoffs After One-Year Absence

After missing out on the postseason in 2023 and undergoing sweeping changes this offseason, CBS Sports predicts the Seattle Seahawks will be one of 14 teams to participate in the NFL's playoff bracket next year.

Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws in the / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks just missed out on the postseason last year as they drew the No. 8 seed in the seven-team playoff bracket in the NFC. At 9-8 for the second straight year, there is room for improvement.

Changes have already been made from a season ago with a new coach in former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald who takes over for long-time legendary Seattle coach Pete Carroll, along with numerous other staff changes.

Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws in the / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Each season there are 14 of 32 teams that make the postseason, and each subsequent postseason only returns roughly half of those teams.

CBS Sports took a look at next year and predicted six teams that missed the playoffs in 2023 that should make the final bracket in 2024.

Seattle Seahawks

2023 finish: 9-8 | Last playoff season: 2022

"They're clearly in transition, sidelining Pete Carroll for first-time head coach Mike Macdonald while openly admitting long-term uncertainty under center. But the skill talent is still apparent, from DK Metcalf to Kenneth Walker III, and Macdonald has savvy pieces at every level of the defense. If he maximizes the talent there, why can't they be scrappy again?"

The Seahawks are in a particularly tough division in the NFC West with the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams - who are both expected to make playoff appearances again next season.

The other teams CBS Sports projects to be in the postseason alongside the Seahawks next season are the New York Jets, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers making his re-debut after injuring his Achilles on the fourth play of the season in 2023, the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons.