Analysis: The 4 'Easiest' Games on Seahawks' 2021 Schedule

Ty Dane Gonzalez looks at the four games on the Seahawks' 2021 schedule they should be able to win with ease.

Let me preface this by saying no game in the NFL is truly "easy." That goes for any team, especially the Seahawks. The phrase "any given Sunday" rang true for them in 2020, in which two of their four regular season losses came against a pair of teams with eventual winning percentages of .500 or less. 

That said, as fans and pundits alike pick apart each and every aspect of the team's newly released schedule for the 2021 season, there will be certain games that appear easier to win than others. For an organization with Super Bowl aspirations such as Seattle, this is naturally going to be the case. 

However, its upcoming schedule looks to be more of a gauntlet than the previous, tied with Kansas City for the 11th highest strength of schedule in the NFL (opponent winning percentage of .515 in 2020). Of course, schedules are unpredictable most of the time. Last year, the Seahawks had the 13th highest strength of schedule entering the season, but half of their games were against a historically poor NFC East and a retooled AFC East. 

Whether they get that lucky again or not remains to be seen, but things can quickly change with injuries and teams flat-out failing to live up to expectations. For now, these are the four matchups on the Seahawks' schedule that stand out as the "easiest." (I look forward to my 10 minutes of fame on @OldTakesExposed when these predictions are inevitably blown out of the water). 

Week 7: vs. Saints

The Saints seem to be very much in a transition period this year. Aside from losing Drew Brees to retirement, they had to bid farewell to several key contributors on their roster and couldn't do much to supplement those losses as a result of their league-worst salary cap situation. While this is still a well-coached team with plenty of talent remaining, it's going to be incredibly hard for them to pull off a win at Lumen Field on Monday Night Football with the 12s likely back in attendance. 

Week 8: vs. Jaguars

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say this game is going to be a lot closer than some may expect. It certainly isn't going to be short of storylines to follow, with the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence, helming an offense crafted by former Seahawks offensive coordinators Darrell Bevell and Brian Schottenheimer. Their defense may also cause some problems for Seattle, with C.J. Henderson, 2021 second-round pick Tyson Campbell, and former Seahawk Shaquill Griffin roaming Jacksonville's defensive backfield. On paper, however, the Seahawks are clearly the better - and far more experienced - team and should be able to avoid any Halloween tricks up Jaguars coach Urban Meyer's sleeves. 

Week 14: at Texans

The Texans are a hard team to nail down due to the uncertain future of quarterback Deshaun Watson. But honestly, whether Watson is traded, suspended, or plays in this game, the Seahawks should come out of Houston with an easy-going victory. The Texans are an absolute mess of an organization right now and, despite the slew of moves they've made this offseason, their roster may be the worst the NFL has to offer in 2021. With the likelihood of Watson appearing in this one fairly low, a matchup against Tyrod Taylor or third-round pick Davis Mills would make this all the more favorable for Seattle as it inches closer to the end of the regular season. 

Week 17: vs. Lions

Who knows if it leads to wins this fall, but new head coach Dan Campbell has made the Lions fun to follow. With a completely overhauled roster featuring familiar foe Jared Goff under center, they should be able to compete on a weekly basis. But as long as the Seahawks are healthy and rolling as expected, this shouldn't be much of a contest. Both teams are on complete opposite ends of the NFL spectrum right now and that should be reflected in their late-season matchup next January.