By the Numbers: Breaking Down Seahawks' 2022 Schedule

Ty Dane Gonzalez breaks down the Seahawks' 2022 regular season schedule with nine noteworthy numbers.

The 2022 NFL season will present a wealth of firsts for the Seahawks. The most prominent first, of course, is the fact they will begin life without star quarterback Russell Wilson or future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner after a decade with both in tow. They will also play in the league's very first regular season game in Germany and start the year on Monday Night Football for the first time since 1984. 

So while expectations may be considerably lowered due to the departures of Wilson and Wagner, this doesn't have the makings of an average, run-of-the-mill season. Fan, pundit or somewhere in between, this will be a fascinating year to watch unfold in Seattle—no matter how the win-loss column shakes out.

Now that the NFL has officially announced its full slate of games for the season ahead, let's go by the numbers and find what else makes this year so unique for the Seahawks.

The (Moderately) Tough Road Ahead

.517: That's the 2021 combined winning percentage of the Seahawks' opponents this year, giving them the 11th-most difficult schedule in the NFL. In total, they will see six 2021 playoff teams and three division winners, including the defending Super Bowl champion Rams twice, but they will also square off against a quintet of fourth-place finishers between the Giants, Jets, Lions, Panthers and Broncos. 

A Long Way From Home

29,446: That's how many miles the Seahawks will travel during the regular season, thanks in large part to their upcoming trip to Germany. The only year they logged more air time as a franchise was 2008 (29,902), when they paid visits to the Bills, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Giants and Cowboys. 

Rise and Shine!

3: That's how many games the Seahawks will play in the Eastern time zone, paying visits to the Lions in Week 4, the Saints in Week 6 and the Chiefs in Week 16. All three games will start at 10 a.m. PT.

Limited Lock

78.3: This is Drew Lock's combined passer rating against the six teams on Seattle's schedule he's faced. In all, Lock has completed 310 of 526 pass attempts for 3,403 yards, 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions versus the Panthers, Lions, Falcons, Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders. 

Better, But Not by Much

80.8: On the flip side, this is Geno Smith's passer rating against 11 of the teams on Seattle's schedule he's faced. Given that Smith has six more seasons of NFL experience over Lock, these numbers are naturally a bit more spread out, but the 10-year veteran has tossed for 2,442 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while going 224 of 377 passing when facing the Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Lions, Raiders, Saints, Jets, Chargers, Rams and Buccaneers. 

Stars Doing Star Things

69.2 percent: That's the combined reception rate of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf versus Seattle's 2022 opponents, tallying 383 catches on 553 targets for 5,106 yards and 46 touchdowns. Lockett has faced all 14 teams at least once in his career, while Metcalf will get his first look at the Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs, Broncos this fall. 

Playing to Seattle's Strength

4.1: That's the modest 2021 combined yards per carry average of the Seahawks' opponents this season. Even with the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Cam Akers and Saquon Barkley on the docket, this potentially bodes well for a Seattle team that finished second in yards allowed per rushing attempt (3.8) last season.

Return of the Ball Hawks?

-22: That's the 2021 combined turnover differential for the Seahawks' opponents, with just the Cardinals (+12), Buccaneers (+10), Saints (+7), Chiefs (+4), Rams (+2) and Broncos (+1) finishing with a positive mark in that regard. For what it's worth, Seattle was +5 last season. 

Discipline Will Be Key

5.8: That's how many penalties Seattle's opponents combined to average on a per-game basis in 2021, with three—the Raiders (7.3), Chargers (6.8) and Cardinals (6.7)—finishing 31st, 30th and 29th in the league, respectively. The Seahawks, meanwhile, stayed relatively disciplined for most of the season, ranking 11th with a solid mark of 5.7.