Could Seattle Seahawks Win NFC West In Year 1 Under Mike Macdonald?

The Seattle Seahawks have high hopes for their new head coach.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald signs autographs after training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Mike Macdonald era is officially underway after the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener on Saturday, but this isn't an ordinary Year 1 for a head coach.

While every other team with a new head coach finished last season with a losing record, the Seahawks finished 9-8 and only missed the playoffs due to tiebreaker. This puts Macdonald in a much better position than most of his fellow first-year head coaches, specifically due to a better roster to work with.

The question is: how high can Macdonald take the Seahawks in Year 1? Predictions vary wildly with Seattle, but what is the ceiling?

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks clearly believes that ceiling is very high, as he ranked Macdonald as the first-year head coach with the second-best chance to win his division. Macdonald only ranked behind Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris, largely due to the NFC South being the weakest division in the league.

"The defensive wizard takes over a Seattle squad with enough talent to vault to the top of the NFC West," Brooks writes. "From a dynamic offense sparked by a potent trio on the perimeter (DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba) to a defense loaded with blue-chip playmakers at every level, the Seahawks should continue their winning ways under a coach intent on maximizing the talents of his best players.

"Macdonald's 'military mindset' (as Leonard Williams called it) appears to mark a break from the approach taken by his predecessor, Pete Carroll. The Seahawks have been competitive over the past two seasons, posting consecutive winning records. Perhaps they will respond to an edgier leader with a creative playbook by transforming into a juggernaut in the NFC. "

Before anyone gets too excited, just because Macdonald ranked highly does not mean that Brooks expects the Seahawks to win the division. After all, they are competing with a San Francisco 49ers team that has arguably the league's best roster, a Los Angeles Rams team that made the playoffs last year and has had the clear edge over Seattle recently, and an Arizona Cardinals team that should be better after years in the basement.

At least one first-year head coach has won their division in six of the past seven seasons, with 2021 being the exception. That doesn't mean it will happen again in 2024, but if it does, then Macdonald's Seahawks seem like a good candidate.