One of the prevalent themes of the back-end of the Pete Carroll era was the Seattle Seahawks’ significant dropoff within the NFC West. The arrivals of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay have resulted in Seattle winning just one division title, while the 49ers and Rams have each made the Super Bowl twice (with the Rams winning once).
For the Seahawks to be serious playoff contenders again under new head coach Mike Macdonald, one of the first steps is not just win the NFC West in itself, but not look as consistently outmatched as they’ve been for years within the division.