2024 SEAHAWKS SCHEDULE: WHICH SEAHAWKS GAMES COULD END UP IN PRIMETIME?
At some point very soon, the NFL will release its 2024 regular season schedule. When the league has an announcement about the announcement, we’ll announced that news to you as soon as possible.
Last season, the Seattle Seahawks were slated for three nationally televised primetime games in 2023 before getting unexpectedly flexed to Monday for their thrilling win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming off a playoff-less season, fairly significant roster turnover, and no particularly high expectations for an immediate return to the postseason under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, we probably shouldn’t anticipate a heavy national presence for Seattle in 2024.
Once again, I’m taking a stab at which games could wind up being on Seattle’s primetime slate, ranking by best chance to slim-and-none. For simplicity’s sake, primetime consists of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon Prime, ‘Sunday Night Football’ on NBC, and ‘Monday Night Football’ on ESPN/ABC.
A reminder that teams are allowed a maximum of six primetime games, with a seventh allowed for Week 18.
Best chance
Can the league keep ignoring this matchup? The last three meetings have ended 51-29, 48-45, and 37-31 (OT), all in Seattle’s favor. Both teams will obviously be fixated on making sure these defensive breakdowns will not keep happening, but this has unexpected become an entertaining rivalry. The Lions are going to be seen as Super Bowl contenders, and rightly so given their incredible run last season.
Two years ago, the Seahawks made the playoffs via tiebreaker at Green Bay’s expense. What goes around comes around, and the Pack got the tiebreaker edge last season. The appeal of the Packers is going to remain high, and there’s a strong possibility that the Packers will hit the maximum for primetime appearances.
at/vs. Los Angeles Rams
This is my odds-on favorite for a Thursday appearance. Yes, the Seahawks got swept by the Rams in 2023, but Aaron Donald isn’t around anymore to make life difficult for Seattle’s offense. The Rams were much better than anticipated last season and may still factor in this year’s playoff race. I anticipate one of the two meetings to get national love.
Reasonably good chance
at/vs. San Francisco 49ers
This is only because of the frequency of divisional matchups getting put on national TV to meet as many quotas as possible. I do not need to see this game in front of a primetime audience until the Seahawks show evidence they’re capable of competing with the 49ers again.
The Bears are going to be in consideration for the NFC North, let alone a playoff berth. Caleb Williams is going to be in an offense that, on paper, doesn’t look like a dumpster fire. Chicago seems to get way more primetime games than they’ve merited, but this year in particular may be Bears-heavy. Aside from their annual division rivalries, the rest of their schedule is not overly stacked with glamor matchups. The Seahawks and Bears could be a possible MNF or (hopefully not) TNF game.
And, even though it’s not highly likely, one of the Bears’ home games will be in London. Technically not primetime, but we could be rising and shining to see the Seahawks defense against the No. 1 overall pick.
Small to decently sized chance
The Falcons are going to be NFC South favorites after jettisoning Desmond Ridder for Kirk Cousins. There’s going to be extra intrigue in Atlanta given the drafting of Michael Penix Jr, who won’t be expected to start as a rookie, but Cousins is just coming off catastrophic injury so it’s not impossible for Penix to see playing time. The Falcons also have much more glamorous matchups (in theory) against the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and at the Minnesota Vikings on their docket.
Relative to the many potential big-time matchups the Jets have on their schedule, Seattle likely doesn’t fit the criteria. If I could submit one reason for Seahawks-Jets to be a possible MNF game? Geno Smith hasn’t started a road game against the Jets since he was let go as their starting quarterback. Who’s up for another Geno revenge game after he knocked the Jets out in 2022?!
vs. Miami Dolphins
If the Dolphins are going to get any primetime games against the NFC West I would think the Rams and 49ers would be ahead of Seattle in the pecking order. It was another postseason berth for the Dolphins, and this time Tua Tagovailoa was available for the playoffs, but it was another wild card exit. Miami is fun as hell on offense so we should see them under the bright lights plenty.
Mike Macdaniel vs. Mike Macdonald anyone? It’ll happen, but I’m not going to argue it’s an overly appealing standalone matchup.
vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bills don’t have Stefon Diggs anymore, I guess? I can only hope that this meeting goes a lot better than the shitshow that was 2020, easily one of the worst Seahawks games I’ve ever watched. Buffalo should still be considered a glamor team, but I don’t think Bills-Seahawks is interesting to the masses.
Virtually no chance
at/vs. Arizona Cardinals
I think there’s a decent chance the Cardinals could push for a playoff spot sooner than expected. Oddsmakers and the league’s schedule makers may not agree. This has not been a primetime offering since 2020. Historically, at least one of the Cards or Seahawks would have had to have been a playoff team the preceding year to justify this game getting a national TV slot.
vs. Minnesota Vikings
Perhaps J.J. McCarthy is a needle mover, but I’m not seeing what’s compelling about this latest installment of Vikings vs. Seahawks.
“McCarthy beat Washington to win a national title, can he beat the Seattle pro football team?”
If McCarthy isn’t an immediate Rookie of the Year contender or isn’t ready enough to be starter over Sam Darnold, then it’s hard to imagine the Vikings being a playoff-caliber team. This is a far cry from the 2018-2020 stretch of primetime Seahawks home victories over Minnesota.
vs. Denver Broncos
Denver is in a bit of a rebuild and Russell Wilson isn’t the quarterback anymore. That’s a wrap on the intrigue for this one. There is no compelling storyline to this game other than former Oregon quarterback and first-round pick Bo Nix getting to play in the Pacific Northwest.
vs. New York Giants
Not a chance that NBC would want this game on its Sunday Night Football package. With no other West Coast trip scheduled, this isn’t going to be on the Thursday Night Football package. Last year we saw this same matchup on Monday Night Football and while it was a glorious Seahawks win, the actual game quality was ugly. There have been significant inroads made by the Giants to improve their roster over the offseason, but they’re also still projected to be a non-playoff team. Maybe that’ll change if Drew Lock actually starts over Daniel Jones...
The Patriots might have drafted Drake Maye at No. 3 overall, but there’s a significant chance that Jacoby Brissett will have the starting duties in Maye’s rookie season. New England still projects to be an AFC East cellar dweller, so forget about this matchup getting primetime treatment.
Predictions
Home primetime games: vs. Rams (TNF), vs. Packers (MNF)
Away primetime games: at Lions (MNF)
1:25 PM PT featured doubleheader kickoff: N/A
10 AM PT kickoffs: at Falcons, at Jets, at Patriots, at Bears
Non-featured regional coverage: at/vs. Cardinals, at/vs. 49ers, at Rams, vs. Dolphins, vs. Bills, vs. Vikings, vs. Giants, vs. Broncos
I believe three primetime games would feel about right for the 2024 Seahawks. The only question is whether or not Mike Macdonald can continue the late night chaos that defined by the Pete Carroll era.
Make your guesses in the comments and we’ll circle back when the schedule is released to see who is most accurate!
2024-05-07T20:26:58Z dg43tfdfdgfd