While the Seattle Seahawks won’t have their opportunity to defend their NFC crown on Sunday, the team plans to come back strong in 2016 and beyond.
The Seattle Seahawks failed to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012, as the Seahawks lost to the No. 1 seed Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday, 31-24. While Seattle’s 2015 NFL season has come to a close, this team plans on being championship caliber again next season and beyond.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said the following after his team’s defeat in Charlotte Sunday afternoon: “This is a real club. In that locker room, they’re already talking about coming back strong. That’s how we are. This is who we are.”
Keep in mind that the 2015 Seahawks team had to overcome a great deal of adversity to even get to the NFC Divisional Round. The team dealt with a Super Bowl hangover of sorts, starting the year of 2-4.
Seattle had a porous offensive line for the first half of the season, starting running back Marshawn Lynch dealt with injuries all year, and the Seahawks lost star tight end Jimmy Graham for the year in the last quarter of the regular season.
The Seahawks finished 10-6, good enough for the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoffs. They needed Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh to miss a 27-yard chip shot to advance out of the NFC Wild Card Round. Seattle faced a 31-0 deficit at halftime to the Panthers on Sunday. Overall, Seattle did a remarkable job with all that was thrown their way in 2015. Not every team gets to play in a Super Bowl annually.
Seattle can take pride in the defense’s ability to get right in the second half, as well as quarterback Russell Wilson’s ability to stretch the field thanks to the emergence of wide receivers Doug Baldwin and rookie Tyler Lockett. What Seattle plans to do at running back with regards to Lynch is another story.
Seattle seems to have the right mind set for getting back to playing championship caliber football in 2016. Now it just comes down to offseason execution.