2017 NFL power rankings: Patriots lead the way

Looking Back: Yes, the team won the NFC West and have now reached the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. And usually Pete Carroll’s team is surging into the postseason. But after a 7-2-1 start the club split its final six regular-season games and were eventually denied a Super Bowl trip by the Atlanta Falcons.

Looking Forward: After being arguably the best division in football over the course of five seasons, the Seahawks were the only team in the NFC West to enjoy a winning season (the Cardinals, Rams and 49ers combined for a 13-34-1 record) in ‘16. But this club still managed to lose at Los Angeles and a home game to Arizona. This is a franchise that has excelled under the current head coach and quarterback Russell Wilson since 2012. But for the first time during this current run, we saw some very disturbing signs from this club. Was this simply an off-year or does this franchise need to change some of its philosophies?

Offseason needs: The Seahawks need to bring in some quality offensive linemen that are truly masters at their craft instead of simply trying to develop projects into players. In recent seasons, they’ve lost one-time first-round picks such as left tackle Russell Okung and guard James Carpenter to free agency. Not having star free safety Earl Thomas down the stretch proved to be extremely costly despite the talent in the secondary. Perhaps the Seahawks could use an early-round pick to grab a little insurance for the seven-year pro. The defending NFC West champions could use a little more depth on the defensive front as well.