At many points during the 2025-26 season, the Seattle Seahawks looked like the best team in the NFL, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that they’re representing the NFC in Super Bowl LX. With one of the most stacked rosters and best coaching staffs in the National Football League, let's give each unit - and this team as a whole - a letter grade.
Quarterback - A
Sam Darnold has been a high-caliber quarterback the entire season. Fans and media members are only questioning his play because of his name and his past. He has a 101.4 passer rating in his last 19 games. He has been especially good in the postseason with a playoff-high 122.4 passer rating. Darnold is undoubtedly playing the best football of his career and looks like a top-five quarterback in the NFL right now. If he keeps up his current pace, the Seahawks will win the Super Bowl.
Running Back - C
Ever since Zach Charbonnet went down with a torn ACL, Kenneth Walker III has essentially had to be Seattle's lone running option. He has 38 carries in the playoffs, while every other healthy player on the Seahawks' roster has combined for just 16 rushing attempts. In reality, Seattle's other healthy running backs have recorded just nine total carries during the 2026 postseason. This is a long-winded way of saying that the Seahawks have no running back depth. Kenneth Walker is good, but if the Pats can contain him, Seattle has nobody else they can handoff the ball to.
Wide Receiver - A
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best player in Super Bowl LX. His statistics are elite, and he was one of Pro Football Focus' three highest-graded players in the NFL this season. Number-two wide receiver Cooper Kupp is still a valuable contributor, particularly in the postseason, where he has upped his production from 2.9 receptions per game to 4.5. Meanwhile, Rashid Shaheed is arguably the best deep threat wide receiver in the NFL. He has the chance to go the distance every time he touches the football, as proven by his one postseason reception being a 51-yard touchdown. Even WR4 Jake Bobo has a touchdown catch in the playoffs. This is a fantastic group of players.
Tight End - C
There really isn't much to say about the Seahawks' tight end room, which is the weakest position on the team. AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo aren't bad, but they're also not that good. Defensive coordinators aren't lying awake at night worried about how they're going to defend those two guys. They're solid blockers and will catch a pass every once in a while, but that's about it. This tight end room is not winning any games.
Offensive Line - B
The Seahawks' offensive line has been solid. Seattle ranks third amongst playoff teams in rushing yards per attempt (4.2). On top of that, the O-line has only allowed five sacks in the postseason, which comes out to just 2.5 per game. They might be giving up sacks at a higher rate in the playoffs than in the regular season, but that's bound to happen against divisional opponents whom you’ve already faced twice before. At least, they have improved their rushing averages from the regular season to the postseason.
Defensive Line - A
Whenever a unit has two Pro Bowlers, that's grounds for an automatic "A." DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams have been game-wreckers all year long, but this defensive line has other valuable pieces, too. Byron Murphy II ranks ninth in the quarterback hurries and total pressures amongst all defensive tackles. Derick Hall has a 73.3 overall grade, which ranks 37th out of 115 qualifying defensive ends. Most importantly, Seattle hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown since December 28th, which is the sign of a good D-line.
Linebackers - A
Ernest Jones IV is the heart and soul of this defense. He's a Super Bowl champion and the player responsible for relaying defensive playcalls to the rest of the group. Jones leads the team in tackles and also has a forced fumble, an interception, and a pass defended. Beyond him, Seattle's two other linebackers - Drake Thomas and Tryice Knight - rank third and fourth on the team in total tackles, respectively. Knight has the 13th-highest PFF grade out of 88 linebackers. Drake Thomas ranks 23rd in that category. This linebacking group is playing well.
Cornerbacks - B
Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Josh Jobe, and Nick Emmanwori are arguably the best cornerback group in the NFL in terms of pure talent. In fact, Woolen and Witherspoon have four Pro Bowl appearances between them. Unfortunately, these guys have not been that good in pass coverage since the playoffs started. Even though they have faced top-flight quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy, those four guys have allowed 20 completions on 40 attempts for 355 passing yards and two touchdowns. The talent is there, but this group needs to be more effective in its execution.
Safeties - B
Nick Emmanwori also plays some safety for the Seahawks, but the back-end of the secondary is often manned by Julian Love and Coby Bryant. Love has been one of the most underrated players in the NFL, with a PFF grade of 82.2, the sixth-highest mark in the league amongst safeties. Also, Love has only allowed a 30.4 passer rating when targeted this season. Bryant has not been nearly as good in pass coverage, allowing a 124.3 rating in the playoffs. Between the two of them and Nick Emmanwori's playmaking ability, this group gets a B.
Special Teams - A
Every member of this unit has been exceptional this year. Kicker Jason Myers led the NFL in scoring this season, with 171 points, a record for the most points scored in a single season without a touchdown. Punter Michael Dickson was named an All-Pro and has downed seven of his eight playoff punts inside the opposing team's 20 yard line. And, of course, there's Rasheed Shahid, who is a Pro Bowl returner with two touchdowns. As weird as it sounds, this might be the best group on Seattle's roster.
Coaching Staff - A
The Seahawks have just as good a coaching staff as the Patriots. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will reportedly be the Las Vegas Raiders' next head coach, so he is thought highly of as a playcaller and leader. Defensive coordinator Aden Durde helped Seattle's D improve its ranking in yards, points, and takeaways. Last but not least, there's head coach Mike Macdonald, who has been able to get a mediocre team over the hump. In the three seasons before his arrival, the Seahawks were 25-26 with one playoff appearance, a Wild Card round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Since Macdonald took over, Seattle has a 24-10 regular season record and two playoff wins. This coaching staff is one of the best in the league.
Team Grade - A
I don't think there's any question that the Seahawks have maybe the best top-to-bottom roster in the National Football League. Seattle often looked like the best team in football, especially late in the season. They have the second-best scoring offense in the NFL (29.2 points per game), while the defense is allowing the fewest points per game in the league this season (17.1). And the special teams unit is one of the best in the NFL! The Seahawks have earned their "A" grade.
