2023 Seattle Seahawks season
OwnerEstate of Paul Allen
General managerJohn Schneider
Head coachPete Carroll
Home fieldLumen Field
Results
Record9–8
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
3
AP All-ProsLB Bobby Wagner (2nd team)
Uniform

The 2023 season was the Seattle Seahawks' 48th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 14th and final season under the head coach/general manager tandem of Pete Carroll and John Schneider. The Seahawks matched their 9–8 record from the previous year, but unlike 2022, it was not enough to qualify for the playoffs as the Los Angeles Rams managed to steal the 2nd place spot in the division. They finished in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints for the last Wild Card spot, which the Packers claimed via tiebreaker. Despite a 6–3 start, key injuries to Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III, DK Metcalf, and Devon Witherspoon, sent the Seahawks into a four-game skid, with every loss coming against NFC playoff teams. In total, Seattle played 11 games and went 3–8 against teams that finished with a winning record (Cincinnati being the only one that missed the postseason), culminating in a collapse that cost them an appearance in the postseason. This was the second time in three seasons that Seattle missed the playoffs.

On March 26, 2023, the Seahawks re-signed longtime linebacker Bobby Wagner, who played for the Los Angeles Rams during the previous season, for a second stint with the team.[1]

On January 10, 2024, head coach Pete Carroll agreed to step down from his position after fourteen seasons to assume an advisory role with the team after the season's conclusion.[2]

Draft

Main article: 2023 NFL Draft
2023 Seattle Seahawks Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 5 Devon Witherspoon CB Illinois From Broncos
20 Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio State
2 37 Derick Hall DE Auburn From Broncos
52 Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
4 108 Anthony Bradford G LSU From Broncos
123 Cameron Young DT Mississippi State
5 151 Mike Morris DE Michigan From Steelers
154 Olusegun Oluwatimi C Michigan
6 198 Jerrick Reed II S New Mexico
7 237 Kenny McIntosh RB Georgia
2023 Seattle Seahawks undrafted free agents
Name Position College Ref.
Holton Ahlers QB East Carolina [3]
M. J. Anderson DE Iowa State
Michael Ayers LB Ashland
Jake Bobo WR UCLA
Lance Boykin CB Coastal Carolina
Cam Bright LB Washington
Arquon Bush CB Cincinnati
James Campbell Montana State
Robert Cooper DT Florida State
Noah Gindorff TE North Dakota State
John Hall WR Northwood
Griffin Hebert TE Louisiana Tech
C. J. Johnson WR East Carolina
Matt Landers Arkansas
Tyjon Lindsey Oregon State
Patrick O'Connell LB Montana
Ty Okada S Montana State
Morrell Osling III UCLA
Kendall Randolph G Alabama
Chris Smith RB Louisiana
Chris Stoll LS Penn State
Jonathan Sutherland S
Jacob Sykes DE UCLA
Jonah Tavai DT San Diego State
Christian Young S Arizona

Staff

2023 Seattle Seahawks staff

Front office

  • Owning entity – Paul G. Allen Trust
  • Chairwoman/trustee – Jody Allen
  • Vice chairman – Bert Kolde
  • President – Chuck Arnold
  • Executive vice president/general manager – John Schneider
  • Vice president of football administration – Matt Thomas
  • Vice president of player personnel – Trent Kirchner
  • Director of college scouting – Matt Berry
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Aaron Hineline
  • Director of pro personnel – Nolan Teasley
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Willie Schneider
  • Personnel executive – Jason Barnes

Head coaches

  • Head coach/executive vice president of football operations – Pete Carroll
  • Associate head coach– Carl Smith

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Larry Izzo
  • Assistant special teams coach – Tracy Smith

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Ivan Lewis
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Thomas Garcia
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Mark Philipp
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Grant Steen
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Danny Van Dijk
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Jamie Yanchar

Final roster

2023 Seattle Seahawks final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 9 inactive, 14 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 10 Minnesota Vikings W 24–13 1–0 Lumen Field Recap
2 August 19 Dallas Cowboys W 22–14 2–0 Lumen Field Recap
3 August 26 at Green Bay Packers L 15–19 2–1 Lambeau Field Recap

Game summaries

Preseason Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Preseason Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 7 3013
Seahawks 0 7 10724

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Preseason Week 2: vs Dallas Cowboys

Preseason Week 2: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 7014
Seahawks 3 14 0522

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: August 19
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. PDT
  • TV: KING-TV
Game information

Preseason Week 3: at Green Bay Packers

Preseason Week 3: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 7 0815
Packers 3 9 0719

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: August 26
  • Game time: 10:00 a.m. PDT
  • TV: KING-TV
Game information

Regular season

Schedule

Divisional matchups: the NFC West played the NFC East and the AFC North.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 Los Angeles Rams L 13–30 0–1 Lumen Field Recap
2 September 17 at Detroit Lions W 37–31 (OT) 1–1 Ford Field Recap
3 September 24 Carolina Panthers W 37–27 2–1 Lumen Field Recap
4 October 2 at New York Giants W 24–3 3–1 MetLife Stadium Recap
5 Bye
6 October 15 at Cincinnati Bengals L 13–17 3–2 Paycor Stadium Recap
7 October 22 Arizona Cardinals W 20–10 4–2 Lumen Field Recap
8 October 29 Cleveland Browns W 24–20 5–2 Lumen Field Recap
9 November 5 at Baltimore Ravens L 3–37 5–3 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
10 November 12 Washington Commanders W 29–26 6–3 Lumen Field Recap
11 November 19 at Los Angeles Rams L 16–17 6–4 SoFi Stadium Recap
12 November 23 San Francisco 49ers L 13–31 6–5 Lumen Field Recap
13 November 30 at Dallas Cowboys L 35–41 6–6 AT&T Stadium Recap
14 December 10 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–28 6–7 Levi's Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Philadelphia Eagles W 20–17 7–7 Lumen Field Recap
16 December 24 at Tennessee Titans W 20–17 8–7 Nissan Stadium Recap
17 December 31 Pittsburgh Steelers L 23–30 8–8 Lumen Field Recap
18 January 7 at Arizona Cardinals W 21–20 9–8 State Farm Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 1: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 7 0 101330
Seahawks 3 10 0013

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

The Seahawks were favored to win the matchup against the division rival Los Angeles Rams, as they were looking to return to competition following an injury-plagued season the year prior. Seattle had managed an improbable season in 2022 as quarterback Geno Smith managed to play a major factor in the team returning to the postseason, winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year in the process, in addition to sweeping the Rams. The Rams' roster had also shown notable signs of decline with such offseason departures of players including Jalen Ramsey and Taylor Rapp. Seattle started the first half strong as the Rams' offense found minor difficulties in converting on first downs despite managing a touchdown from rookie running back Kyren Williams to finish the first quarter leading at 7-3. Seattle quickly responded with a touchdown catch from DK Metcalf, and a field goal to lead the game 13-7 by the half. During the first quarter, Metcalf began trading insults with the Rams' sidelines, leading him to land an illegal hit on Los Angeles' cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon after the play, infuriating Sean McVay after no flag was thrown.[4] The Rams' secondary responded strongly in the second half, shutting out the Seahawks for the remainder of the game. Rams' rookie receiver Puka Nacua managed an impressive performance for his rookie debut, making 10 catches for 119 yards.[5][6] The Rams' running backs had also managed an impressive showing as Kyren Williams and Cam Akers combined for 81 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams' defense managed to lock Seattle's passing game as they failed to convert a first down within Rams' territory for the remainder of the game. Two fourth-quarter field goals from Rams' kicker Brett Maher would secure the victory 30-13 for the Rams, and the Seahawks fell to 0-1 on the season.

Week 2: at Detroit Lions

Week 2: Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Seahawks 7 0 1014637
Lions 7 7 710031

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 3: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 3: Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 3 10 01427
Seahawks 3 9 101537

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 4: at New York Giants

Week 4: Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 7 7324
Giants 0 3 003

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The win ensured the Seahawks of remaining perfect at MetLife Stadium, having never lost to the Giants and Jets, their NFL co-tenants.

Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 6: Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 3 3013
Bengals 7 7 0317

at Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: October 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/10:00 a.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 66,385
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Seahawks traveled to Cincinnati to face the reigning AFC North Champions on the road. Despite their defense holding Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense to three points from the end of the second quarter onwards, the Seahawks offense failed to find the end zone on all but their first red zone trips. As a result, the Seahawks were narrowly defeated 13-17 and fell to 3-2 on the season, while also failing to capture their first win in Cincinnati since 1993.

Week 7: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 7: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 7 0010
Seahawks 7 7 3320

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 7 6020
Seahawks 17 0 0724

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 9: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 9: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 003
Ravens 0 17 13737

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

Week 10: vs. Washington Commanders

Week 10: Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Commanders 6 3 31426
Seahawks 3 6 71329

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 12
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,721
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 11: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 6 3016
Rams 0 7 01017

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

Seattle entered their second matchup against the rival-Rams boasting a 6-3 record while the Rams struggled mightily as they limped into the game following 3 straight losses. Despite a lone touchdown to start the game; the Seahawks' offense became increasingly overwhelmed by the Rams' defense as they only managed two additional field goals to end the first half. Nearing the end of the third quarter; Geno Smith suffered a brutal tackle from Aaron Donald, that injured his elbow, forcing Seattle to play Drew Lock who played very poorly.[7] Both sides continued to grow increasingly hostile with each other after rookie Cornerback Devon Witherspoon dealt a violent Suplex tackle on Rams' wide receiver Austin Trammell.[8][9] The Rams' steadily cut the lead down to 2 points headed into the end of the fourth quarter, even managing a critical interception thrown by Lock.[10][11][12] The Rams later took the lead by 1 point following a field goal, prompting Smith to return to the game for a possible drive despite his injured elbow. Desperate to regain the lead, Smith managed two desperate first down conversions to set up Jason Myers for a 55-yard field goal; as they attempted to retake the lead. A timeout was later called by Rams' head coach Sean McVay in an effort to ice Myers' kick;[13] proving to be successful when he missed the field goal as it sailed wide-right; ending the game in a crushing fashion as the Seahawks fell to the Rams in a sweep.

Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Thanksgiving Day games

Week 12: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 17 0731
Seahawks 3 0 10013

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 13: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 13: Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 14 7735
Cowboys 10 10 71441

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 14: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 10 0 6016
49ers 7 7 7728

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: December 10
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,816
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 7 3 7017
Seahawks 0 3 71020

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 5:15 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Drizzle, 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,758
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (ESPN/ABC): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the Seahawks down 13–17 with just 1:52 left in the game, Drew Lock, who was starting place for the injured Geno Smith led a 92-yard touchdown drive concluding with a 29-yard touchdown throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with just 0:28 left. The Seahawks picked off Jalen Hurts on the next drive to seal the win and improve to 7–7. With the win, the Seahawks increased their winning streak over the Eagles to eight—including the teams' 2019 postseason meeting.

Week 16: at Tennessee Titans

Week 16: Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 31420
Titans 0 10 0717

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 60,181
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 17: Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 10 7630
Seahawks 0 14 3623

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 31
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,735
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 18: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 18: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 3 10 0821
Cardinals 0 6 7720

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: January 7
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 63,197
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book

Standings

Division

NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) San Francisco 49ers 12 5 0 .706 5–1 10–2 491 298 L1
(6) Los Angeles Rams 10 7 0 .588 5–1 8–4 404 377 W4
Seattle Seahawks 9 8 0 .529 2–4 7–5 364 402 W1
Arizona Cardinals 4 13 0 .235 0–6 3–9 330 455 L1

Conference

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] San Francisco 49ers West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 10–2 .509 .475 L1
2[a][b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 5–1 9–3 .446 .392 W2
3[a][b] Detroit Lions North 12 5 0 .706 4–2 8–4 .481 .436 W1
4[c] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .481 .379 W1
Wild cards
5 Philadelphia Eagles East 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .481 .476 L2
6 Los Angeles Rams West 10 7 0 .588 5–1 8–4 .529 .453 W4
7[d][e] Green Bay Packers North 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .474 .458 W3
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 9 8 0 .529 2–4 7–5 .512 .392 W1
9[c][d] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .433 .340 W2
10[f][g] Minnesota Vikings North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .509 .454 L4
11[g][h] Chicago Bears North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .464 .370 L1
12[f][h] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .429 .462 L2
13 New York Giants East 6 11 0 .353 3–3 5–7 .512 .353 W1
14[i] Washington Commanders East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 2–10 .512 .338 L8
15[i] Arizona Cardinals West 4 13 0 .235 0–6 3–9 .561 .588 L1
16 Carolina Panthers South 2 15 0 .118 1–5 1–11 .522 .500 L3
Tiebreakers[j]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Dallas and Detroit based on conference record, claiming the #1 seed.
  2. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
  3. ^ a b Tampa Bay finished ahead of New Orleans based on common record. (Tampa Bay is 8–4 against Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, while New Orleans is 6–6 against the same teams.)
  4. ^ a b c Green Bay and Seattle finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  5. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on strength of victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
  6. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Chicago (see below).
  7. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Chicago based on common record.
  8. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory.
  9. ^ a b Washington finished ahead of Arizona based on head-to-head victory.
  10. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. ^ Boyle, John (March 26, 2023). "Welcome Back, Bobby Wagner". Seahawks.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Boyle, John (January 10, 2024). "Pete Carroll To Move Into Advisor Role With Seahawks". seahawks.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Seahawks Sign 25 Undrafted Free Agents, Six 2023 Draft Picks". seahawks.com. May 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "DK Metcalf's frustrations boil over in uncalled-for hit vs. Ahkello Witherspoon". NFL.com.
  5. ^ "Former BYU star Puka Nacua makes history with 100-yard receiving day in his NFL debut". September 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "All 10 Puka Nacua catches in rookie WR's 119-yard debut | Week 1". NFL.com.
  7. ^ "Seahawks QB Geno Smith returns from elbow injury to almost lead game-winning drive vs. Rams". November 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "Devon Witherspoon fined after taking Rams player to Suplex City". November 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "Seattle Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon Fined by NFL". November 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "Drew Lock defenders are in full retreat after bad showing vs. LA". November 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Former Broncos QB Drew Lock blows it big time vs. Rams". November 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Derion Kendrick kept his resolve to step up when Rams needed him". November 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Geno Smith Rallies Seahawks, Myers Misses Game Winning Field Goal".

External links

Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks seasons
2023 NFL season
Categories