The 2026 NFL season kicks off next Wednesday with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch. Naturally, the NFC West predictions are already flying. 

Danny Parkins of First Things First has the Seahawks winning the division again and running it back as champions. I respect the pick, but it got me thinking. I might actually disagree. I think the Los Angeles Rams will be the 1 seed in the NFC and will win the NFC West this season.

Now before you get too up in arms about that, two things: One, I could be wrong because I could obviously see Seattle doing it again. But also, two, I don’t think Seattle has to win their division in order to repeat.

Look, these are all predictions. We don’t know what’s going to happen. But here’s the thing: the path to a second straight Lombardi Trophy doesn’t have to run through a division title.

The 5-seed scenario isn’t a death sentence

I would imagine there is a strong possibility that whoever between Seattle or the Rams does not win the NFC West ends up as the No. 5 seed in the NFC. That would mean a wild card road game, against a 4 seed. Likely out of the NFC South if I had to guess. And honestly? The Seahawks would probably be the favorite in that matchup regardless of the seeding.

From there, the road would almost certainly run through LA at some point, whether in the divisional round or the NFC Championship Game. And do we really think Seattle can’t go into LA and win a game? I know they lost there last year thanks to a missed kick, but they won both games in Seattle. 

Los Angeles doesn’t have a great home atmosphere. There’s not a great fan base. The Seahawks could overtake that stadium easily and turn the tide. 

I get it. Everyone wants to win their division. The 1 seed, the wild card bye, home field advantage throughout the playoffs, that’s the easiest pathway. I’m not saying Seattle can’t do that. I just don’t think they will this season.

The Rams are loaded, but so are the Seahawks

The Rams are going to be everyone’s Super Bowl favorite this year. Getting Aaron Donald back, adding Myles Garrett, and obviously having the reigning MVP Matthew Stafford is huge. Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are hot names as well. The list goes on with the caliber of team they’ve assembled. That’s a scary roster.

But Seattle still has a heck of a football team. John Schneider has done a great job of keeping the talent that pushed the Seahawks over the edge in 2025.

I could see both of these squads winning 13 or 14 games in the regular season. The Seahawks went 14-3 last year. Los Angeles went 12-5. I could see them both pushing near 14-3 this season, to be honest, as I do believe they will split again in the regular season. 

Seattle can win on the road, and we all know it

The whole point here is simple. The Seahawks do not need to win their division to repeat as Super Bowl champions. They can go on the road and win playoff games. We all know they can do it. They have the type of guys to do it. They have the coach to do it.

That’s probably not what a fan wants to hear, and again it may not even happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but what I do know is that winning the division is not a necessary achievement for these battle-tested Seahawks to get another Lombardi.

I will put together my predictions for the 2026 season early next week. They’ll likely have the Rams taking home the NFC West. They’ll also likely have the defending champs going the furthest. 

Make no mistake about it: the Seattle Seahawks have a strong chance of defending their Super Bowl title.