The Seattle Seahawks shocked a ton of people last year because there weren't many predictions that had them finishing 9-8 and making the playoffs like they did.

A year later, people are brushing them off, again. Even though the team got better during the offseason. 

For starters, the over/under for the Seahawks' win total is set at just 8.5 wins. Meaning, Vegas doesn't view the team as improved. Mostly stagnant, at best.

That's pretty wild to think about. Especially considering the improvements the team made in the offseason. They added one of the top free agents in defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones and one of the league's most versatile defensive backs in Julian Love. Pete Carroll and co. also drafted cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick, wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 20 overall, and running back Zach Charbonnet in the second round. 

Oh, and don't forget the fact that the franchise reunited with one of its best players of all-time in linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Add all of that in on top of more Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Kenneth Walker II and more, and it's easy to see why a lot of people are mistaken if they're sleeping on Seattle. 

Former NFL executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick is trying to warn people in order to keep them from making the same mistake in consecutive years, too.

"People still think that it's San Francisco's division in the [NFC] West to run away with and I just don't see it that way," Riddick said on the most recent episode of Get Up. "They were building something spectacular last year and we saw it manifest itself in them having a pretty darn good season and Geno Smith getting a contract extension. They just added to the nucleus of young players that they had last year… Look out for the Seahawks, man.

"I'm just telling ya – look out for the Seahawks."

Seattle's front seven holds the key to their 2023 success

We know what the offense can do, we saw it last year. But right now, the defensive front seven is a big question mark and it will go a long way in determining the overall success in 2023.

Right now, there is a major hole at nose tackle and then everyone is wondering how the linebackers will perform as Jordyn Brooks recovers from his torn ACL. Having Wagner back in the fold is obviously huge, but can former first-rounder Devin Bush provide the same kind of play Brooks has over the last couple of year? Odds are Brooks won't be back until at least the halfway point of the season, so the defense really needs someone to step up in his stead.

If the front seven can simply be average, then the caliber of players on the backend of the defense should be able to hold its own, thus making the Seahawks defense a much-improved unit from what we saw last year.

But if not, the over/under win total could actually come into play more than initially thought.

Seahawks Minicamp: Three standouts to remember until training camp starts

There were plenty of Seahawks players who made names for themselves during last week’s minicamp.

Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports