2021 Seattle Seahawks season

The 2021 season was the Seattle Seahawks' 46th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 20th playing their home games at their current venue, Lumen Field, as well as their 12th under head coach Pete Carroll.

2021 Seattle Seahawks season
OwnerThe Allen family via Paul Allen's estate
General managerJohn Schneider
Head coachPete Carroll
Home fieldLumen Field
Results
Record7–10
Division place4th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
1
Uniform

The Seahawks failed to improve on the previous year's 12–4 record after their Week 7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and after their 10–20 loss to division rival Los Angeles Rams in Week 15, the Seahawks suffered their first losing season since 2011, and their only losing season of the Russell Wilson era. Following their Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Seahawks suffered their first double-digit losing season since 2009, finished last in their division for the first time since 1996, when they played in the AFC West, and were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2017.

The Seahawks continued to struggle defensively from the previous year, ranking dead last in total yards allowed, giving up a total of 2,254 yards in the first five games of season and were on pace to give up the most yards in a season in NFL history for the second straight year. Overall, the Seahawks allowed 6,445 yards, or 379.1 per game. Quarterback Russell Wilson also missed a game for the first time in his NFL career, missing three games after injuring his middle finger in Week 5 against the Rams.

This was the first season since 2010 without longtime linebacker K. J. Wright, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on September 6, 2021. It was also the last season with Russell Wilson on the roster and the final season of linebacker Bobby Wagner's first stint with the team. Wagner was released on March 9, 2022, and signed a five-year contract worth up to $65 million with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams on March 31 before being cut and returning to the Seahawks the next season, while Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos along with a 4th round pick for quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, tight end Noah Fant, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth round pick on March 16. Both were the last remaining members from their 2013 Super Bowl-winning season on the roster.[1][2]

Draft

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2021 Seattle Seahawks Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
2 56 D'Wayne Eskridge WR Western Michigan
4 137 Tre Brown CB Oklahoma From Tampa Bay
6 208 Stone Forsythe OT Florida

Notes

  • The Seahawks traded safety Bradley McDougald, first- and third-round selections, and a 2022 first-round selection to the New York Jets in exchange for Jamal Adams and a 2022 fourth-round selection.
  • The Seahawks traded their fourth-round selection (No. 129) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for the Buccaneers' fourth-round selection (No. 137) and a sixth-round compensatory selection (No. 217).
  • The Seahawks traded their fifth-round selection to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for offensive guard Gabe Jackson.[3]
  • The Seahawks traded a sixth-round selection to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round selection. This selection was traded to the Chicago Bears. The Bears traded this selection back to the Seahawks in exchange for a sixth-round selection (No. 217), originally from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Seahawks' seventh-round selection (No. 250).
  • The Seahawks received safety Quandre Diggs and a seventh-round selection from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round selection.
  • The Seahawks traded center B. J. Finney and the Detroit Lions's seventh-round selection to Cincinnati Bengals for defensive end Carlos Dunlap.

Staff

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2021 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
  • Area scout – Jason Barnes
  • Director of pro personnel – Nolan Teasley
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Willie Schneider
  • Personnel executive – Alonzo Highsmith

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

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


Final roster

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2021 Seattle Seahawks roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
49 active, 15 reserve, 12 practice squad (+3 exempt)


Preseason

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The Seahawks' preseason schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 14 at Las Vegas Raiders L 7–20 0–1 Allegiant Stadium Recap
2 August 21 Denver Broncos L 3–30 0–2 Lumen Field Recap
3 August 28 Los Angeles Chargers W 27–0 1–2 Lumen Field Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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The Seahawks' regular season schedule was announced on May 12.

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

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Indianapolis Colts W 28–16 1–0 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
2 September 19 Tennessee Titans L 30–33 (OT) 1–1 Lumen Field Recap
3 September 26 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–30 1–2 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
4 October 3 at San Francisco 49ers W 28–21 2–2 Levi's Stadium Recap
5 October 7 Los Angeles Rams L 17–26 2–3 Lumen Field Recap
6 October 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 20–23 (OT) 2–4 Heinz Field Recap
7 October 25 New Orleans Saints L 10–13 2–5 Lumen Field Recap
8 October 31 Jacksonville Jaguars W 31–7 3–5 Lumen Field Recap
9 Bye
10 November 14 at Green Bay Packers L 0–17 3–6 Lambeau Field Recap
11 November 21 Arizona Cardinals L 13–23 3–7 Lumen Field Recap
12 November 29 at Washington Football Team L 15–17 3–8 FedExField Recap
13 December 5 San Francisco 49ers W 30–23 4–8 Lumen Field Recap
14 December 12 at Houston Texans W 33–13 5–8 NRG Stadium Recap
15 December 21 at Los Angeles Rams L 10–20 5–9 SoFi Stadium Recap
16 December 26 Chicago Bears L 24–25 5–10 Lumen Field Recap
17 January 2, 2022 Detroit Lions W 51–29 6–10 Lumen Field Recap
18 January 9, 2022 at Arizona Cardinals W 38–30 7–10 State Farm Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Indianapolis Colts

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Week 1: Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 14 0728
Colts 3 7 0616

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans

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Week 2: Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Titans 3 6 714333
Seahawks 3 21 06030

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week 3: Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 10 7 0017
Vikings 7 14 3630

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

This was Seattle's first loss to the Vikings since 2009.

Week 4: at San Francisco 49ers

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Week 4: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 7 14728
49ers 7 0 6821

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

Week 5: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week 5: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 3 131026
Seahawks 0 7 01017

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 6: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 6: Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Seahawks 0 0 146020
Steelers 0 14 33323

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Week 7: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 10 0313
Seahawks 7 0 3010

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 8: Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 0 077
Seahawks 7 10 7731

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 10: at Green Bay Packers

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Week 10: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 0 000
Packers 0 3 01417

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

This was the first time the Seahawks were shutout in a game since Week 2 of the 2011 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Russell Wilson return from finger injury.

Week 11: vs. Arizona Cardinals

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Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 6 3723
Seahawks 0 6 0713

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,833
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: at Washington Football Team

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Week 12: Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 2 0615
Washington 3 6 8017

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 52,680
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters, and John Parry
  • Preview, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Week 13: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 14 9 0023
Seahawks 7 14 9030

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 14: at Houston Texans

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Week 14: Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 10 6 31433
Texans 7 6 0013

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear, 55 °F (13 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 67,610
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams

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Week 15: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 7010
Rams 3 0 71020

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: December 21
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,565
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Brock Huard and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears

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Week 16: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 71125
Seahawks 7 10 7024

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

With the loss, the Seahawks were eliminated from the playoff contention for the first time since 2017.

Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

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Week 17: Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 15729
Seahawks 10 21 71351

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Rain, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,043
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib, and Megan Olivi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 18: at Arizona Cardinals

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Week 18: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 10 71438
Cardinals 7 3 14630

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: January 9
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 63,858
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

This game was Russell Wilson's last as a quarterback for the Seahawks before he was traded to the Denver Broncos the following offseason.

Standings

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Division

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NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Los Angeles Rams 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 460 372 L1
(5) Arizona Cardinals 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 449 366 L1
(6) San Francisco 49ers 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 427 365 W2
Seattle Seahawks 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 395 366 W2

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[a] Green Bay Packers North 13 4 0 .765 4–2 9–3 .479 .480 L1
2[a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 13 4 0 .765 4–2 8–4 .467 .443 W3
3[b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 .488 .431 W1
4[b] Los Angeles Rams West 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 .483 .409 L1
Wild cards
5 Arizona Cardinals West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .490 .492 L1
6 San Francisco 49ers West 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 .500 .438 W2
7[c] Philadelphia Eagles East 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .469 .350 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[c] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .512 .516 W2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .507 .434 W1
10[d] Washington Football Team East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .529 .420 W1
11[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .519 .424 W2
12[d][e] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .472 .315 L2
13 Chicago Bears North 6 11 0 .353 2–4 4–8 .524 .373 L1
14 Carolina Panthers South 5 12 0 .294 2–4 3–9 .509 .412 L7
15 New York Giants East 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 .536 .485 L6
16 Detroit Lions North 3 13 1 .206 2–4 3–9 .528 .627 W1
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on conference record (9–3 vs. 8–4).
  2. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of LA Rams based on conference record (10–2 vs. 8–4).
  3. ^ a b Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b c Washington finished ahead of Atlanta and Seattle based on head-to-head victories.
  5. ^ a b Seattle finished ahead of Atlanta based on win percentage in common games (4–2 vs. 3–3 against: San Francisco, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Washington, and Detroit).
  6. ^ 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

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  1. ^ "End Of An Era: Seahawks Trade Russell Wilson To Denver Broncos". www.seahawks.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Boyle, John (March 9, 2022). "Seahawks Release Linebacker Bobby Wagner". www.Seahawks.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Boyle, John (March 21, 2021). "Seahawks Acquire Guard Gabe Jackson In Trade With Raiders". Seahawks.com.
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