2023 Seahawks schedule: Which Seahawks games could end up in primetime?

The Seahawks should get more than two night kickoffs this season. Emphasis on “should.”

We are two days away from the release of the 2023 Seattle Seahawks regular season schedule, and unlike last season I think Seattle will be getting more than just two primetime games. With the widespread belief they would be a bad team, the Seahawks’ only evening kickoffs were opening night against the Denver Broncos, and then a ‘Thursday Night Football’ showdown with the San Francisco 49ers that birthed this classic from Kirk Herbstreit.

Seattle made the playoffs, should be poised to do so again in a seemingly weakened NFC, which hopefully means a lot of national TV appearances under the bright lights. I’m going to take a look at the opponents list and see which games have the best and worst chance of getting selected for primetime. For simplicity’s sake, primetime consists of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon Prime, ‘Sunday Night Football’ on NBC, and ‘Monday Night Football’ on ESPN/ABC.

Keep in mind teams are allowed a maximum of six primetime games, with a seventh allowed for Week 18.

Best chance

at/vs. San Francisco 49ers

More often than not, at least one Seahawks-49ers game gets primetime treatment when the schedule is released. These are the two favorites to win the NFC West and even though San Francisco showed clear superiority in the three games last season, even John Lynch acknowledged the Seahawks are hot on their tail. This is still a heated rivalry that may very well determine who wins the division title. I can see one of these two matchups placed on ‘Sunday Night Football’ for sure.

at Dallas Cowboys

Even if it’s not primetime or even a featured late doubleheader game, don’t sleep on this as a 1:25 PM PT feature doubleheader, or even the Thanksgiving kickoff. The Cowboys are forever going to be a national television draw, and they’re obviously good enough to take the NFC East crown back from Philadelphia.

vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Defending NFC champion coming to town. The Eagles have never beaten Pete Carroll since he became Seahawks head coach. Enough said.

Good chance

at Detroit Lions

Last year this was one of the wildest shootouts of the season. We hit Scorigami thanks to the 48-45 Seahawks final, and this was the starting point for justifying Geno Smith’s contract extension.

But this is less about the Seahawks and more about Detroit as the favorite to win the NFC North. They’re a genuinely entertaining team with a big personality head coach, and I expect them to have more primetime games than we usually see. This may not quite be ‘Sunday Night Football’ material but it has the makings of a ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup.

at New York Giants

The improbable run by the Giants to the divisional round has put everyone on notice that maybe, just maybe, the G-Men are back. A lot of that is dependent on whether Daniel Jones’ success is sustainable, Saquon Barkley can shine again like he did last season, and if Darren Waller can recapture his old form with the Raiders.

at Cincinnati Bengals

The top two wide receiver corps in the NFL, anyone? Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd on one side, with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the other side. Cincinnati was on the cusp of the Super Bowl again and should be in the hunt for the AFC title once again this year under Joe Burrow.

Small to decently sized chance

at/vs. Los Angeles Rams

Much like the Cardinals, the Rams are not expected to be contenders this season. But with Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, and Cooper Kupp all healthy again, don’t completely shut the door on the idea of them being reasonably competitive. They’re also in Los Angeles and the Rams aren’t getting shut out of primetime. Easy contender for a TNF slot. Otherwise this is getting shoved to the bottom crew on FOX or CBS.

at Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is still a Raven, and now it’s time to actually win playoff games again if you’re John Harbaugh. As ever, Baltimore will be in the postseason mix, and if you’ve checked their schedule they play the AFC South and NFC West, and do not face the Kansas City Chiefs. Outside of their own division, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, and the LA Chargers are the best candidates for primetime opponents. I wouldn’t put the Seahawks in high priority but it’s not to be discounted.

Virtually no chance

at/vs. Arizona Cardinals

It is highly likely that the Cardinals are shut out of primetime games. Even if Kyler Murray comes back sooner than expected, Arizona is not really well positioned to be contending for a playoff spot.

at Tennessee Titans

Having missed the playoffs last season, Tennessee overhauled its roster on both sides of the ball and the team as a whole is just not interesting. Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry and maybe there’s some appeal to Will Levis being Ryan Tannehill’s eventual successor, but there’s no interesting angle to Seahawks at Titans.

vs. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers had a very busy offseason in free agency, drafted Bryce Young No. 1 overall, and with the turgid NFC South up for grabs there may be a national game for Carolina to have, but the Seahawks likely aren’t atop that list. I’d keep an eye on them at the Miami Dolphins, for the Bryce vs. Tua angle.

vs. Cleveland Browns

Expect more primetime games for Cleveland now that Deshaun Watson’s suspension is over and the Browns push to get back into the playoffs. Other than just filling up national windows I don’t see why this would get a primetime look when the Browns already have multiple potential national options within the AFC North, as well as the New York Jets.

vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Amazingly, the Steelers keep avoiding sub. 500 records under Mike Tomlin no matter how pedestrian their offense looks. This was a ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash in 2021, with Geno Smith making his Seahawks starting debut, but Pittsburgh was coming off a 12-4 season and so were the Seahawks. I don’t really see the inter-conference intrigue here given Pittsburgh is not a favorite for the AFC North. The Kenny Pickett bandwagon isn’t swelling that much.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders somehow almost made the playoffs and then bottled it, which opened the door for the Seahawks to sneak in. Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett will be the starting quarterback, and while there’s quite a bit of talent on both sides of the ball, Washington has plenty of night game chances just within the NFC East. Did you know the Commanders are the only team the Seahawks have never beaten in a regular season home game at Lumen Field? They’ve gotten them twice in the playoffs but are 0-for-4 in the regular season.

Predictions

Home primetime games: vs. 49ers (SNF), vs. Eagles (MNF)

Away primetime games: at Rams (TNF), at Lions (MNF)

1:25 PM PT featured doubleheader kickoff: at Cowboys, at Giants

10 AM PT kickoffs: at Bengals, at Titans, at Ravens

Non-featured regional coverage: at/vs. Cardinals, at 49ers, vs. Rams, vs. Browns, vs. Steelers, vs. Panthers, vs. Commanders

As good as the Seahawks could be this season, the league may not want to necessarily go head-first into giving Seattle all the national exposure. I think four is more than appropriate and they’ll have opportunities to be flexed into SNF or MNF pending their own record and the records of their opposition.