Despite being one of the youngest franchises in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks have had several all-time great head coaches. Chuck Knox. Mike Holmgren. And, of course, Pete Carroll.
When the Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald in 2024, he became the ninth head coach in franchise history, and he had some pretty big shoes to fill. So far, he’s been up to the task, and his latest accomplishment shows it. Following the Seahawks’ Week 14 victory, Macdonald became the first head coach in franchise history to win 10 or more games in his first two seasons.
There are likely other feats Macdonald hopes, and would even prefer, to achieve. Becoming the second Seahawks head coach to win a Super Bowl is presumably at the top of the list. But his start of consecutive seasons with double-digit wins is worth acknowledging. The team announced Macdonald’s achievement in a tweet yesterday afternoon.
Recapping the Seahawks’ Week 14 Win
Macdonald achieved the record with Seattle’s 37-9 romp of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Seahawks got off to a slow start, finishing the first half in a 6-6 tie, but the team erupted in the second half, outscoring Atlanta 31-3 in the final two quarters.
The blowout started right away, with Rashid Shaheed returning the second-half kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown. It was Shaheed’s first touchdown as a Seahawk. He added four catches for 67 yards, both of which are his highest figures since joining the team in November.
As per usual, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the standout offensive player of the game. The NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate had seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon both had big games. Emmanwori, who’s creeping up in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race, stuffed the stat sheet again; he had six tackles, one sack, and one interception. Witherspoon added seven tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception as well.
All of which led to the Seahawks moving to 10-3 on the season and Macdonald picking up the record-breaking win.
Where Macdonald Stands Among Other Coaches
It’s far too early in Macdonald’s career to compare it to that of the other eight coaches in Seahawks history. However, there are some interesting stats to look at.
Macdonald has a 20-10 record in two seasons as head coach. That’s the best winning percentage (.667) in franchise history, leading Pete Carroll’s .606 mark.
While it’s a small sample, Macdonald’s winning percentage also ranks above that of all other NFL coaches hired in 2024. Here are the records over the past two seasons of all head coaches hired in 2024, some of whom are already out of the league:
- Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons: 12-18
- Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers: 12-18
- Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders (fired): 4-13
- Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers: 19-10
- Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots (fired): 4-13
- Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans (fired): 4-19
- Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders: 15-15
It’s worth mentioning that Harbaugh can tie Macdonald’s record tonight as the Chargers face the Philadelphia Eagles. Compared to the other hirees of the 2024 class, it feels like John Schneider and the Seahawks made the right decision in hiring Macdonald.
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