The Super Bowl-winning Seahawks are proof that the run game still matters

• The Seahawks’ run game, while inefficient at times, was sufficiently threatening in 2025: Seattle called a run play on offense 47.7% of the time this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL. The combination of that with Sam Darnold’s playing skills yielded major benefits.

• Sam Darnold and Jalen Hurts are not the “elite” quarterbacks we expect to win the Super Bowl: The Eagles in 2024 and the Seahawks this past season proved that a balanced offense — and lockdown defense, of course — is a true path to glory in the NFL.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

For more than two decades, we were entertained by championship teams led by some of the game’s best quarterbacks. Tom Brady set a new standard with seven Super Bowl victories. Patrick Mahomes took over from Brady, appearing in five Super Bowls and winning three. Along the way, greats like Peyton and Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger also tasted glory.

The past two years have featured teams led by Jalen Hurts and Sam Darnold, many of whom would at one point be among the top 10 or 12 quarterbacks — but not in the elite class with Mahomes or others of his ilk.

While the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks certainly weren’t swept away by their quarterbacks during their most recent Super Bowl runs, offensive balance was the key to their success.

In 2024, the Eagles called a run play on more than 52% of their offensive snaps. That led the league and was a reasonable approach considering they were armed with Saquon Barkley and an elite offensive line. That same season, seven of the top nine teams that led the league in run rate also made the postseason.

Led by Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, Seattle called a run play on offense 47.7% of the time this season. That ranked second in the NFL by a narrow margin behind the Ravens, who played several games with backup quarterbacks due to Lamar Jackson’s injuries. Five of the top six teams in run rate made the postseason. Only three teams with a run rate below 40% achieved a playoff berth.

What’s interesting, though, is that Seattle hasn’t set the world on fire from a production perspective. They ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards per carry (4.2). Their explosive run rate of 11.8% was about identical to the league average. They did lead the NFL in PFF rushing grade, thanks largely to Walker’s tackle-breaking efforts, but finished just 11th in PFF run-blocking grade. The Seahawks were not the same type of physically dominant offensive unit that Philadelphia was last season.

While Seattle’s run game didn’t deliver at an elite level, it was enough of a threat to add balance to an offense built on play-action and vertical passing success. When using play action, Sam Darnold ranked second in the league in PFF grade, long throws and average target depth. Whether play action helped him or not, his PFF grade of 95.5 ranked fourth in the NFL.

The defense was constantly tangled in matching personnel and deciding how to slow Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks have proven that in the right environment, a quarterback like Sam Darnold can win a Super Bowl if his team is built right.

As other franchises begin their quest for a championship next season, they should look at Philadelphia and Seattle as a blueprint for team building. Even teams like the Bills and Bengals need to understand that offensive balance is more important than asking their elite quarterbacks to carry the entire load. The run game still matters on both sides of the ball, and the Seahawks did a great job of proving this during their championship run.