The Super Bowl matchup is set. The LA Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals have advanced and will take the biggest stage in sports in two weeks to decide this year’s NFL champion.
The Seattle Seahawks haven’t been to the Super Bowl for seven years now, and it’s starting to appear that they have gone as far as head coach Pete Carroll is going to take them. However, there are several things the Rams and Bengals did to get here that can and should be copied by their opponents around the league. Here are three lessons Seattle can learn from them.
Albert Cesare / USA TODAY NETWORK
The biggest surprise of this postseason is Cincinnati’s shocking turnaround. After winning just two games in the 2019 season and four in 2020, the Bengals have taken the worst-to-first dynamic to the absolute extreme. Their quick rise proves that NFL teams don’t need to make a five-year plan to win, to say nothing of seven seasons that some coaches have espoused.
This is another way of saying the Seahawks are much closer to contending than their record (7-10) suggests. If they’re able to identify exactly where their roster is weakest and adjust their coaching methods to maximize their talent, there’s no reason why Seattle can’t be back at this spot at this time next year.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
For a long time, the conventional wisdom for building a championship team in the NFL was that you had to do it through the draft. The Rams have proven that’s not necessarily the case. While they did get some important core pieces through the draft, LA wouldn’t have come this far without aggressively pursuing trades. Along the way, they added Matthew Stafford, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey, to name a few key additions via trade. They also rounded out their roster with big free agent signings like Andrew Whitworth and Odell Beckham Jr.. The Bengals also added a number of their key contributors in free agency.
Seattle has plenty of salary cap room to spend in 2022, and the best pending free agents – specifically a deep bunch of edge rushers – would help this team where it needs it most. A bold approach to this free agent class can help the Seahawks get back into the mix as much as anything.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Troy Aikman said something interesting during the broadcast of the NFC Championship Game between the Rams and the 49ers – you’re only as good as your No. 3 wide receiver. That’s a lesson that both teams in the Super Bowl have taken to heart.
The Bengals took a lot of heat for passing on top left tackle prospect Penei Sewell in last year’s draft, instead opting to take LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase. It was the right move. Chase went on to post 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie. Cincinnati also got great contributions from Tee Higgins (1,091 yards, six touchdowns) and Tyler Boyd (828 yards, five touchdowns). Together, they give the Bengals one of the strongest 1-2-3 combinations at wide receiver in the NFL and are a big reason why they’ve managed to come this far despite having a horrible offensive line.
The Rams also weren’t afraid to aggressively pursue a WR3 upgrade even though they already had an MVP candidate in Cooper Kupp and a superb No. 2 option in Robert Woods. They went out and signed Odell Beckham anyway, giving their pass offense another major boost for the stretch run. Beckham posted 305 yards and five touchdowns after the trade and has been instrumental in LA’s postseason run, including 113 yards against the 49ers.
The lesson is clear: a real investment at WR3 is worth it – even for a team like Seattle that already has two stars at the position. Dee Eskridge may develop into that key third option, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sign another stud WR – especially since Beckham will be available again soon.
Sign up for the Seahawks Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning
Here are the top 11 rushing leaders in franchise history.
Here are the top 10 passing leaders in franchise history.
© Copyright Seahawks Wire 2022
Powered by WordPress.com VIP
Please enter an email address.
Thanks for signing up.
Please check your email for a confirmation.
Something went wrong.
