The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Seattle Seahawks performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026.
Seattle Seahawks 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges
The Good
- The Seahawks recorded the biggest decline in home-field penalty per-game average from 2024 into 2025, with a 2.84 penalty per game drop-off year over year.
- Seattle was a top-10 penalized team for pre-snap infractions in 2024. They saw a huge season-over-season decline, dropping from ninth to 28th in pre-snap average.
- The Seahawks recorded a year-over-year improvement in third-down penalty efficiency. The offense was excellent on third-down plays, ranking as one of the least penalized units on third down. It is no coincidence that three NFC West teams ranked in the top 10 in this category.
- The above point heavily contributed to the offense recording the biggest year-over-year improvement from a penalty perspective. Seattle ranked second overall in offensive penalties per game in 2024. They were 26th in per-game average on their way to winning Super Bowl LX.
- The Seahawks ended the 2025 season ranking in the top 10 for net positive yards per game advantage over opponents.
- The Seahawks recorded a net positive penalty advantage versus opponents across every quarter in 2025, one of a handful of teams to accomplish this feat.
The Bad
- The Seahawks recorded six delay of game penalties, tied for the 10th-most in the league.
Grade: A++
The Seahawks enter the season with a new quest: to become back-to-back champions and potentially establish themselves as the NFL’s next dynasty.
Seattle was one of the big improvers year over year from a penalty perspective, which paid dividends as they steamrolled to a decisive victory in Super Bowl LX.
It is simplistic analysis, but the Seahawks’ goal of repeating as NFC West champs will boil down to their four games against the division-rival 49ers and Rams, and all those contests will be “must-see TV.”
Seattle’s foundation looks sustainable, built with young talent across all key positional groups, and there is no doubt they will be a contender this season and beyond.
This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview
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