We’re coming up on another Super Bowl, and if you ask me, this time around, it has kind of an odd feeling about it. I’m a Detroit Lions fan, so of course, my feelings stem from the fact that the Lions almost finally made it to a Super Bowl and then shockingly fell short to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. It still stings. A lot. But, even taking that out of the equation, it just seems like a weird year for Super Bowl bliss.

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t make it to the playoffs this year. They fell just short, so what happened? They got a new head coach. I’m still surprised that they let go of Pete Carroll, who was with the Seahawks from 2010 to 2023. He held the record for Hawks’ most regular season wins at 137. But, it wasn’t enough, apparently.

But, the good news for Seahawks fans is that the team hired a stellar head coach in Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. I mean, this is the stuff dreams are made of. Macdonald’s specialty is defense, which is exactly where the Seahawks need to improve. What’s more, Macdonald is fresh off a Super Bowl run, which saw his team, the Ravens, almost make it to the Big Game. It was really thought to be a given that the Ravens would be in the Super Bowl, because they’re so strong this season. But, they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Now, with Macdonald at the helm, will the Seattle Seahawks be back in playoff contention in 2024?

Commentary: Are the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Bound with New HC Mike Macdonald?

Sports Illustrated recently posted a list of possible Super Bowl contenders for 2024. But, they didn’t include any of the Final Four teams this year, so you won’t see the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions or Ravens in there.

They have Seattle down as No. 9 on the list. They do mention that it’s difficult to see the Seahawks doing better than they did with Carroll, who was a stellar coach, but that “a younger coach with different philosophies” can possibly “turn the star-studded roster into a contender in ’24.”

“The Seahawks disappointed last season, and they don’t even have injuries to blame as most of their key starters finished the ’23 regular season,” they explain. “Seattle appeared to instead point the blame at coaching when it fired Pete Carroll as the head coach and forced the 72-year-old into a front-office role.”

So, what has to happen to get it done? The quarterback is a big question. The Hawks’ quarterback Geno Smith had a great season in 2022, but last season was less than stellar. It’s possible that the Seahawks will try to bring in a new quarterback during the off season. The real question is, who could they get who would be better and as experienced as Smith? It’s not an easy task, but it’s something that could very well be on Macdonald’s to-do list.

For the record, Sports Illustrated picks the Cincinnati Bengals as the No. 1 team likely to make it to the Super Bowl next year, out of the teams that didn’t make it to the playoffs. Get Joe Burrow healthy again, and I have to agree.