1979 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1979 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's fourth season in the National Football League. The Seahawks had a winning record for the second consecutive year, matching their 9–7 record from 1978.
Starting off the season with a 1–4 record, the Seahawks rallied to finish 9–7. Season highlights included a sweep of the [1979 1979 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders] for the second straight year, and winning both of their Monday Night Football contests on the road against the Atlanta Falcons and at home against the New York Jets, where Jim Zorn completed 13 passes in a row in a 30–7 victory. The team also enjoyed their first victory over the Denver Broncos 28–23 on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Zorn to Steve Largent in the final minutes.
Season lowlights included a 37–34 loss in Denver, after leading 34–10 midway through the 3rd quarter. The [1979 1979 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams] shut out the Seattle Seahawks 24–0, holding the Seahawks to −7 yards total offense, and only one first down. The team lost twice to the [1979 1979 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs], including a 37–21 defeat in week 14 that eliminated Seattle from playoff contention. The team also lost running back David Sims, who led the AFC in touchdowns in 1978, to a career-ending injury.
The 1979 season was the franchise's last winning season until 1983 when new head coach Chuck Knox led the Seahawks to their first playoff berth and Championship game appearance.
Offseason
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
| Chuck Benbow | Fullback | Long Beach State |
| Tim Beyer | Tight end | Oregon |
| Bob Cale | Safety | North Carolina |
| David Charles | Wide receiver | Wisconsin |
| Robert Chatman | Wide receiver | Mississippi State |
| Mark Conrad | Punter | Puget Sound |
| Gary Davis | Running back | Texas A&M |
| Howard Dodge | Linebacker | Nevada |
| Max Ediger | Fullback | Kansas |
| Tim Ellis | Quarterback | Ole Miss |
| Jim Frith | Linebacker | Rice |
| Bob Grefseng | Linebacker | Ole Miss |
| Dwayne Hall | Wide receiver | Oregon State |
| Chuck Harbin | Guard | Central Michigan |
| Gus Hobus | Tight end | Washington State |
| Dave Hopewell | Tackle | Kentucky |
| Tom Jesko | Tackle | Kent State |
| Mike Johnson | Safety | UC Davis |
| Greg Laetsch | Wide receiver/Tight end | Furman |
| James Lamar | Linebacker | San Diego State |
| Jim Mickelson | Safety | Montana State |
| Jeff Morgan | Wide receiver | Alabama State |
| Mark Murphy | Tackle/Guard | Long Beach State |
| John Patterson | Cornerback | Syracuse |
| Bucky Shamburger | Wide receiver | Georgia Tech |
| Mark Stevenson | Center | Western Illinois |
| Clarence Steward | Linebacker | Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
| Ken Thomas | Defensive End | Cameron |
| Brant Tunget | Tight end | Fresno State |
| Ross Varner | Defensive end | BYU |
| Phil Vierneisel | Punter | Illinois |
| Ike Williams | Running back | Florida A&M |
| Theodis Williams | Wide receiver | Arkansas Tech |
| Jay Wyatt | Punter | Houston |
Personnel
Final roster
- Starters in bold.
- Denotes players that were selected for the 1980 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC West.| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
| 1 | September 2 | [1979 1979 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers] | L 16–33 | 0–1 | Kingdome | |
| 2 | September 9 | at [1979 1979 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins] | L 10–19 | 0–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | |
| 3 | September 16 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–10 | 1–2 | Kingdome | |
| 4 | September 23 | at Denver Broncos | L 34–37 | 1–3 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 5 | September 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 6–24 | 1–4 | Kingdome | |
| 6 | October 7 | at [1979 1979 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers] | W 35–24 | 2–4 | Candlestick Park | |
| 7 | October 14 | at San Diego Chargers | L 10–20 | 2–5 | San Diego Stadium | |
| 8 | October 21 | [1979 Houston Cougars football|Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers] | W 34–14 | 3–5 | Kingdome | |
| 9 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–28 | 4–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | ||
| 10 | November 4 | Los Angeles Rams | L 0–24 | 4–6 | Kingdome | |
| 11 | November 11 | at [1979 1979 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns] | W 29–24 | 5–6 | Cleveland Stadium | |
| 12 | November 18 | New Orleans Saints | W 38–24 | 6–6 | Kingdome | |
| 13 | New York Jets | W 30–7 | 7–6 | Kingdome | ||
| 14 | December 2 | at [1979 Kansas Jayhawks football|Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs] | L 21–37 | 7–7 | Arrowhead Stadium | |
| 15 | Denver Broncos | W 28–23 | 8–7 | Kingdome | ||
| 16 | December 16 | at Oakland Raiders | W 29–24 | 9–7 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
Game summaries
For the second straight year, the Seahawks missed the playoffs by one game. Season highlights included sweeping the Oakland Raiders for the 2nd straight year, and defeating the Denver Broncos for the 1st time in team history in a comeback thriller 28–23 at the Kingdome, and winning the team's first appearance on MNF over the Atlanta Falcons, 31–28. The team started out 3–5, and had a 6–2 finish. A 37–21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 14 knocked them out of playoff contention, but rebounded to end their season repeating 1978 at 9–7.Regular season
Week 8: vs. Houston Oilers
Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams
With -7 total yards and just one first down, this is the fewest yards the Seahawks have ever gained in one match. It is the most recent – and only since 1970 – occasion when an NFL team has gained just one first down for an entire match, although the Denver Broncos did not gain a single first down in a 1966 game with the Houston Oilers.Awards and records
- Steve Largent, NFL Leader in Receiving Yards,