1984 Seattle Seahawks season


The 1984 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's ninth season with the National Football League. The season opener was moved from Sunday to Monday afternoon on Labor Day to avoid a conflict with a Seattle Mariners baseball game.
The 1984 Seahawks were a well-balanced team on offense and defense. The 1984 Seahawks season was the Seahawks' best season as a team in the AFC West. They scored 418 points, and gave up only 282 points, both ranked 5th in the NFL. Their point differential of +136 points was third in the NFL; the Seahawks' giveaway/takeaway ratio was +24, best in the league. The team's 63 defensive takeaways is the most in NFL history for a 16-game schedule, and the most since the merger.
The team's offense boasted a 3,000-yard passer in quarterback Dave Krieg, and a 1,000-yard wide receiver in Steve Largent. The passing attack more than made up for the loss of star running back Curt Warner, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener.
The Seahawks's defensive line generated an outstanding pass rush, with defensive ends Jeff Bryant and Jacob Green registering 14.5 and 13 sacks, respectively. Safety Kenny Easley led the team and league with 10 interceptions. Easley, Green, and NT Joe Nash made the All-Pro team.
In a wild week-10 game against the [1984 1984 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs], the Seahawks intercepted Kansas City's quarterbacks six times, and returned four of them for touchdowns. All the touchdown returns were for over 50 yards. In the game, the Seahawks set NFL records for most yards returning interceptions, and most interceptions-for-touchdowns in a game.
Seattle would make the playoffs for the second straight season. They defeated the defending Super Bowl champion [1984 1984 Los Angeles Raiders season|Los Angeles Raiders season|Los Angeles Raiders] 13–7 in the wild card round avenging their 1983 loss. However, they were not able to advance past the [1984 1984 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins], as they lost in Miami 31–10 to a powerful Dolphins squad led by record setting second year quarterback Dan Marino, who they had defeated in the playoffs the previous season. After this season, the Seahawks wouldn't win another playoff game until their Super Bowl-appearing 2005 season.

1984 NFL draft

RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
122Terry TaylorDefensive backSouthern Illinois
249Daryl TurnerWide receiverMichigan State
376Fredd YoungLinebackerNew Mexico State
486Rickey HagoodNose tackleSouth Carolina
6162John KaiserLinebackerArizona
7189Sam SlaterOffensive tackleWeber State
8216John PuzarCenterLong Beach State
9243Adam SchreiberCenterTexas
10270Randall MorrisRunning backTennessee
11302Steve GemzaOffensive TackleUCLA
12329Theo WindhamDefensive BackUtah State
Supp.Gordon HoustonTight endBrigham Young
Supp.Alvin PowellOffensive GuardWinston-Salem State
Supp.Frank SeurerQuarterbackKansas

Personnel

Final roster

  • Starters in bold.
  • Denotes players that were selected for the 1985 Pro Bowl.

Schedule

Regular season

Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC Central.
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteRecap
1September 3Cleveland BrownsW 33–01–0Kingdome
2September 9[1984 1984 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]W 31–172–0Kingdome
3September 16at [1984 1984 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]L 23–382–1Sullivan Stadium
4September 23Chicago BearsW 38–93–1Kingdome
5September 30at [1984 1984 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]W 20–124–1Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
6October 7at Los Angeles RaidersL 14–284–2Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
7October 14Buffalo BillsW 31–285–2Kingdome
8October 21at [1984 1984 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]W 30–246–2Milwaukee County Stadium
9at San Diego ChargersW 24–07–2Jack Murphy Stadium
10November 4Kansas City ChiefsW 45–08–2Kingdome
11Los Angeles RaidersW 17–149–2Kingdome
12November 18at [1984 1984 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]W 26–610–2Riverfront Stadium
13November 25at [1984 1984 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]W 27–2411–2Mile High Stadium
14December 2[1984 1984 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]W 38–1712–2Kingdome
15December 9at Kansas City ChiefsL 7–3412–3Arrowhead Stadium
16December 15Denver BroncosL 14–3112–4Kingdome

Postseason

RoundDateOpponent ResultRecordGame siteRecap
Wild CardLos Angeles Raiders W 13–71–0Kingdome
Divisionalat Miami Dolphins L 10–311–1Miami Orange Bowl

Game summaries

Regular season

Week 3: at New England Patriots

The Seahawks saw the Patriots erase a 23–0 deficit with 38 unanswered points led by new quarterback Tony Eason, who took over halfway through the game for Steve Grogan.

Week 11: vs. Los Angeles Raiders


Postseason

Seattle entered the postseason as the #4 seed in the AFC.