I liked the Seahawks last offseason and thought they might challenge the 49ers.
However, I see a couple of indicators for regression next year. First of all, they were one of the most healthy teams in the NFL on both offense and defense last year. They were one of four teams who were in the Top 5 on offense and defense in Football Outsiders in least adjusted games lost. Some organizations seem to do a great job of staying healthy every year, like the 49ers who claim they do some sort of advanced stretching techniques to avoid injury. However, the Seahawks were one of the most injured teams in the NFL the year before (15 players on IR), so that kind of wild variance from year to year in regards to injuries would indicate last year was an anomaly and they'll probably fall back down to earth next year in terms of health (adding Percy Harvin never improves your prospects of health). Also, a big part of their formula for success had to do with a ton defensive takeaways last year. In fairness, they were also good at taking the ball away the year before, which would indicate it's somewhat sustainable going into next year. Still, defensive turnovers tend to have a lot of variance from season to season (Seahawks were tied for 24th in defensive takeaways in 2010). Combine that with a tough NFC West and some brain drain losing Gus Bradley (who I'm a big fan of), and I see reasons for them to disappoint. Although they are the 2013 March Champions.
