Seahawks, Mariners gave Seattle fans early Christmas present

 By Mike VorelSeattle Times columnist

It’s a cliché to say Christmas came early.

But consider the state of Seattle sports even a year ago. The Seahawks were 8-7, with back-to-back home losses to Green Bay and Minnesota having maimed their playoff hopes. They were losers of six of their last seven at Lumen Field, as road fans routinely celebrated in their stadium. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf were hurtling toward unexpected exits.

The Mariners had missed the playoffs by a single game for the second consecutive season, serving the maximum amount of heartbreak. The University of Washington football team was 6-6 under new coach Jedd Fisch, including losses to rivals Oregon and Washington State. The Kraken had dropped five in a row during coach Dan Bylsma’s doomed debut. The Storm were swept by the Aces in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, and the Reign finished 13th out of 14 teams in the NWSL.

(The Sounders, who fell to the LA Galaxy in the MLS’ Western Conference final, were a relative outlier amid the mediocrity.)

This was a city without a superstar. If asked to describe Seattle sports in three letters or fewer, “meh” — not impressive, or so-so, according to Merriam-Webster — might have come to mind.

Now?

“Wow” works better.

Where do we begin?

The Seahawks are 12-3, towering atop the NFC, after completing an instantly iconic comeback last week. Despite trailing the Rams 30-14 with less than nine minutes left, they closed with a medley of improbable plays. Rashid Shaheed’s 58-yard punt-return touchdown. Zach Charbonnet’s unprecedented two-point recovery. Eric Saubert’s second catch of the season. Sam Darnold’s refusal to let his haters laugh last.

The bigger picture is even better. With remaining road tests against Carolina (8-7) and San Francisco (10-4), Seattle — which has already clinched a playoff spot — is circling the NFC’s No. 1 seed. A first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs are both in play. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald (Coach of the Year), wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Offensive Player of the Year) and defensive back Nick Emmanwori (Defensive Rookie of the Year) could be headed for hardware.

That’s not the hardware they’re here for.

Suddenly, the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl win seems attainable, a twinkling star they could capture if they stand on tippy toes. Macdonald was hired to make that possible, to stiff-arm mediocrity and push for something more. He was hired to punch a hole in the Seahawks’ ceiling, to win when the world is watching.

Or even when it’s not.  

“I feel like we have something special here,” Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II told The Times last week. “This defense is special, even this team. It’s a true brotherhood. I feel like on this team, everybody’s playing for one another. There’s nobody playing for themselves. Everybody is selfless.

“We all have each other’s backs, too. No matter what, we’re here to pick each other up. That’s offense, defense, special teams. It doesn’t matter. I just know the way we bond, the off-the-field stuff, the stuff that people don’t see, that’s what makes this team great.”

You know greatness is not a guarantee. The Legion of Boom was great for more than a single season. The Seahawks’ running game was great in 2005. Griffey, Ichiro, Edgar: great, great, great. Great teams don’t always win a title.

But consider the strides since last Christmas. Endings aren’t everything. This year in Seattle sports is worth celebrating.

After all, we got to watch Cal Raleigh hit 65 home runs in one of the greatest seasons this city has seen. We got to watch him win the Home Run Derby, with Raleigh’s dad pitching and his brother catching. We got to watch “The Big Dumper” barrel into the record books, brandishing his torpedo bat from both sides of the plate.

Cal Raleigh launches no. 60 into the outfield stands in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025 at T-Mobile Park, in Seattle. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

We got to watch the Mariners win the AL West for the first time since 2001, as Victor Robles soared from out of frame to fell the Astros. We got to watch Julio Rodríguez play a balletic center field. We got to watch Jorge Polanco lace a 15th-inning single to send Seattle to a long (looooong)-awaited ALCS. We got to blink in disbelief as Eugenio Suárez’s Game 5 grand slam roared over the right-field fence. We got to feel a fan base expel decades of torment, shedding that toxic skin with each October win.

Best of all? We get to keep watching. With an established core and one of baseball’s best farm systems, the Mariners are positioned to contend for years to come.

“This is as good as it’s ever been for us in the time I’ve been here with the Mariners,” president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said after re-signing first baseman Josh Naylor on Nov. 18. “We have a ton of talent. We have the right group of people. They believe in what we’re doing organizationally. I think they connect with our fans. It’s a really good group and something we’re proud of.”

Sign up for Fan Fix

Your dose of local sports news. Delivered Monday through Friday.

The points of pride extend outside T-Mobile Park. The Sounders topped Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 3-0 for the Leagues Cup title, becoming the first MLS team to win every major North American trophy possible for a U.S. club. They did so in front of a team and tournament record 69,314 at Lumen Field.

University of Washington players celebrate with the trophy after defeating NC State 3-2 in overtime during Monday evening’s 2025 College Cup Division I men’s soccer championship at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. December 15, 2025. (Jonathon Gruenke / Special to The Seattle Times)

University of Washington players celebrate with the trophy after defeating NC State 3-2 in overtime during Monday evening’s 2025 College Cup Division I men’s soccer championship at First... (Jonathon Gruenke / Special to The Seattle Times)More 

Speaking of soccer: the UW men’s team won its first national title, and the women persevered through personal tragedy to earn Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, before reaching the Elite Eight.

Meanwhile, Washington’s women’s basketball team went dancing after an eight-year drought. And Fisch’s football team won nine games in his second season, while signing the highest rated recruiting class in modern program history. And UW’s track and field team continued to dominate — led by record-breaking, title-taking pole vault sisters Hana and Amanda Moll.

Regarding records: 16,014 fans packed Climate Pledge Arena for the first home game in Seattle Torrent history, the most for a women’s hockey game in a U.S. arena, or for a Professional Women’s Hockey League game at a home venue.

Seattle Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis gets locked with Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Jenn Gardiner on a shot attempt with Seattle Torrent goaltender Corinne Schroeder blocking a shot Friday night at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC, on November 21, 2025. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)

Seattle Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis gets locked with Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Jenn Gardiner on a shot attempt with Seattle Torrent goaltender Corinne Schroeder blocking a shot Friday night at... (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)More 

Oh, and Tyran Stokes — the top-rated boys basketball player in the country — is playing his senior season at Rainier Beach High School.

I probably missed something, which is actually the point. This Christmas tree is overflowing with ornaments.

Of course, it could be better. The Kraken traded forward Mason Marchment amid an extended slide. The Storm fired coach Noelle Quinn after another first-round playoff exit against the Las Vegas Aces. College football has devolved into a race for revenue, where donors wield the power to transform a program. WSU football coach Jimmy Rogers touted loyalty, then left less than a year later.

But that’s life, isn’t it? For all the excitement on Christmas morning, some stockings are inevitably stuffed with tube socks.

Even so, I say again: Christmas came early. From my family to yours, have a happy holidays.

Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes .com. Mike Vorel is a sports columnist at The Seattle Times.