The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 30th season in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing their home games at Qwest Field and their seventh season under head coach Mike Holmgren. They advanced to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game, which was the first one for the franchise in 22 years, and they defeated the Carolina Panthers 34–14. In Super Bowl XL, they lost 21–10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks compiled a 13–3 record in the regular season, easily winning the NFC West, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs as the top seed for the first time in franchise history. There, they beat the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers to win the George Halas Trophy, and advance to their first ever Super Bowl. Combining the regular season and postseason, the Seahawks finished with a perfect 10–0 record at Qwest Field. The 2005 team was widely considered the best team in club history until the Super Bowl XLVIII championship. The 2005 season was also the team's 30th anniversary season in the NFL. The Seahawks were the only NFC team from the 2004 playoffs to qualify for the 2005 playoffs.
The Seahawks touted Pro Bowlers on offense, and boasted season MVP, running back Shaun Alexander, who would eventually break Priest Holmes's single-season touchdown record, with 28 total touchdowns. Alexander also led the league in rushing yards for the second consecutive year, which in turn helped the Seahawks lead the league in scoring. The offense was led by 7th-year veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who compiled a career-high and NFC leading 98.2 passer rating, while completing 65.5% of his passes, earning his second trip to the Pro Bowl. Future Hall of Famers Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson anchored the offensive line at left tackle and guard respectively, and Mack Strong effectively blocked and rushed from the backfield at fullback on his way to a 2005 All-Pro Team selection. The team scored a franchise record 452 points, a record that stood until the 2025 team surpassed it with 481 points scored.
Although Seattle's strength was attributed to their offense, they were strong on the defensive side of the ball as well. The Seahawks compiled an NFL-leading 50 quarterback sacks, with defensive end Bryce Fisher leading the franchise with nine, while defensive tackle Rocky Bernard added 8.5 and veteran defensive end Grant Wistrom recorded four. Despite starting two rookies at linebacker for most of the year, the Seattle linebacking corps played well, led by Pro Bowler Lofa Tatupu, who topped the team with 104 tackles and added four sacks, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery. In the secondary, Michael Boulware led the team with four interceptions and also tallied two sacks and one fumble recovery, however Seattle suffered injuries throughout the year, notably to free safety Ken Hamlin. A bright spot in relief, second-year cornerback Jordan Babineaux played well as he appeared in all sixteen games for Seattle, intercepting three passes and making 61 tackles. For the season, the Seahawks defense ranked 7th in points allowed, surrendering just 271 total, 181 fewer than the Seahawks offense scored.
Offseason The period between the disappointing 2004 season and the start of the 2005 season was marked by major changes for the Seahawks, starting with the front office. Team owner Paul Allen fired eight-year incumbent General Manager Bob Whitsitt on January 14, the same day that Vice President of Football Operations Ted Thompson was hired away by the Green Bay Packers to be their general manager. Rumors had been floating that Whitsitt's relationship with coach Mike Holmgren (and almost everyone else) was strained and Holmgren later admitted that he had thought about leaving the team after a 2004 season that was personally draining.Yahoo! story At the time of Whitsitt's firing the Seahawks salary cap situation was in extreme flux with 16 unsigned free agents on the roster including their three biggest stars Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander and Walter Jones. On February 3 Mike Reinfeldt, who had previously been pushed out of the Seahawks organization by Whitsitt, was hired back as a consultant to try to sort out the mess.Hasselbeck, Alexander join Jones in Hawks' fold Reinfeldt was able to sign Jones and Hasselbeck to long-term deals and put the Franchise Tag on Alexander, setting the stage for the rest of the off-season. Bob Ferguson eventually resigned from his general manager position as well.
After a careful executive search the Seahawks settled on highly regarded personnel man Tim Ruskell as the new President of Football Operations on February 23, 2005. As a part of his roster overhaul, Ruskell subsequently released or neglected to re-sign six players (Anthony Simmons, Chad Brown, Orlando Huff, Chike Okeafor, Rashad Moore and Cedric Woodard) who were starters on an underperforming defense during the 2004 season. Over the rest of the offseason and into training camp Ruskell signed a raft of free agents to replace departed players on both sides of the ball, emphasizing character and work ethic in his evaluations.
In the first round of the 2005 NFL draft the Seahawks traded down from pick 23 to pick 26 to select center Chris Spencer from the University of Mississippi and acquire an extra fourth-round pick. They then gave up two fourth-round picks to trade up into the second round and select USC linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who would start every game of the 2005 season and go to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 2005 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBrian WrobelQuarterbackWinona State
Personnel Staff / Coaches 2005 Seattle Seahawks staff Front Office Chairman – Paul Allen President / Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - Tod Leiweke President of Football Operations – Tim Ruskell Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager – Mike Holmgren Senior Vice President – Mike Reinfeldt Vice President of Football Operations – Ted Thompson General Manager - Bob Ferguson Director of Player Personnel – John Schneider Director of Pro Personnel – Will Lewis Assistant Director of Player Personnel / Pro Scout - Lake Dawson Director of College Scouting (Eastern Region) – Scott Fitterer Director of College Scouting (Western Region) – Mike Yowarsky Scouting Assistant - Chris Culmer Football Operations Coordinator / Team Travel - Bill Nayes Chief Financial Officer - Martha Fuller
Head Coaches Head Coach – Mike Holmgren Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Tom Lovat Area Scout - Scott Fitterer Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship - Grady Brown Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Gil Haskell Quarterbacks – Jim Zorn Running Backs – Stump Mitchell Wide Receivers – Nolan Cromwell Tight Ends – Jim Lind Offensive Line - Bill Laveroni Quality Control / Offensive Assistant – Gary Reynolds Offensive Consultant - Keith Gilbertson
Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ray Rhodes Defensive Line – Dwaine Board Assistant Quality Control / Defensive Line - Zerick Rollins Linebackers – John Marshall Defensive Backs – Teryl Austin
Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Bob Casullo
Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Mike Clark Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Darren Krein
Final roster
Seattle Seahawks 2005 Roster accessed November 28, 2018.
Starters in bold.
Awards and records Shaun Alexander, Bert Bell AwardMaxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients and NFL MVP.
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site Recap 1 at New Orleans Saints W 34–15 1–0 Louisiana Superdome Recap 2 Dallas Cowboys L 10–18 1–1 Qwest Field Recap 3 at Kansas City Chiefs W 23–17 2–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 4 Minnesota Vikings L 21–23 2–2 Qwest Field Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site Recap 1 September 11 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 14–26 0–1 Alltel Stadium Recap 2 September 18 Atlanta Falcons W 21–18 1–1 Qwest Field Recap 3 September 25 Arizona Cardinals W 37–12 2–1 Qwest Field Recap 4 October 2 at Washington Redskins L 17–20 2–2 FedExField Recap 5 October 9 at St. Louis Rams W 37–31 3–2 Edward Jones Dome Recap 6 October 16 Houston Texans W 42–10 4–2 Qwest Field Recap 7 October 23 Dallas Cowboys W 13–10 5–2 Qwest Field Recap 8Bye 9 November 6 at Arizona Cardinals W 33–19 6–2 Sun Devil Stadium Recap 10 November 13 St. Louis Rams W 31–16 7–2 Qwest Field Recap 11 November 20 at San Francisco 49ers W 27–25 8–2 Monster Park Recap 12 November 27 New York Giants W 24–21 9–2 Qwest Field Recap 13 at Philadelphia Eagles W 42–0 10–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 14 December 11 San Francisco 49ers W 41–3 11–2 Qwest Field Recap 15 December 18 at Tennessee Titans W 28–24 12–2 The Coliseum Recap 16 Indianapolis Colts W 28–13 13–2 Qwest Field Recap 17 January 1 at Green Bay Packers L 17–23 13–3 Lambeau Field Recap
Bold indicates division opponents. Source: 2005 NFL season results2005 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
Postseason
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game site Recap Wild CardFirst-round bye Divisional Washington Redskins (6) W 20–10 1–0 Qwest Field Recap NFC Championship January 22, 2006 Carolina Panthers (5) W 34–14 2–0 Qwest Field Recap Super Bowl XL February 5, 2006 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (A6) L 10–21 2–1 Ford Field Recap
Standings
Game summaries
Preseason
Week P1: at New Orleans Saints
Week P2: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week P3: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week P4: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Regular season The Seahawks got off to a rocky start on their 2005 (30th Anniversary) campaign but it would end with their first Super Bowl appearance. When the St. Louis Rams lost on December 4, 2005, the Seahawks clinched their second straight NFC West title after playing only 11 games. At the end of the regular season, the Seahawks' use of the 12th man was challenged by Texas A&M University, who holds a trademark of the phrase. The dispute was settled out of court on May 8, 2006 with an agreement that the Seahawks be permitted to continue use of the slogan with acknowledgment to Texas A&M.
Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville's defense forced the Seahawks into five turnovers, including two interceptions of Hasselbeck, en route to a 26–14 victory. The Jaguars held Shaun Alexander to 73 yards on 14 attempts and no touchdowns as the Seahawks started the season 0–1.
Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons
For their home opener, the Seahawks faced the same team they beat in the last game of the 2004 regular season, the Atlanta Falcons. Seattle outgained Atlanta 428–223, and the game remained close until the final drive. On Atlanta's last drive Bryce Fisher sacked Michael Vick on third down, and on the next play, Andre Dyson knocked down Matt Schaub's 4th down pass. Shaun Alexander rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown. All of Seattle's points were scored in the second quarter.
Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals
In week three, Seattle defeated the division rival Arizona Cardinals 37–12. Shaun Alexander rushed for 140 yards and four touchdowns. The Seahawks' defense forced its first turnover of the season, including a fumble recovery following a sack of Josh McCown by Michael Boulware at the Arizona 1. The Seahawks capitalized, with Shaun Alexander scoring on the next play.
Week 4: at Washington Redskins
The following week, the Seahawks were on the road against the Washington Redskins. Kicker Josh Brown missed a what would've game-winning field goal attempt late in regulation. The game went into overtime and the Seahawks lost 20–17 after a 39-yard field goal by Redskins kicker Nick Novak.
Week 5: at St. Louis Rams