For as well as the Seattle Seahawks have played in the confines of CenturyLink Field, it must pain them to spend a weekend away from the 12th man. Thanks to the vagaries of the NFL schedule, the Seahawks had better get used to a little separation anxiety.
Over the next two weekends, the Seahawks, solely in second place in the NFC West behind the undaunted Arizona Cardinals, will not have the home crowd to bolster their performances. In fact, the Seahawks have only one more home game between now and the end of the next month, an October 12 matchup against the mildly surprising 2 – 1 Dallas Cowboys.
Fortunately for the blue birds, this slate of contests scheduled mostly on the road (plus this weekend’s bye — an unfortunate and annoying early break from the action) also coincides with the softest part of their 2014 schedule. Unlike their first three games against 2013 playoff teams, the Seahawks won’t face another playoff team from last year again until they meet the Carolina Panthers in Carolina on October 26. Their next playoff-caliber game after that will be in Kansas City in mid-November.
Make hay while the sun shines
As the Seahawks get accustomed to packing their bags for travel, they must remain mindful of the importance of continuing their winning ways against the soft part of their schedule, regardless of where the games are played. The hostile road has not been kind to the kings of the NFL, as of late. The latter months of the season loom large. Much like the Pacific Northwest’s weather, the schedule takes a dark and ominous turn in November and December.
The Seahawks’ final six games of the season come against a murderer’s row of familiar and troublesome opponents: two home-and-away series with the division-leading Cardinals and the formidable (if underperforming) San Francisco 49ers, along with a difficult road trip to the currently undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and the usual season-closer with the always tough St. Louis Rams.
The Cardinals, having just rallied to beat the 49ers, are also undefeated and have already notched an important division win by taking down the 49ers in Arizona last Sunday. The Niners, on the other hand, have managed to come from ahead to drop two very winnable games in back-to-back weeks. Looking to get back on the right track, the Niners will have to do so against the visiting Eagles. All told, I’m sure they’d rather have the Seahawks’ bye week to help sort themselves out. Instead, they’re staring at a likely 1 – 3 start if they cannot find a way to stop the Chip Kelly express.
It would be possible to take some cheer in the failures of the 49ers if it weren’t for the upstart Cardinals, who’ve managed to forge their unblemished record without their starting quarterback (Carson Palmer) for the majority of their games. While unrealistic to expect them to remain undefeated all season, the Seahawks are challenged to steal some unlikely road wins in addition to their likely home wins, in order to overtake the red birds.
That will neither be easy nor likely.
The crystal ball
As of right now, it’s hard to see the Seahawks being favored in their road contests at Carolina, at Arizona, at San Francisco and at Philadelphia. I give the Seahawks the benefit of the doubt in their games in Missouri (at St. Louis and Kansas City) and about even money in their next game, week five’s game in Washington against the Redskins’ best quarterback, Kirk Cousins. Assuming the best, that lands Seattle at 11 – 5 since they already dropped a road game in San Diego. It’s just as likely that the Cardinals will come back to earth and drop five games and the 49ers will lose at least three more games. If so, it’s going to be a tight, tight race to take the NFC West crown at year’s end. Stealing one game on the road may make all the difference — for any of these three teams.
The magic number
Seahawks fans believe in the power of 12. Will it translate into 12 wins? Anything less and it’s anyone’s division.
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