Seattle Seahawks – A Few Points To Ponder

This column written by Brian Nemhauser of HawkBlogger.com, a partner of Oregon Sports News

Here are some Seattle Seahawks tidbits worth thinking about as the team nears the midpoint in the 2014 season.

• Despite Seattle’s slow start and Arizona’s fast start, Seattle still controls its own destiny. The Seahawks would own the tiebreaker over the Cardinals if they win both games against their divisional foe. That means they can match the Cardinals in their other seven games, without gaining any ground, and still end up ahead of them at the end.
• San Francisco still feels like the favorite to win the division, just based on remaining schedule. Arizona has the 4th-toughest future strength of schedule, according to TeamRankings.com. Seattle has the 7th, and San Francisco has the 10th. Their away game at New Orleans in two weeks will loom large in the NFC West division race. Their close wins over Philadelphia and Kansas City put them in the driver’s seat.
• It was just last year that a winless team came to CenturyLink Field with a rookie quarterback and everyone expected a blowout. It nearly was, as Tampa Bay raced out to a 21-0 lead behind Mike Glennon.
• If that is not enough to get the Seahawks attention, their preseason loss to the Raiders should. Derek Carr won the starting job that night and frolicked through the stadium as he tore through the Seahawks defense.
• The game marks the return of 2013 preseason star Benson Mayowa, who was claimed by the Raiders after failing to make the Seahawks roster out of training camp. Mayowa is coming off a strong game against the Browns, and should see ample playing time.
• If you think the refs are against the Seahawks, you may be right. Not only is Seattle #31 in penalties this season, but their opponents have been called for the fewest penalties per game and fewest penalty yards in the NFL. Seattle is facing a 25 yard/game deficit in penalties alone that needs to be made up elsewhere.