The Seattle Seahawks have not tasted the bitter flavor of defeat since the first week of October. Let that sink in for a little bit. With this Sunday being their bye week, their next game is not until the month of December.
Things are shaping up pretty well for the Seahawks.
Yes, I am a master of understatement. In reality, it couldn’t be much better. I submit the Seahawks’ 10 – 1 record as they head into their bye week. If you’re a Seahawks fan, you know these are uncharted waters. They have been ever since the Seahawks jumped out to a 7 – 1 record. Each successive victory adds to the strongest start for a Seahawks team in franchise history.
The one blemish, an October 6 loss on the road to the Indianapolis Colts, may have been beneficial to the overall view of the Seahawks. By losing to the Colts, the Seahawks managed to take the “undefeated” target off of their backs. The October/November sexy teams going under the national microscope were the (then) undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos and the Seahawks’ next opponent, the marauding New Orleans Saints.
Saints be praised
As per usual, the Seahawks — tucked away in their noisy little corner in the Pacific Northwest — avoided the moniker of being the NFL’s darling.
That’s all going to change when the Seahawks face off against the Saints at CenturyLink Field eight days from Sunday. This one’s for all the NFC marbles.
The Seahawks, again, have a perfect home record (just like 2012) and are fortunate enough to be facing the NFC’s other top team with the kind assistance of the CenturyLink denizens, the 12th Man. Pretty fortunate, indeed — the Saints are also undefeated at home. Maybe there’s more than a little good karma happening for Seattle’s most notorious oh-so-close-but-not-quite franchise?
We aren’t the champions, my friend
The Sonics have a title. (You remember them, right?) The Storm have a couple titles. The Mariners play baseball, so who cares? Heck, even the Washington Huskies football team won a national championship. I’m told the Seattle Sounders exist. But it’s football — The American kind — that really gets the rafters rattling at CenturyLink. The Seahawks are the next major Seattle sports team that should reach the pinnacle of their profession.
It’s time for the Seahawks to join the other Seattle teams at the top of their league standings. The best way to do it? Put some distance between themselves and the next toughest contender.
Be honest, the most likely “next toughest contender” was supposed to be the San Francisco 49ers, right? Fortunately, the 6 – 4 49ers have been kind enough to drop off the conference and divisional lead as of late. They’ll be a factor at season’s end and almost certainly will nab the fifth or sixth seed in the playoffs, but the real only remaining issue for Seattle is securing home field advantage through the NFC playoff schedule.
Home sweet home
The Seahawks can virtually assure themselves of a slate of deafening home playoff games at CenturyLink field with a win against the visiting Saints on Monday, Dec. 2. In fact, if the Seahawks are successful in holding off Drew Brees’ aerial circus, the Seahawks’ last remaining “difficult” matchup — a reunion with the 49ers in San Francisco on Dec. 8 — will prove to be of little significance. The Seahawks, for the first time in a long time, will not enter San Francisco needing to steal a win in order to keep pace with their goals.
Win against the Saints, and the only thing that would stop the Seahawks from claiming the No. 1 seed in the NFC would be a total December collapse. Could it happen? Sure — three of the last four games are against NFC West division opponents. It’s not all decided just yet. But will it happen? You tell me: Do you see Seattle losing twice — at home — in weeks 16 and 17 to the Cardinals and the Rams?
Beat the Saints and you can start printing the playoff tickets.
Julian Rogers is a freelance writer and communications consultant. Follow him on Twitter (@mrturophile), or connect with him on LinkedIn and Google+.
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