The Seahawks enter the 2014 season in a position only one other professional men's sports franchise ever has in Seattle history. They are the defending league champions! THEY WON THE FREAKING SUPER BOWL!!! That means everyone else in the NFL is going to be gunning for our team. They are going to bring their best and look to dethrone the champs.
The thing is the NFL only has 16 regular season games and 6 of them are against divisional opponents, the same three teams we see every year and we will cover those guys in a different post. That means only 10 of the remaining 28 NFL teams get a shot at the champs. So, who are these insolent groups that dare challenge the kings of the NFL? Let's take a look at them.
For the opening kickoff the Seahawks face the Green Bay Packers. Luckily this game is at the friendly confines of Century Link field. The Packers are a team that has some history with the Pete Carroll led Hawks (read as the worst officiated game of 2012). More importantly, the Packers have made the playoffs five straight years and are led by Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best quarterback in the whole league. However, if the Legion of Boom has shown anything it is that they can contain the league's best quarterbacks. Scoring points is one thing, but you also have to prevent them and Green Bay's best run stopper, B.J. Raji is going to miss the season with a torn bicep. That unfortunate injury plays right into the Seahawks run first game plan. The Packers may put up some points, it is kind of what they do, but I doubt they can win this game.
After facing the Pack, the Seahawks travel to San Diego to play the Chargers. The Chargers have been fairly middling over the last several years, finishing 9-7, 8-8, 7-9, and 9-7. Philip Rivers shows signs of greatness one week only to follow it up with horrendous play the next. Depending which version of him shows up will probably decide this game. Being an early season game in San Diego, the weather should be about perfect for the Chargers, allowing them to play their game. That basically means it shouldn't be a complete embarrassment for the Chargers at home.
Week 3 brings together the Seahawks and Broncos once again. After the embarrassment of the 43-8 loss in the Super Bowl , the Broncos are going to lookto prove they can play with the league's best. The problem for the Broncos is they have to take on the Champs at home. The Seahawks routinely bring their A game at CenturyLink field and take great pride in their sterling record there. The crowd should be one of the loudest and most rambunctious in years. The power of the 12s will surely bring out the best in the Seahawks. Additionally Richard Sherman will want to prove he isn't a one hit wonder and shut down Peyton for a second time. I expect to see the best offense humbled once again, although not be such an eye popping score.
The next two games pit the Seahawks against NFC East teams. First up is Washington D.C.. They are hoping that Robert Griffin III's bad year in 2013 was injury fueled and not a sign of things to come. They are expecting him to bounce back and brought in WR DeSean Jackson to help with that revival. At running back they still feature Alfred Morris, who quietly amassed 1275 yards rushing last in 2013. This offense could threatened the Seahawks defense, especially because the game is in Washington. The good news is Beast Mode and the boys should be able to walk all over Washington's defense. Washington's defensive unit hasn't ranked in the league's top 15 in points allowed since 2008. Last year they were 30th of 32. The brought in Jason Hatcher, but he is one man and can only do so much. I doubt Washington can do anything to stop Beast Mode.
Dallas is the next NFC East team to get a shot at the champs. In recent years the Cowboys have become the model of mediocrity finishing 8-8 each of the last three seasons. They appear to be headed for that result yet again. One of the team's biggest offseason moves was swapping Demarcuses. Out is long time DE DeMarcus Ware and in is rookie DE Demarcus Lawrence, who promptly hurt his foot and will miss 8-12 weeks. Tough break there (pun intended). Another key injury to this already bad defense is the ACL tear of MLB Sean Lee, who is remembered by most Seahawks fans for getting lit up by Golden Tate on a block,. He is a huge loss for this team. Both of these injuries make a defense that finish 2013 with the most yards conceded even worse going into 2014. I hate to sound like a homer, but a team with no defense forced to play in Seattle against the Seahawks basically has no chance. The Cowboys are going to have to hope for some of that any given Sunday magic to help them in this game.
Over the last several years, the Seahawks have faced the Carolina Panthers a lot. 2014 sees the Seahawks playing in Charlotte once again. The Panthers are one of the few teams outside the NFC West that truly worries me. Their defense is awesome. In 2013, they ranked second in both points allowed and yards allowed. They rush the QB well and they cover receivers well. They generate turnovers on the ground and in the air. This game should be a hard fought low scoring affair. I think the key will be stopped Cam Newton from having a big play and trying to force him into a crucial mistake. Their other skill position are not going to win this game for them. At one point last off season they literally had no WR on their roster. I like the Seahawks chances because the two teas defenses are probably a wash, but our offense has a clear advantage. Still, I wouldn't be shocked to see us drop this one.
Once again the Seahawks face their old AFC West rivals the Oakland Raiders. Once again the Raiders come in the far inferior team. The Raiders sure took losing Super Bowl 37 hard; They haven't had a winning season since then. You read that right, the Raiders haven't been above .500 since 2002. For bay area fans this year looks to be another long and bad one. The offense is a mess. They have no clear starting QB and those they do have are bad or rookies. Both of their RB, Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden, are super injury prone. Their WR scare no DB in the NFL. Putting them up against the Seahawks is just asking for a massacre. We are talking 40+ to 0 potential here.
After getting beat 23-0 in New York, the Giants get to venture into the not so friendly confine of Century Link Field this year. They bring with them an almost completely revamped offense. The Offensive coordinator is gone. Most of the offensive line is gone. The running backs are gone or hurt. The few notable holdovers are Eli Manning, who is coming off the worst season of his career and Victor Cruz. The best new comer is probably Rashad Jennings, the former Jacksonville Jaguar, which shows the lack of star power the Giants are dealing with. The Giants secondary appears to be their strength. So, it will be up to Marshawn and the O-line to generate points. Overall though there isn't much to fear in this game.
Week ten sees the Seahawks face off against the first to two super elite running backs they will face in 2014, Jamaal Charles. The Kansas City Chiefs star brings an explosive style of running that could be a serious test for the Seahawks defense. Three times in his career Charles has rushed for over 200 yards in a game. Charles is also a threat in the passing game racking up 693 receiving yards last year. Containing this dangerous player will be key. The good news is the Chiefs offensive line looks to be worse in 2014 then 2013. The Chiefs lost three offensive lineman in the offseason, Branden Albert, Geoff Schwartz, and Jon Asamoah. One of the lineman they brought in as a replacement, Jeff Linkenbach, has been terrible in the preseason. This is where the Seahawks have to dominate. Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Brandon Mebane, and company need to destroy these chumps and dictate how the games goes. If they do, which they should, the Seahawks should have no trouble with the Chiefs, who clearly played above their skill level last year.
The Seahawks end the non-divisional season against Chip Kelly's Eagles. This is the first time the Seahawks will have a chance to witness the circus that Chip Kelly brought to Philly up close and personal. It will be interesting to see what happens in this game. The Eagles defense was not great last year. Their offense was. Only the Broncos racked up more yards. The thing is they lost their number 1 wide receiver, DeSean Jackson, to Washington. In his place they are counting on Jeremy Maclin to return to form after missing last season with an ACL tear and rookie Jordan Matthews to play well beyond his years. Both of those could be big asks, especially against the Legion of Boom. Luckily for the Philly fans, the Eagles still have LeSean McCoy, who is the second super elite running back to Seahawks will be asked to contain this season. This game could be a blow out or it could be close, but there will definitely be fireworks. Kelly is not going to let the Eagles go down without a few tricks.
After taking on the Eagles it is all divisional games left for the Seahawks. These look to be the toughest on the whole schedule. The 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals could all win other divisions and we get the unfortunate privilege of facing each of them twice. To get ready for these games, which are sure to be hard fought matches, I will detail each divisional opponent in another post. For now be satisfied knowing about the Seahawks ten non divisional games.
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