What’s That in the Sky? A Bird? A Plane? The Seahawks.

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

While nearly every NFL fan assumes that the 13-0 Indianapolis Colts will be playing in Super Bowl XL, there’s no consensus on the identity of their NFC opponent. Carolina was a preseason favorite, Chicago may have the only defense capable of stopping Peyton Manning and co., and Atlanta has the league’s most dynamic star, Michael Vick. And the Giants, of course, present the possibility of a Super Bowl pitting the Manning brothers against one another.


And then, while fans were busy debating which one of these teams would represent the NFC in Detroit, a funny thing happened: The Seattle Seahawks won eight straight games and ended up two games ahead of the rest of the NFC playoff contenders. With a win and a Chicago loss this weekend, Seattle will clinch the conference’s top seed. The best team in the NFC, it turns out, was hiding in the Pacific Northwest the whole time.


Two years ago, the Seahawks looked like a promising young team, but they struggled last year. Because the NFC West was devoid of quality, Seattle ended up 9-7 and won the division title by default. But they couldn’t beat division rival St. Louis during the season and lost to them again, at home, in the playoffs.


Expectations were surprisingly low this season. Most pundits favored a resurgent St. Louis to win the division, while others felt Arizona would be much improved. When Seattle lost to Jacksonville on opening day,26-14,it seemed to confirm that Seattle was headed for another mediocre season.


Instead, Seattle has won 10 of 11 games since Week 1, with their only loss coming in overtime. Still, most East Coast fans did not realize how good the Seahawks really are until they crushed Philadelphia 42-0 last Monday in their only scheduled prime-time appearance of the season.


Why has Seattle flown under the radar? The reason has less to do with geography and more to do with astronomy. The Seahawks are a galaxy with only one star: running back Shaun Alexander. After finishing one yard behind Curtis Martin for the 2004 rushing title,A lexander has been even better this year, leading the league with 1,496 yards. He’s also averaging five yards per carry, and with 23 touchdowns could challenge Priest Holmes’s NFL record of 27.


But the only other Seahawks considered among the league’s best at their positions are those who aren’t considered often enough: offensive linemen. Left tackle Walter Jones and left guard Steve Hutchinson, two of the best in the business, don’t exactly exude star power.


Most casual fans consider Matt Hasselbeck to be a second-tier quarterback and Darrell Jackson to be a second-tier receiver. Nevermind that Hasselbeck is the sixth-highest rated passer in the NFL and ranks seventh with 19 touchdowns.


Jackson has been injured much of the year (he’s returning soon) and Seattle’s other receivers have always been considered spare parts. Bobby Engram is starting regularly for the first time since 1999, Joe Jurevicius for the first time since 2001. Contrast this with Indianapolis’s trio of Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison, who have been huge stars for years.


The Colts and Seahawks differ dramatically not just in popularity but in history. Colts fans have been preparing to coronate their team as champions since Manning arrived in 1998; the team has averaged 10.5 wins in the last six seasons.


By comparison, the Seahawks have managed more than 10.5 wins twice in the entire history of the franchise. Seattle, in fact, is the NFL’s gold standard of mediocrity; over the past 20 seasons, the average Seahawks team has finished 1.3 wins away from 8-8. During that period, the Seahawks finished 8-8 four times, 7-9 four times, and 9-7 five times. This is only the fourth season in the franchise’s 30-year history to witness 10 wins.


The few times the Seahawks have risen above mediocrity to reach the postseason, they’ve promptly been smacked down. Seattle’s all-time playoff record is 3-7, and the team hasn’t won in the postseason since 1984. This will be the first time Seattle has ever hosted a second round playoff game.


It’s hard to overstate just how confusing it is for Seattle fans to see their team pegged as a Super Bowl favorite. According to Doug Farrar, the editor in chief of Seahawks.net, a website that covers the team, “Seattle fans seem to be caught between complete bewildered joy at their team’s standing, and the remnants of insecurity brought about by so many hurtful past campaigns. Remember, this team hasn’t won a playoff game since Van Halen was relevant.”


Like the Colts, the Seahawks have enjoyed an easy schedule. The AFC South has two very weak teams, the NFC West three, and the two divisions face each other in inter-conference play this season. Ironically, when Indianapolis visits Seattle in two weeks, each team may have already clinched the top seed in its conference, thus turning a Super Bowl preview into a battle of backup quarterbacks featuring Jim Sorgi and Seneca Wallace.


Of course, the biggest difference between the Colts and the Seahawks is that the Seahawks have already shown they are beatable. In fact, they showed they were beatable in a game they actually won, the infamous 24-21 overtime victory over the Giants. Despite the home field advantage and crowd noise that “caused” the Giants’ 11 false start penalties, Seattle’s defense allowed the Giants to move down the field time and again in the fourth quarter and overtime.


In the two weeks since that game, however, Seattle has found its defense. The Seahawks kept Philadelphia and San Francisco to a combined three points, causing five fumbles and picking off five passes. Prior to these games, Seattle was allowing 5.7 net yards per pass on the season. Now that number is just 5.27, the second-lowest in the league behind the Bears.


The question now is whether improved defense against 49ers rookie Alex Smith and Eagles second-stringer Mike McMahon translates into improved defense in the playoffs. Normally the answer would be no, but there are very few established veteran quarterbacks among Seattle’s possible playoff foes. Chicago, Tampa Bay, and the Giants all start quarterbacks with a year of experience or less. Carolina’s Jake Delhomme and Dallas’s Drew Bledsoe are veterans, but they’re known to be turnover-prone.


A great offense combined with an opportunistic defense: when it comes to this recipe, the undefeated Colts are acknowledged as five-star celebrity chefs. But they’re also cooking up an award winning version down at the quiet neighborhood bistro marked “Seattle.”



Mr. Schatz is the editor in chief of FootballOutsiders.com.


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