The 2015 Seattle Seahawks Have A Tough Schedule
We’ve known for a while who the Seattle Seahawks will be playing in the regular season next year. In case you don’t want to click that link, the ‘Hawks will play host to the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers. They’ll face the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys on the road. And, of course, they’ve got one home and one away game apiece against each of their NFC West division rivals.
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The schedule doesn’t become exciting until we learn the order in which those games will take place, but at least the identity of the opponents are known. Football season just ended, which means it’s time to start looking forward to football season. And next season just might be one characterized by the Seahawks having to get through a lot of good teams in order to make it three Super Bowl appearances in a row.
John Breech at CBS Sports recently published a ranking of NFL schedules based on opponents’ 2014 winning percentage. Take another look at that 2015 Seahawks slate. Does that seem a little rough? According to Breech, only three teams in the league have it rougher. The Seahawks opponents next year were 142-112-2 last year, a .559 winning percentage.
Having the fourth-toughest projected schedule in the league isn’t necessarily any kind of a curse. Twelve teams made the playoffs last year, and four of them had a schedule comprised of opponents who on the whole finished over .500. Of the four teams with the weakest schedules, only one (Houston) missed the playoffs. This stuff can have a big effect on the way a season goes.
Of course, the Seahawks play in a tough division and also had to deal with some pretty good teams last year. St. Louis and Carolina finished under .500, but were pretty clearly talented teams. Nobody’s arguing that the 49ers are made up entirely of slouches, either. The ‘Hawks did get to play (and beat) Washington, Oakland, and the New York Giants. But they also had to survive (and beat) Green Bay, Denver, and Philadelphia.
The Seahawks are at a disadvantage because they’ve got a tough schedule ahead of them. They’re at an advantage because they’re just about the best team in the NFL. While it’s true that the ‘Hawks have to play a bunch of good teams, it’s also true that they’re better than every single one of them. That matters, perhaps more than anything else.
Do not fear the 2015 season. The Seattle Seahawks may have a challenge ahead of them, but they had the same challenge last year and ended up with the best record in football. They came one yard away from winning the Super Bowl. The team we like is the best team. Fourth-hardest schedule? So you’re telling me 16-0 is still a possibility. Cool.