Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks have a huge game in the second week of the NFL season. Who is coming to town?
You guessed it. Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the San Francisco 49ers will be visiting CenturyLink Field. Needless to say, the fans will be ready for this game. Tickets will be at a premium and the noise will be deafening.
Lest we forget, the ‘Hawks need to play another regular-season game first. The first game of the season is on the road against the Carolina Panthers. Despite finishing hot in 2012, Seattle did have some struggles on the road, particularly early in the season. Who did the Seahawks edge out by only four points on October 7, 2012? The Panthers.
Obviously, much has happened since that game. The Seahawks have arguably matured and Russell Wilson found his groove late in the season. It will be a much more confident team heading to Carolina in 2013.
And yet, seasoned fans know the truth about these types of games. The phrase “trap game” comes to mind. What this means is that the Seahawks should be the favorite against a Panthers team that finished 7-9 in 2012. However, there is a reason that the games are played.
Sometimes one team comes out rusty, while the other team is inspired to get the season started out right. This phenomenon does not always have a reasonable explanation, but it certainly happens. There are times when the favored team just doesn’t assert themselves.
Do you think Cam Newton wants to bounce back in 2013 and show that he can be an elite quarterback? How much would it build his confidence if he could lead his team to victory against one of the elite defenses in the league?
Over the past 10 seasons, the Seahawks have a 6-4 record in opening games. That is a decent record, but six of those contests have been on the road. Unfortunately, Seattle is 2-4 in those road openers.
Clearly, it is difficult to compare teams of the present to rosters and situations of the past. Still, there are numbers that can sometimes point to a worrying trend. Last season, the Seahawks did lose their opener by a score of 20-16 to an Arizona Cardinals team that probably should not have won the game. Granted, Seattle did throttle the ‘Cards in Week 14 by a lopsided score of 58-0. Go figure.
One assumes that Pete Carroll will have this team ready to go when they take the field against the Cardinals. Fans back in Seattle are going to be excited about the showdown with the ‘Niners on September 15, but it would be nice to go into that game with a record of 1-0.
Focus starts with the first game. The team needs to avoid the trap.
Todd Pheifer covers the Seattle Seahawks for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @tpheifer, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.
