Seahawks Road Woes

October 18, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith (94) during the first quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

After 7 weeks of the 2012 NFL season Seahawks fans have to start asking themselves who this Seahawks team is. We know that the Seahawks have a top 5 defense. But, the Seahawks offense goes from good to bad not by the game but by the quarter or even by the drive. One drive they are able to move the ball up and down the field and the next series they move straight backwards. Is it because of the 12th Man, is it because of their young Quarterback or is there a noticeable difference when they are on the road vice at home. It is obvious that this team has struggled moving the ball at home sometimes, but the offense seems to struggle even worse when the Seahawks are on the road.

It is not a new thing for the Seahawks to struggle on the road. They are 1-3 on the road this season, but 3-0 at home after beating the Cowboys, Packers and Patriots. The Seahawks are 9-27 in the last 5 years on the road counting this season; they are winning 25% of their games on the road. At home they are 18-17 which is a winning percentage of 51%; that is a drastic difference of wins and losses. The sports world has heard how loud Century Link Field is; just ask Eli Manning and the Giants offensive Lineman after their 11 false starts in the 2005 match-up at then Quest Field. So we know there is a huge advantage to playing at home for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks being tucked up in the Great Northwest have always struggled going across the country due to the fact that they have to travel further than any other team in the NFL. They struggled against the Rams in week 4 this year being in the Central time zone. But when they traveled to the Eastern time zone the team responded with a win against the Panthers. So in 2012 it doesn’t seem like the distance traveled is the culprit for the offensive rollercoaster ride.

The thought is that maybe it is the woes of having a Rookie Quarterback who is getting use to playing in different surroundings. Russell Wilson stats at home are 41/68 pass attempts, 574 passing yards, 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 3 games. Although his stat line on the road looks a lot different 63/107 pass attempts, 656 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 4 games. It is expected for rookies to struggle, especially on the road but those numbers are drastically different especially the touchdown passes to interception ratio. This team has been able to run the ball more when at home and that is due in part to the lack of turnovers thus keeping the offense on the field and letting Marshawn Lynch continue to grind out the tough yards. The more touches that Lynch gets the less 3rd downs Wilson has to throw on.

This 2012 version of the Seahawks has show that they have a dominant defense, particularly when they are able to rest. But when this defense is constantly put back on the field due to their offense going 3 and out, they cannot use their strengths of speed and size to their advantage. As usual in the NFL this Seahawks team is only going to go as far as their quarterback will take them and from the looks of things they will only predominantly win the games they play at home. This is Russell Wilson’s team for this year and the years to come; he has sold his talents to Coach Pete Carroll and the 12th Man. But for this TEAM to truly become a dominant force on both sides of the ball, Wilson and his offense must learn to grind games out on the road because their defense will keep them in almost all games they play in.