Quick Look at the 2011 Schedule

Last season, the scheduling gods smiled upon the Seahawks by giving them a favorable early schedule and the opportunity to finish strong with four of their final six regular season games at Qwest Field. The team didn’t take full advantage, but they did just enough to win the NFC West and make the playoffs. The gods weren’t as favorable this season.

I felt that the Seahawks could start the season off strong last year, and they did to an extent. However, that isn’t the case this season. The Seahawks open in Week 1 at San Francisco, and that game immediately becomes a must-win, because the rest of the early schedule includes games at Pittsburgh and the New York Giants as well as a home game against what should be a tough Atlanta squad. The Seahawks’ bye week is Week 6, and the team would do well to enter the bye at 2-3.

Coming off the bye week, the Seahawks are at Cleveland and at home against Cincinnati. If the team does not win both games, the playoffs are highly unlikely. Another tough stretch follows, with the team playing at Dallas, at home against Baltimore, and at St. Louis. A .500 or better record at this juncture would put the Seahawks in a position to make a postseason run.

Once again, four of the Seahawks’ final six games will be at Qwest Field, and the team must not collapse down the stretch like they did last season. Three of the final four games are against division opponents; home games against St. Louis and San Francisco and the regular season finale at Arizona. It appears as if the Seahawks will have their postseason fate in their own hands.

Nine or more wins against this schedule would be an amazing achievement. The Seahawks must be competitive early. A poor start could send this team into a downward spiral they won’t recover from. I don’t want to be looking at draft possibilities in October.