This Sunday is a must-win game for the Seahawks
By Luke Allen
The Seahawks play only their third home game of the season Sunday when the Los Angeles Chargers travel up to the Pacific Northwest. Here is why this is a must-win for Seattle.
Teams feared playing the Seahawks in Seattle. Nobody wanted to travel up to Seattle, Washington and play in Centurylink Field with over 60,000 screaming (and I mean SCREAMING) fans. The 12th Man has given Seattle one of the best home field advantages in football over the last 10 years.
However, it seems that aura of playing in Seattle has diminished a little. Ever since the Rams stormed into Seattle and decimated the Seahawks 42-7 in front of the 12th Man, the home field advantage that had so much of an impact in their 2013 Super Bowl run has not felt the same.
Sunday is a chance for the home team to make opponents hate playing in Seattle again. It should be an emotional, raucous crowd as the Seahawks play their first home game since Paul Allen’s death. Expect the 12th Man to be deafening. CenturyLink Field needs to be Hell on Earth for Philip Rivers and company.
Another reason Sunday’s game against the Chargers is a must-win is the fact Seattle’s upcoming schedule is brutal. Aside from the 49ers and Cardinals, the team plays a ridiculous schedule to close out the season. Their opponents include the Packers, Vikings, Panthers, Rams and the Chiefs. All those teams are above .500 and belong in the playoffs. Heck, the Chiefs and Rams could end up meeting in the Super Bowl.
I do not see the Seahawks winning all of those games, so if the team wants to make the playoffs, beating the Chargers at home is very pivotal. Even if the team drops two games in that gauntlet of teams, they could still make the playoffs as a wildcard at 10-6. However, if Seattle loses to the Chargers, there is not much hope that Seattle would win more than 9 games.
Staff predictions for Seahawks vs. Chargers. dark. Next
Luckily for the Seahawks, the team still has six more home games on their schedule. Beating the Chargers, which is easier said than done, on Sunday would improve their record to 5-3, keeping them in the wildcard spot for the time being before facing off against a lot of tough opponents to close out the season.