If heart attacks entertain you, the Seahawks are your team

The Seahawks are 10-2, lead their division, and currently rate a first-week bye in the playoffs. They still give 12s a heart attack every single game.

I doubt that even the most optimistic 12s predicted the Seahawks would be 10-2 at this point in the season. That’s because the crazy optimists expected the Hawks to be 12-0 now. You can probably count Pete Carroll in that group. For those of us who temper our enthusiasm with a dash of reality, 10-2 is a pretty spectacular record. In my preseason prediction, I expected Seattle would be 8-4 heading into their clash with the Rams. Believe me, I’m happy that I’m off by two games. But the way they’ve won those ten games…I’m just glad I don’t have a heart condition.

I didn’t predict the Hawks to be 10-2, and I certainly didn’t expect they’d have played so many close games. In the Seahawks 10 wins, only one of their victories was by more than one score. The Hawks average victory margin is 5.6 points. If you eliminate their comfortable 17-point cruise past the Cardinals, the margin drops to just 4.3 points. That’s not exactly a big cushion.

More to the point, four of their ten wins were by a field goal or less. That doesn’t exactly lend itself to relaxing fourth quarters, now does it? Let’s compare the Seahawks to the three other teams currently looking at first-round byes in the playoffs, all coincidentally with 10 wins. The Ravens current margin of victory is 20.7 points per game. Baltimore has six wins by at least two touchdowns and just two by a field goal. Including the Niners, there are five 10-2 teams in the league. The Ravens have beaten all three they’ve faced.

The Saints are the only 10-2 team the Ravens won’t see this year, except possibly in that big game in February. Hopefully, the Seahawks will prevent that matchup. As for New Orleans, their margin of victory in those 10 wins is 8.5 points per game. Nawlins has two victories by two or more scores and three wins by a field goal or less. Their win margin hasn’t been as spectacular as the Ravens, but it’s been quite a bit more comfortable than the Hawks.

We’ll wrap up with the Patriots. New England’s average margin is 20 points, just behind Baltimore’s. The Pats have seven wins of at least two touchdowns, the other three by at least four points. No last-minute field goal threats in New England. For 12s looking toward a possible championship matchup, it’s worth noting the Pats got drilled by the Ravens and have been outscored in their last four games, 84-72, after starting the season 8-0.

Sure, a win is a win. But the Vikings game is a perfect microcosm of the Seahawks season. The Hawks took complete control of the game and finally looked like they were cruising to a win. Then everything blew up in their collective faces. Or nearly did. Just like in nine of their ten wins, the Hawks came through in the end. Like I said, I’m lucky I don’t have a heart condition. Or an ulcer. The Seahawks should probably open a chain of walk-in clinics. They’d probably clear enough cash to sign Jadeveon Clowney to the huge contract he deserves. I love the wins, but could we please get a cakewalk for once?