The Seattle Seahawks have proven they can win on the road this season. But can they carry their traveling success into the postseason?
There is no one better on the road than the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle went 8-1 on the road this season, with their only loss coming in a late-season Sunday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. After a devastatingly-close loss to the San Francisco 49ers in their final game of the regular season, the Seahawks finished as the No. 5 seed in the NFC and traveled across the country to Philadelphia for their Wild Card matchup. But that didn’t stop them from earning a dominant 17-9 victory and a trip to Green Bay for the Divisional round.
The Seahawks are known for having one of the most intimidating home stadiums in the country. But this season, they’ve become road warriors.
“We’ve been road warriors all year,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “Our guys have handled it well. Why? I know why we’ve done well on the road. Why we didn’t win more at home, we’ll talk about that in the offseason. But we’re not worried about going on the road, that’s for sure.”
The number of teams with eight road wins in a single season is small. And only two teams have won nine road games– the 2007 Giants and 2005 Steelers. Both teams went on to win the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks have their eyes on similar sights.
The only No. 5 or No. 6 teams to reach the Super Bowl with three straight road wins are the 2005 Steelers, the 2007 Giants, and the 2010 Packers. All three teams won the title.
Seattle does have a slight chance of playing a home game– if the No. 6 Minnesota Vikings beat the No. 1 San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks beat the No. 2 Green Bay Packers, Seattle would be the higher seed and host the Vikings in the NFC Championship.
But first, the Seahawks have to beat the Packers. That’s no easy task at Lambeau Field, where the Packers have an 18-5 postseason record. At Lambeau, Green Bay has an 11-3 record over Seattle all-time and the Packers have won their last eight games at home over the Seahawks. In the postseason, the Seahawks have never won in Green Bay.
“There’s no tougher place to play than going to Green Bay,” Carroll said. “We’re as ready as you can get. I like that. We’re gonna try to make the most of it.”
In addition to having one of the most intimidating fanbases in the league, Green Bay’s weather could also become a factor in Sunday evening’s game. The current forecast calls for below-freezing temperatures and snow.
The Seahawks also have some unknown factors that could work to their advantage. Sunday’s meeting will be Matt Lafleur’s first playoff appearance and the first playoff appearance for the Packers since the 2016 NFC Championship in Atlanta. And while the Packers average 25.6 points at home this season, Seattle averages 25.6 points on the road.
The Seahawks have put together an incredible run on the road this season. Continuing their road success is no longer option, but if they can continue to be road warriors as they battle their way through the NFC, they may find themselves with a ticket to Miami next month.