I like numbers. Particularly big numbers that I can crunch. Seattle's loss to Arizona is par for the course for the bulk of their losses under Pete Carroll. The holding pattern for a Seahawks loss is as follows - Awful first quarter, even worse second quarter, much improved 3rd quarter, bad 4th quarter. Conversely, Seattle's wins rely heavily on solid opening quarters and outstanding 3rd quarters. Let's take a look (in table format!) of the Seahawks' quarter-by-quarter box scores since Pete Carroll took over in 2010.

2010 Seahawks Victories (8 Wins)

2010 Seahawks Losses (10 Losses)

2010 Total (18 games)

2011 Seahawks Wins (7 Wins)

2011 Seahawks Losses (9 Losses)

2011 Total (16 Games)

The 2011 final table almost matches the Seahawks/Cardinals game from Sunday. First quarter was even, 2nd quarter was all Cardinals, 3rd quarter was all Seahawks, and Arizona got the decisive only score in the 4th quarter.

Seattle's cumulative point differential in the 1st half after 35 games is -172, yet their 2nd half total is +68. They've failed to score in the opening quarter in 16 games (win or lose) and have held a halftime lead only 11 times. To put that in perspective, the 2005 Super Bowl team led at halftime 11 times just in the regular season!

I only have one request to the Seahawks after writing this up: Stop.

These weak first halves are bad, but the 2nd quarter numbers are appalling. Being unable to get off to a good start on even a semi-consistent basis should be down to the coaches for their inability to get the team kick-started until after they've dug themselves a hole. The only noticeable improvement from 2010 to 2011 is that at least the Seahawks weren't out of the game by halftime in any of their losses bar Pittsburgh, and they responded with excellent 3rd quarters. Otherwise, this is a bad habit that needs to be fixed if they ever want to be a good team.