The pendulum of NFL optimism continues to swing back and forth, full strength. In the same week that training camp has been announced to proceed as scheduled, the states of Arizona, California, and Florida have had to take steps back in their COVID-19 precautions.

This leaves the potential for an NFL season as unpredictable as ever.

However, the NBA and MLB are working hard at beginning or resuming their seasons, and it’s not like the NFL has ever sat back from a challenge on anything when money is to be had.

If we follow the logic of baseball, which we can because the Seattle Seahawks house their very own baseball player, the season could be delayed, played in front of empty stadiums, and altered in other significant ways.

My point is simply this, if the NFL were to do something like this, it would be very, very good for the Seahawks.

Which completely took me by surprise.

Apparently I still have the 2014-15 stretch in mind, because I boldly declared this week that Seattle would miss the playoffs nearly every year under Pete Carroll in a six-game season. I had firmly created a narrative in my mind that the Seahawks do not start well.

This proved to be far from the case, and was an interesting little experiment. I’m very happy to be wrong.

2019

Six-game record: 5-1
Divisional record: 2-0

Seattle only needed six games last year to achieve more wins than the Detroit Lions or Cincinnati Bengals did all season.

2018

Six-game record: 3-3
Divisional record: 1-1

A random observation was made when compiling the year-over-year: Chris Carson has more 100+ yard games in the first six games than any other Seahawk RB since Shaun Alexander.

2017

Six-game record: 4-2
Divisional record: 2-0

It’s amazing to realize this team started 4-2 because this was such a disappointing season on so many levels. Probably no statistic for a Pete Carroll team is more damning than that Hi Rush column on the right. Seattle had one game in which a player rushed for more than 52 yards in the first 40% of the season. In almost every other season, they only had one game worse in the first six.

2016

Six-game record: 4-1-1
Divisional record: 1-1-1

Summary: The Arizona Cardinals are just really the worst.

2015

Six-game record: 2-4
Divisional record: 0-1

Seriously Jimmy Graham was that long ago?

2014

Six-game record: 3-3
Place in division: 0-1

Could not care less about the first six games of this season.

2013

Six-game record: 5-1
Place in division: 1-0

Just a reminder that this team was that good.

2012

Six-game record: 4-2
Place in division: 0-2, but they beat the New England Patriots so that’s cool

Notice how far this team has come with Wilson, in which he had six sub-200 yard performances in his first two seasons. He may not be cooking as much as people want him to right now, but they barely let him turn the oven on initially.

The Seattle Seahawks are not slow starters

• Winning records, five seasons.
• 3-3, twice.
• Losing record, one time.
• Because I love you all so much, I checked in on the 3-3 seasons.
• In 2014, they would have been third in the division, missing the playoffs by a mile behind the Arizona Cardinals.
• In 2013 the St. Louis Rams were undefeated at that point but the Seahawks were far ahead of the Cardinals and 49ers for second place and a giant mess at the wild card spot.

By my count, Seattle would make the playoffs six times out of eight in a season shortened at the same rate as the MLB.

Six games, however, is not enough to do meaningful separation for much of the league in many of the divisions, and one would hope that if the NFL does decide to cut things short they would give us eight games at the very least.

That’s enough for the best three-way scenario the way I see it. It’s short enough for the Seahawks to start well, long enough to do the necessary sifting, but not so long that Tom Brady will figure out how to throw 600 yards to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Go Hawks.