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12 Thoughts about the Seahawks 2023 schedule

A collection of FTR thoughts that weren’t turned into their own articles ...

By Frank T. Raines
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I’ll be honest, I don’t have a full 12 thoughts about the Seattle Seahawks’ schedule.

At least not directly.

I do have 12 schedule-related thoughts though.

And the Seahawks are directly or indirectly involved in all 12.

So it counts.

Thought No. 1

Weeks 11 through 15 are going to be brutal.

Yes, I started with Week 11.

Yes, I know that most everyone else will say the Seahawks’ gauntlet starts with Week 12 because the Los Angeles Rams are expected to suck be bad again this year.

We shouldn’t overlook the Rams though; they always play us tough.

Sure, we swept them last year . . . but only by a combined 7 points, and one of the games went to overtime.

Oh, and both of those games featured Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford in street clothes so . . . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I believe that the Seahawks will sweep the Rams again in 2023.

But make no mistake, the gauntlet of games that could very well decide the Seahawks’ season starts a week earlier than most people think.

Thought No. 2

USA Today had a fun article about ‘6 teams - including the Patriots and Seahawks - that got dealt a brutal 2023 NFL schedule’.

What stuck out to me was not the fact that Seattle was one of the six.

With the gauntlet that the Seahawks face from Week 11 (or 12) through Week 15, their inclusion was basically a given.

What stuck out to me was THIS:

  • The New York Giants’ worst 3-game stretch: Vs. Seattle, at Miami, at Buffalo
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers’ worst 3-game stretch: vs. Cincinnati, at Seattle, at Baltimore
  • Washington’s worst 3-game stretch: at Seattle, vs. NYG, at Dallas

Of the six teams identified as having been brutalized by the schedule, Seattle is one of the teams and is part of the worst 3-game stretch for three of the other five.

And the two that Seattle isn’t a part of . . .

Well, that’s only because those two teams don’t play the Seahawks this year.

Note: For what it’s worth, USA Today lists the Seahawks’ worst 3-game stretch as Weeks 11 to 13: at LAR, vs. the Niners, and at Dallas.

Thought No. 3

My favorite game comes early this year.

As I’ve mentioned (more than a few times), the Detroit Lions are my second favorite team.

Seattle plays them in Week 2.

Unfortunately (for them), the Lions play the Kansas City Chiefs on September 7th in the NFL’s first game of the 2023 season and, despite having three extra days of rest before facing the Seahawks, the Lions will be starting the season 0-2.

Conversely, Seattle starts the season at home against the Rams and will leave leave Detroit with a 2-0 record.

Don’t feel too bad for the Lions though . . .

Detroit is favored to win the NFC North, and I see no reason to think they won’t.

In fact, the Lions have a decent chance of entering their Week 9 Bye with a 6-2 record if they can kick things into gear like they did last year.

Honestly, as a 12, I’m glad we play them early in the season.

And I hope we don’t face them in the playoffs.

Because they’re gonna be tough.

Thought No. 4

The 2023 holiday season is going to be one for the ages for the 12s:

Should be fun!

Especially if the football gods deliver us three wins.

Thought No. 5

On Wednesday, Adam Schefter was nice enough to point out (via Twitter) that the Seahawks’ schedule will require them to log more air miles than any other team this year - despite not playing an overseas game.

  • No. 1: Seattle at 31,600 miles
  • No. 2: San Francisco at 29,958 miles
  • No. 3: Miami at 27,110 miles

. . .

We (Mookie) also wrote about this here on Field Gulls.

Naturally, the predominant reaction among the 12s was, “Of course we are! Again!” (or some variation thereof).

Or, to quote Mookie’s article:

As usual, the Seahawks top the charts.

Here’s the funny thing though . . .

While Seattle usually is among the leaders in frequent flier miles, they’re seldom No. 1.

Note: I was going to go all the way back to John and Pete’s arrival in Seattle, but couldn’t find the info for 2013 or 2012. That said, Seattle was 2nd in 2011 and 3rd in 2010.

What do we see when we look at those rankings?

Surprise, surprise!

Seattle lands in the top 5 in all but one season.

Of course, that’s what we get for playing our home games in South Alaska.

And yet . . .

This is only the second time in the last ten years that Seattle has been No. 1 in travel miles.

And, for all we can tell, based on what I was able to find, it may be only the second time the Seahawks have logged the most miles league-wide since John and Pete got here.

__________

For grins, here’s who was No. 1 each of the years that we weren’t (2010, 2011, 2014-2022):

  • Tampa Bay: 2022
  • San Francisco: 2021, 2015, 2011, 2010
  • Oakland / Las Vegas: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2014
  • LAR: 2016

Thought No. 6

Want to hear (read) an embarrassing story?

Of course you do.

Tyler Lockett tweeted this on Thursday morning:

My ire went from 0 to 12 (on a 10-point scale) in a no time flat.

I emailed Mookie.

He replied, “Three games in 12 days happens almost every year for most teams, just not usually Sunday-Thursday-Thursday.”

My response, paraphrased: “Unh-uh; that’s never happened before cuz the only way it can happen is Sunday —> Thursday —> Thursday.”

Mookie’s reply: “Sunday-Sunday-Thursday is 3 games in 12 days, though!”

Um . . . yeah.

That’s why Mookie gets the big bucks!

Thought No. 7

I’m not the only one that had a bad day counting things.

Hall of Famer Warren Sapp . . .

Who I love . . .

In a since-deleted tweet . . .

Which brobible.com wrote an entire article about . . .

Vented about the Giants’ terrible schedule:

OFFICIAL: the Giants are the FIRST TEAM be forced to play on the road 7 times in the first 10 weeks of the season since the NFL reinstated bye weeks in 1990.

(T)he NFL has never forced a team to play on the road in 7 of the first 10 weeks.

OR in 7 of their first 10 games…until now.

Seven road games and only three home games would be a pretty awful (and extremely unbalanced) way to start the season.

But . . .

Here are the first 10 games on the Giant’s schedule:

  • Week 1: HOME
  • Week 2: Away
  • Week 3: Away
  • Week 4: HOME
  • Week 5: Away
  • Week 6: Away
  • Week 7: HOME
  • Week 8: HOME
  • Week 9: Away
  • Week 10: Away

I’m guessing that is why Sapp’s tweet got deleted.

It’s also why I’m very glad that my counting error was limited to an email.

At least until I decided to share.

Note: For those wondering how this relates to Seattle, the Seahawks play the Giants in New Jersey on Monday Night Football in Week 4.

Thought No. 8

The Seahawks have three prime-time games this season.

Which is sort of in the middle of the pack.

The Bills, Chiefs, Chargers, and Cowboys each have the maximum six, while the Cardinals, Colts, Falcons, and Texans have none.

Here’s the full breakdown . . .

That is, of course, as of today.

Flex scheduling could (and undoubtedly will) change some of these.

Thought No. 9

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the over/under on Seattle wins this year is 8-1/2.

Last year, it was 5-1/2.

The Seahawks hit the over two weeks before their bye.

That won’t happen this year though . . . because the Seahawks’ bye is in Week 5.

Last year, the Bye was in Week 11.

BOLD PREDICTION: The Seahawks will hit the over . . . in Week 11.

Yes, I’m saying the Seahawks will start the season 9-1, including a season sweep of the hated Rams.

And, for what it’s worth, I said the same thing in the Comments section of the Seahawks schedule release article.

Thought No. 10

Speaking of DraftKings . . .

Who I love . . .

Could someone please mention to them that John Schneider and Pete Carroll jump-started the offseason by giving a larger contract to an outside free agent than they’ve EVER done before?

Or perhaps point out that the Seahawks brought Bobby Wagner home?

At the very least, could someone please, please, PLEASE tell them that Devin Bush isn’t a cornerback?

Or maybe just mention that re-signing WR14 isn’t a notable move?

Notable offseason moves

• Re-signed WR Cody Thompson

• Signed C Evan Brown, CB Devin Bush

• Lost RB Rashaad Penny, WR Marquise Goodwin, S Ryan Neal to free agency

Technically, this isn’t a schedule-related thought . . . yet.

Guess who Evan Brown used to play for.

Our Week 2 opponent.

Devin Bush?

Yeah, we play his old team in Week 17.

Rashaad Penny comes back to Lumen Field for our Week 15 matchup with the Eagles.

Marquise Goodwin? We should get to see him at Lumen Field in Week 8.

And Ryan Neal?

Sorry, we don’t play Tampa Bay this year - unless it’s in the playoffs, and I don’t think anyone truly believes the Bucs are making the playoffs in 2023.

Spoiler: The over/under for Tom Brady’s most-recent team is 6-1/2 games; only the Texans and Cardinals are lower.

Thought No. 11

The Seahawks have four 10am games this season.

No. 1: The Seahawks travel to Detroit to face the Lions in Week 2. I’ve already made my pick in that one (see Thought No. 3).

No. 2: Seattle travels to Cincinnati in Week 6 for a matchup with the Bengals. I want to say that one’s a Win since the Seahawks will be coming off their Bye. Unfortunately, the Bengals play the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 5 which means their starters should be pretty well rested when they face us. Let’s call this one a Loss . . . for now.

No. 3: Week 9 at Baltimore . . . Super amusingly, the Ravens, like the Bengals, play the Cardinals the week before they play us. Well-rested or not, I feel good about our chances. Especially if we head into the game 7-1 (see Thought No. 9).

No. 4: Christmas comes early with the the Seahawks facing the Titans on Christmas Eve morning. DraftKings has the over/under on the Titans at 7-1/2 wins. I’m taking the under, with one of their losses coming against Seattle.

Thought No. 12

The Seahawks dropped four winnable games against NFC South teams last year.

  • Week 3: Vs. Atlanta, 27-23
  • Week 5: At New Orleans, 39-32
  • Week 10: Vs. Tampa Bay (in Germany), 21-16
  • Week 14: Vs. Carolina, 30-24

Seattle was favored in two of those four games (-2 vs. the Falcons, +5.5 vs. the Saints +2.5 vs. the Bucs, -4.5 vs. the Panthers), yet somehow managed to lose all four.

. . .

This year’s version of that is the Seahawks’ four games against the AFC North.

  • Week 6: At Cincinnati
  • Week 8: Vs. Cleveland
  • Week 9: At Baltimore
  • Week 17: Vs. Pittsburgh

My guess is that we’ll be favored in two of those four games.

Hopefully we win at least three of them.

Go Hawks!

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