Big expectations pretty much sums up the Seattle Seahawks 2014 season. Coming off of a convincing Super Bowl win in which they completely shut down the Denver Broncos. Word of a possible dynasty had been floating around due to the success of late draft picks and young rookies. Many experts believed maybe the Seahawks had cracked the code for sustained productivity in the NFL. For those remarks to have any truth to them the Seahawks would have to do something that has been considered impossible for the longest time. The winning of back to back championships due to the competitiveness in the league is a feat that has not been achieved since 2002.
So is the hype believable or will the Seahawks follow suit of all the past Super Bowl winners and struggle in the following year? According to Pete Carroll, “I think we’re ready to go I feel that we are I know it’s important to get a few guys back but that will happen with time.” Carroll believes the Hawks are ready to defend their title. When going up against the defending champion, everyone knows they are going up against the best and know they need to bring their best in order to come out with a victory. They have a target on their back that most players on the team would welcome “We feel that we are the best and that fact that every week this season we will be facing every team’s best is exciting and I’m ready,” said Earl Thomas. The confidence and swagger that is sensed for Thomas’s quote is exactly why everyone is high on the Hawks they have the mentality that it takes to be a champion year in and year out.
As the classic cliché goes, “It’s not how you start it’s how you finish the race is what really matters.” But NFL history proves that a strong start can be the key to making the playoffs which once teams are in the regular season is irrelevant. The Seahawks kicked off their season against the Packers on Thursday night, which is tradition for the defending champion. The game was especially anticipated because of how the last time the two teams went up against each other. The game ended on a late controversial touchdown by the Hawks. The opener was nothing of the sort; the Hawks pretty much picked up where they left off by shutting down Aaron Rodgers and soaring to a 36-16 victory. Week two is where the first speed bump came facing a motivated Charger team the Seahawks lost 21-30. After getting a two-game winning streak versus the Broncos and Redskins, the Seahawks got up-ended with a two game losing streak getting stuck against the Cowboys and division rival Rams. Looking to turn their season around the Hawks go on a 3 game winning streak to improve to 6-3. In their last game the Hawks faced a similar team in the Kansas City Chiefs and went down to the wire with the Seahawks dropping the points and falling to 6-4. With their division stepping up and dominating this season the Seahawks hopes to be in the playoffs is in serious doubt, despite having a decent record. Next up the Seahawks face their division leader at the moment the Arizona Cardinals this is most likely the biggest game of the season in order to cement themselves as NFC West champs.