The Seattle Seahawks have always prided themselves on finishing strong, but what about starting fast? That has been an issue recently. You have to go all the way back to 2013, the Super Bowl winning season, to really see this group dominate from the get-go.
In 2016, the Seahawks began the year 4-2-1, which honestly is not that bad, but the injury to Russell Wilson was brutal and affected the offense greatly. In four of those seven games, the team scored one or less touchdowns. So, in 2017, you would hope a healthy quarterback solves some of those issues. In addition, with the rushing game still a question mark since Marshawn Lynch's departure, a hot start might depend a lot more on how Russell Wilson performs.
In 2015, it was a very bumpy ride beginning the season 2-4. Three of those four losses were within four points and Pete Carroll's group didn't get one win on the road during that stretch. The Seahawks play four of its first six games away from the Clink, and those four road games are tough. At Green Bay, at Tennessee, at L.A. Rams and at Giants. You would think if Seattle is going to survive that stretch, they need to go 2-2 away from the Pacific Northwest, so that is something we need to keep an eye on for sure.
Finally in 2014, the Seahawks went 3-3 in the first six games of the year and the big issue was how sluggish the defense looked. Three times that side of the ball gave up more than 20 points. Now here's a stat for you, since 2014, the Seahawks are 7-16 when giving up more than 20 points. So, we know the defensive unit is the backbone of this team and if this squad wants to jump off to a fast start in 2017 that side of the ball better be ready to play. In addition, during this 2014 season, it took five games before a receiver recorded more than 62 yards. Let's see if Wilson gets a little more help now that the wide outs are much better than what we saw in 2014.
In the past three seasons, Seattle did themselves no favors starting off slow. Of course, the team always overcame and reached the playoffs anyway, but let it be known, you have to go back to 2011 for the last NFC team to make the Super Bowl without a bye in the playoffs. Starting off fast isn't imperative for a playoff-type season, but it might be very imperative for a Super Bowl-type season. The season begins on September 10.
