Seattle Seahawks: 2011 Schedule Littered with Games Giving 'Hawks Fans Heartburn

While the Seahawks face one of the easier schedules in 2011 based on 2010 win percentages, the reality is numbers can be deceiving; they face a schedule with an opponent win percentage of .488 overall, but take out NFC West opponents and that number rises to .556.

While I am not a huge believer in focusing on previous yearly records, it’s clear the team faces a tough schedule in 2011; they face five 2010 playoff teams, the “losing” teams on the schedule are for the most part teams on the rise.

The cherry on top; the NFL decided to give Seattle five road games with a 10 a.m. PST kickoff; the notorious struggle for west coast teams when playing early games in the east will be a focus for Seattle throughout 2011.

Seattle may have slipped into the postseason with their 7-9 record last season; but with this schedule, the Seahawks must earn everything if they hope to repeat as division champions in 2011.

Get your Tums ready.

Week 1 @ San Francisco

Mike Singletary led the 49ers into Seattle Week 1 of 2010, the expectation in Niner-land being the team was about to take its first step towards division supremacy against a lowly, rebuilding Seahawks team; the result was 31-6, Seahawks. The expectation bubble burst in San Francisco and the Seahawks jumped out in front of the division.

Quick rewind; after Jim Harbaugh’s Stanford Cardinal drubbed Pete Carroll’s Trojans at the Coliseum in 2009, the infamous “what’s your deal” exchange set the stage for a Pac-10 rivalry for years to come.

Correction, make that an NFC West rivalry.

Now in 2011, Pete Carroll faces a similar position to Mike Singletary in 2010. Carroll didn’t have quite the homecoming he hoped for the first time around in San Francisco, a 40-21 loss that looked inevitable in the first quarter—it’s no secret the Seahawks’ fast start in 2010 was the reason they even had the chance in Week 17.

In 2011, the rivalry between Carroll and Harbaugh continues, this time in Harbaugh’s new house.

Momentum is crucial for the Seahawks heading into 2011, and it can waver in Week 1 with an Opening Day division loss.

Week 2 @ Pittsburgh

Seattle went to Pittsburgh for a Super Bowl rematch in 2007 and lost 21-0; Mack Strong suffered a career-ending herniated disk injury in that game. Recent memory versus the Steelers really couldn’t hold a bleaker snapshot, the history of the franchise marred twice over—hopefully, the third time is a charm.

Naturally, the NFL decided the Seahawks should travel to Pittsburgh again, their second road game in as many weeks to start 2011; their first eastern time zone game.

If momentum is wavering leaving San Francisco, it’s approaching the edge of the cliff with a loss in Week 2. And since 1990 (through 2009), about 14 percent of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs.

A 1-1 start wouldn’t be a letdown; an 0-2 start heading home for the opener is not what Pete Carroll envisions for his team, especially given the extra time to prepare for 2011 games due to the lockout.  

Week 4 vs. Atlanta

The Seahawks lost to Atlanta 34-18 in Week 15 of 2010, but the score doesn’t tell the whole story.

Seattle started the game with one of their most impressive drives of the year, and the team looked to have the will to win—at least more than in previous weeks. The score was 10-10 at the two-minute warning. 

Then, Atlanta drove down the field and scored a back-breaking touchdown headed into halftime—a strong 28 minutes largely forgotten by Seahawks fans, especially as the team was in the midst of their 2-7 streak.

Since the institution of the current playoff format in 1990, (as of the start of 2010) 21 teams have made the playoffs after a 1-3 start and the 1992 Chargers made the playoffs after an 0-4 start.

The worst case scenario sees the Seahawks at 0-3 going into this game, but 1-2 is viable with a slow start; with a road game at the Giants Week 5 preceding the bye, the 12th man could be feeling heat in their seats Week 4. 

Week 7 @ Cleveland

Peyton Hillis is bored of hauling cars to train for the 2011 season, so soon, he’ll attempt to pull a fire truck across a football field. Yikes. To say the least, a major test for the Seahawks run defense.

And isn’t their new czar some guy named Mike Holmgren, the same Holmgren who brought the Seahawks to a pinnacle; only to have his last season be full of player injuries and anticlimactic in nature, as the organization fell into a complete overhaul?

So when the Seahawks travel to Cleveland coming out of the bye, again on a two-game road trip similar to 2010—a stale loss in St. Louis before led to a sharp victory in Chicago, after I’d imagine many Seahawks fans will be thinking this is a road game the team needs to steal. Also feeling like the ‘Hawks need to beat Holmgren's new team, as he watches from a suite in his post-Seattle, Sunday digs.

Seattle was 4-2 through six games in 2010; being 2-4 and needing to win at home—hosting the Bengals, in what appears to be one of the few should win games of 2011—before heading back on the road is not a position the Seahawks would like to find themselves in. 

Week 10 vs. Baltimore

The Seahawks' midseason stretch projects to be a relatively benign chunk of games; road games against a potentially dangerous but rebuilding Dallas team and the first matchup versus St. Louis. Seattle also hosts the Bengals, as noted previously, and the rebuilding Redskins.

But in the middle of those five games, Ray Lewis and the Ravens come to town.

In 2007, the Ravens came to Seattle with a 4-10 record and as 11-point underdogs. Ed Reed had an interception, Haloti Ngata had a sack, Ray Lewis did not play and the Seahawks won 27-6.

Fast forward to 2011 and the Ravens are in their “championship window,” but the heart of the defense is aging; Ray Lewis will be eager to fuel the boos of the 12th man and show he’s as ready as ever to win another ring.

Even if Seattle manages to start slow and dig themselves out of a hole, the Week 10 game brings potentially a championship-caliber opponent; one that understands the importance of protecting one's house and has proven they can beat a young team on the road, in a crucial game—such as the 2011 wild card victory in Kansas City.

The Seahawks struggled versus the AFC West in 2010, and it nearly ruined their playoff chances. If the team faces the same fate versus the AFC North in 2011, they will face an uphill climb to win the division. 

Prime Time Double Dip: Week 13 vs. Philadelphia and Week 14 vs. St. Louis

The Seahawks had one prime-time regular season game in 2010, which was the “flexed” Week 17 game; had it not been for the playoff ramifications of that game, they would have played zero prime-time games. 

The NFL satisfied that issue in a unique way for next season; Seattle plays in primetime on Thursday night during a short week, followed by a Monday night appearance after what amounts to be almost a second bye week. Oh, both games are at home.  

The nation will see how Seattle prepares in limited time for one of the league’s most dynamic, big-play, movement-oriented offenses, followed by a game against a complex offense and solid defense.

One thing I’ll be watching: how does the organization shape the experience surrounding back-to-back national games; furthermore, how do they treat the fans during that time period?

Does the prop plane that toted the 12th man flag around the Seattle area before the 2010 season opener make an early holiday appearance; does anything unusual or inspiring occur during pregame or halftime?  

Last season, Week 17 and the Wild Card round made an impact on national pundits, the organization proving Century Link is a tough place to play when there are championship implications. 

In 2011, Seattle gets their chance to rise to the occasion in the national spotlight before it truly matters—the home playoff game Leon Washington believes Seattle can continually earn.

Holiday Heartburn-Fest: Week 15 @ Chicago, Week 16 vs. 49ers, Week 17 @ Arizona

Whether it’s due to an abundance of holiday feasts or the three games on the Christmastime platter, Seahawks fans could be in pain into the new year.

Week 15 in Chicago is the team’s biggest chance for cold, inclement weather in a regular season road game; we know what happened under those conditions to end the 2010 season—I’d be ironic if the 2011 season carried a similar fate.

The Seahawks intend to own the division; realistically, that may not happen in 2011. The team could go on a playoff run, or they could finish the fall, unlike 2010.

It's way too early to project the scenarios, but Seattle could lose in Chicago, yet face the chance to win the final two games and get into the playoffs via a division record tiebreaker.

However, I’m inclined to believe a sizable portion of Seahawks fans would rather start the three-game run with a win in Chicago and take what comes next—that win potentially crucial in keeping the division record a nonfactor after Week 17, maybe even setting up a chance to clinch a playoff spot in Week 16.

But if all efforts fail, Seahawks fans will have to watch the organization realize the harsh reality. They are indeed in a rebuild. The momentum of the 2010 season is lost.

And as a result, the 12th man will be stuck with a case of heartburn, hoping the ‘Hawks can find the cure in the near future.