2016 Seattle Seahawks Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Seattle Seahawks have become one of the NFL's premier franchises under the guidance of general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll. They have made the playoffs five of the past six years, which includes two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. 

Expectations are sky high once again heading into the 2016 campaign. Odds Shark lists the Seahawks as one of the top contenders to win Super Bowl LI with 10-1 odds, which means anything less than another deep playoff run would probably be viewed as a disappointment.

Of course, having a top-tier quarterback in Russell Wilson and a defense that's led the league in points allowed four years running sets the bar pretty high. The question is whether they have enough offensive playmakers to capture another title.

Let's check out the schedule the Seahawks must navigate in order to punch their ticket to the postseason. That's followed by some analysis about what to expect in the year ahead.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sept. 11	vs. Miami Dolphins	4:05 p.m.	CBS
2	Sept. 18	at Los Angeles Rams	4:05 p.m.	Fox
3	Sept. 25	vs. San Francisco 49ers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
4	Oct. 2	at New York Jets	1:00 p.m.	Fox
5	BYE
6	Oct. 16	vs. Atlanta Falcons	4:25 p.m.	Fox
7	Oct. 23	at Arizona Cardinals	8:30 p.m.	NBC
8	Oct. 30	at New Orleans Saints	1:00 p.m.	Fox
9	Nov. 7	vs. Buffalo Bills	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
10	Nov. 13	at New England Patriots	8:30 p.m.	NBC
11	Nov. 20	vs. Philadelphia Eagles	4:25 p.m.	CBS
12	Nov. 27	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
13	Dec. 4	vs. Carolina Panthers	8:30 p.m.	NBC
14	Dec. 11	at Green Bay Packers	4:25 p.m.	Fox
15	Dec. 15	vs. Los Angeles Rams	8:25 p.m.	NBC, NFLN
16	Dec. 24	vs. Arizona Cardinals	4:25 p.m.	Fox
17	Jan. 1	at San Francisco 49ers	4:25 p.m.	Fox

Analysis

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The biggest question for Seattle is whether its rushing attack can find consistent success following the retirement of Marshawn Lynch. Though Wilson received most of the attention, the veteran running back provided much needed stability on offense.

Thomas Rawls figures to receive the first opportunity to fill the void. He was impressive in 13 games as a rookie, averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 147 attempts, before his season came to an early end due to an ankle injury.

The NFL Network (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) passed along comments from Carroll in March about the situation. He praised Lynch's potential replacement and provided an update on his recovery:

"

He's doing really well. He should be fine and we anticipate that he'll be fully recovered and ready to go at least by the time the season starts and hopefully by camp. Thomas had a terrific season. He just came out of nowhere and most people, they didn't have any idea what he was going to do. He brought us attitude and style of play that we like. He was really physical and really tough, so we’re thrilled to have him coming back and we need to get him some help.

"

When healthy, Rawls showed a willingness to run between the tackles, but he also had enough quickness to get on the edge to create big plays. If he can maintain close to that level of efficiency while handling a full-time workload, the outlook for the Seahawks improves markedly.

Defensively, Seattle should once again be near the top in all of the key categories. The only potentially major concern is who's going to get most of the snaps opposite Richard Sherman at corner. Marcus Burley and Jeremy Lane are both capable, albeit unheralded, options.

The bottom line for the Seahawks is that the talent is there for another championship season. They just need to pieces to come together while avoiding any high-profile injury issues.

Pivotal Matchups

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The NFC West race should come down to the Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals again. So those two head-to-head matchups will be extremely important. If either side is able to go 2-0, they would obviously hold a major edge.

From a wild-card perspective, road games against the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, as well as a home clash with the Atlanta Falcons are the most vital. Going at least 2-1 in those contests would be a major step in the right direction should they come up short in the division.

Ultimately, even though the Seahawks' schedule ranks as the fifth-toughest based on 2015 records, according to John Breech of CBSSports.com, it shouldn't prevent them from getting at least 10 wins. They should still be the favorite most weeks.

And, depending on their performance in those key matchups, they could even push for the top overall seed in the NFC.