You don’t have to be a football geek to know the Seattle Seahawks don’t travel well. The last time the Seahawks won a game in New York (or New Jersey) was in December of 1983.
So when my wife, a New York Giants fan, suggested opening my house to a few friends to watch yesterday's Seahawks-Giants game, I knew it was likely to be a humbling beat down for my beloved Seahawks and me. Naturally, the pregame was filled with amusing banter about how bad Tarvaris Jackson is, and how Pete Carroll couldn’t win a game when he was a coach in New York.
Now, I am a die-hard 12th man Seahawks fan, but I don’t have blinders on. I knew Seattle’s chances of winning ranged from slim to none (with "NONE" being bolded and in capital letters). Every angle I took showed me chances to win, but nowhere did I see a definite advantage to Seattle. And everything came back to a 10 a.m. Pacific Coast start time, the Bermuda Triangle of suckitude for the Seahawks.
I mean, c’mon, really. Seattle people are barely on their second latte by 10 in the morning; it’s impossible to think we can function like humans, much less football players at that ungodly time. Seriously, can I get a ruling here?
Still, the game posed an interesting problem. As I foretold in my preseason preview, the Seahawks were likely to suck hard at the start of the season but get better as the season progressed.
We’ve already seen improved play from Jackson as well as the offensive line. The defense has stayed solid against the run, while the corners and safeties have improved.
So imagine my surprise and elation, as well as the Giants’ fans amazement, as the Seahawks took the opening drive down the field and scored like a hot knife through butter.
Seattle looked strong and aggressive, nickel and diming their way down the field while NY’s defense was on its heels scrambling to recover. It was early but I haven’t seen a Seahawks team open a game on the East Coast in a long time this way.
While things calmed down, Seattle still played the better football through the first half. Only two red zone fumbles kept it from becoming a Seahawks blowout. Seattle lived to regret those missed opportunities, because NYG quarterback Eli Manning delivered a quick strike right before halftime to tie the score 14-14 heading into the locker room.
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