The value of the #1 seed

[kearly]

The last three Super Bowls in a row were played between a pair of #1 seeds. Meaning that from 2013-2015, #1 seeded teams in the NFL went a combined 12-0 in their pre-SB playoff games.

Russell Wilson has lost 3 postseason games. All three losses were to #1 seeds.

All four of Tom Brady's SB rings came from seasons where his team had earned a playoff bye. Two from #1 seeded seasons, Two from #2 seeded seasons. Tom Brady for his career has 6 SB trips, 4 rings, and 1 road playoff win.

 

[Hawkstorian]

There is certainly a narrative out there that the lower seeds "have a chance", but obviously it's a huge advantage to be at home in January.

 

[Popeyejones]

There is certainly a narrative out there that the lower seeds "have a chance", but obviously it's a huge advantage to be at home in January.

There's also a really huge advantage to being the best team in your conference, which is how you get the #1 seed to begin with.

 

[seahawks08]

I think the Seahawks would have been fine with one road playoff game, or 1 10 am and 1 pm road games instead of 2 back to back. It does take a toll on the players and coaches with so much travel and getting acclaimatized to time differences in back to back weeks.

 

[OlyHawkFan]

The last three Super Bowls in a row were played between a pair of #1 seeds. Meaning that from 2013-2015, #1 seeded teams in the NFL went a combined 12-0 in their pre-SB playoff games.

Russell Wilson has lost 3 postseason games. All three losses were to #1 seeds.

All four of Tom Brady's SB rings came from seasons where his team had earned a playoff bye. Two from #1 seeded seasons, Two from #2 seeded seasons. Tom Brady for his career has 6 SB trips, 4 rings, and 1 road playoff win.

Tom Brady has 3 road playoff wins.

2002 vs Pittsburgh
2005 vs Pittsburgh
2007 vs San Diego

 

[RussB]

Yup its very important having homefield and not having to travel during the playoffs. Also having 1 extra week to rest during the first round bye. We need to be #1 seed again next year these road playoff games are tough.

 

[Barthawk]

The last three Super Bowls in a row were played between a pair of #1 seeds. Meaning that from 2013-2015, #1 seeded teams in the NFL went a combined 12-0 in their pre-SB playoff games.

Russell Wilson has lost 3 postseason games. All three losses were to #1 seeds.

All four of Tom Brady's SB rings came from seasons where his team had earned a playoff bye. Two from #1 seeded seasons, Two from #2 seeded seasons. Tom Brady for his career has 6 SB trips, 4 rings, and 1 road playoff win.

Pretty sure Brady has 7 trips.. 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015. no brains today.. nice catch below..

 

[Barthawk]

The last three Super Bowls in a row were played between a pair of #1 seeds. Meaning that from 2013-2015, #1 seeded teams in the NFL went a combined 12-0 in their pre-SB playoff games.

Russell Wilson has lost 3 postseason games. All three losses were to #1 seeds.

All four of Tom Brady's SB rings came from seasons where his team had earned a playoff bye. Two from #1 seeded seasons, Two from #2 seeded seasons. Tom Brady for his career has 6 SB trips, 4 rings, and 1 road playoff win.

Tom Brady has 3 road playoff wins.

2002 vs Pittsburgh
2005 vs Pittsburgh
2007 vs San Diego

Brady didn't play against PIT in 02, Bledsoe did

 

[Alexander]

The last three Super Bowls in a row were played between a pair of #1 seeds. Meaning that from 2013-2015, #1 seeded teams in the NFL went a combined 12-0 in their pre-SB playoff games.

Russell Wilson has lost 3 postseason games. All three losses were to #1 seeds.

All four of Tom Brady's SB rings came from seasons where his team had earned a playoff bye. Two from #1 seeded seasons, Two from #2 seeded seasons. Tom Brady for his career has 6 SB trips, 4 rings, and 1 road playoff win.

Pretty sure Brady has 7 trips.. 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015.

Six. He didn't make it this year.

 

[HawkGA]

Seems like a little while back there was a run where wild card teams were pretty consistently making it to the big dance and that home field advantage was almost a curve (as in, teams with home field advantage were not making it to the Super Bowl). Wonder what changed.

 

[scutterhawk]

I think the Seahawks would have been fine with one road playoff game, or 1 10 am and 1 pm road games instead of 2 back to back. It does take a toll on the players and coaches with so much travel and getting acclaimatized to time differences in back to back weeks.

^ THIS ^
Even with the lopsided advantages GIVEN to the Vikings, and then the Panthers, the Seahawks mounted a valiant comeback from a 31 - 0 deficit, only to lose by one score.
Had all things been EVEN, and BOTH teams be well rested, the Seahawks win this one.
Sometimes the hands you hold, are dealt from the bottom of the deck....Two 10:00 A.M. games in a row, nuf said.

 

[ZagHawk]

I think the Seahawks would have been fine with one road playoff game, or 1 10 am and 1 pm road games instead of 2 back to back. It does take a toll on the players and coaches with so much travel and getting acclaimatized to time differences in back to back weeks.

^ THIS ^
Even with the lopsided advantages GIVEN to the Vikings, and then the Panthers, the Seahawks mounted a valiant comeback from a 31 - 0 deficit, only to lose by one score.
Had all things been EVEN, and BOTH teams be well rested, the Seahawks win this one.
Sometimes the hands you hold, are dealt from the bottom of the deck....Two 10:00 A.M. games in a row, nuf said.

All this being said, The Seahawks would have done more with that NFCW Crown and #2 seed than Arizona. BUT Hawks lost the division, that's what happens when you rely start games/seasons slow and have to rely on getting a hot streak to dig yourself out of a hole. The other team in the lead just needs to hold on (Arizona holding onto the division, Cardinals holding onto their lead).

 

[Hasselbeck]

We lost the #1 seed this year by not going 8-0 at home. That's really want it boils down to.

Had we beat Carolina, Arizona and St. Louis at home.. at worst we're in the 2 hole at 13-3 behind Carolina at 14-2 .. but that's also assuming Carolina maybe doesn't have that crazy surge of confidence after a come from behind win against a team that had owned them prior to that. And that's also assuming the Seahawks typical 2nd half surge doesn't start a little sooner.

Go 8-0 at home and your odds of a top 2 seed are much greater than they are when you go 5-3. In 2016 we HAVE to get that HFA back. The whole year it felt like we kind of lost that edge in home games.

 

[ApnaHawk]

It will be ours again next year!

 

[Chapow]

Seems pretty obvious to me.

It's a lot easier to win 2 home games in a row than it is to win 3 road games in a row.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

There is certainly a narrative out there that the lower seeds "have a chance", but obviously it's a huge advantage to be at home in January.

There's also a really huge advantage to being the best team in your conference, which is how you get the #1 seed to begin with.

Thanks. Nobody would have figured that out without this post.

 

[peppersjap]

I know some will disagree but it was a very odd inside the stadium this year. It was still loud as it always will be but it was different. So many season ticket holders in my area who I only saw for a couple of games. Outside of the Steelers game those seats seemed to be filled with Hawk fans but not the regulars. People obviously took advantage of the money making opportunity. I had an interaction with a guy in the bar the other night who said he went to a game and the fans were pissed at him because he was yelling on offense. He said we need to too be loud on offense too. He was also upset because people didn't want to join him in the wave.

This seemed to be the mentality this year. So many Sea......Hawk chants while we were on offense. The thing I found the strangest though was after the losses and listening to all the Sea......Hawk chants walking down the ramps. I support my team completely and if they were walking by me after a loss I would cheer for them but people celebrating a loss just blows me away. It just reminds me of all the people who wanted a parade last year after we lost in the Super Bowl. It is normal to be disappointed after a loss, just come back next week ready to cheer again. Doing chants on the ramps after we have lost to the Rams doesn't make you a better fan, if you are still happy after a loss it makes me wonder because I guarantee the players don't want to hear that.

I'm not sure if we really make a difference as fans at the game with our noise but I like to think it helps. This year we were a better team on the road and it doesn't surprise me because of the game day experience I felt.

 

[AROS]

Yeah it's definitely been a different climate at the CLink these past couple seasons. Success breeds bandwaggoneers, and die-hards or perennial STH's who cash in on the success and offer up their seats for crazy cash. Suddenly the stands are full of an eclectic mix of people. From the die-hards who are there thick or thin, to the casual fans who are there simply because it's the "hot ticket in town" and everything in between.

The latter do not have the luxury of wisdom when it comes to proper fan etiquette. They are either too busy on their cell phones, taking selfies to be bothered with such things as knowing when it's proper to stand and cheer and when it's not, or when it's NOT okay to keep leaving your seat and cutting in front of 10, 15, 20 people during action on the field so you can get more alcohol, or meet up with your other buddies (to take yet more precious selfies I assume), not once, not twice, but several times during the game.

With success we have to take the bad with the good apparently. If I had to choose would I rather have the stadium half full of die-hards or the entire stadium full with an eclectic mix I would take the latter only because the latter means the team is successful in the league. The former means blackouts, apathy and mediocrity which I myself have had enough of personally, in my lifetime.