I was right to go against the Seattle Seahawks on opening day, and wrong to skip them last week in Detroit. This Sunday, when the Seahawks host the Carolina Panthers, the motivational advantage for a Seattle game takes another dramatic swing.
They opened the season as a bet-on home favorite against an underrated Los Angeles Rams squad looking to rebound from their horrible 2022 campaign. After winning Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Rams compiled the worst regular season record in history for a defending Super Bowl champ. Five wins and a dozen losses.
Suffice it to say the Rams had something to atone for coming into this season, and that edge ran smack into a Seattle Seahawks squad looking for a second straight winning season after earning a surprise trip to the playoffs last year. It was Pete Carroll’s first year in more than a decade looking to win without Russell Wilson running his offense.
The challenge was met by the Seahawks. They opened the 2022 season with a victory over their old quarterback and the Denver Broncos. By season's end, Seattle had cracked the field of six National Football Conference playoff teams while Wilson had struggled in Denver and the Broncos were looking for a new coach.
The challenge that spiked the Seahawks play last year led to veteran quarterback Geno Smith enjoying a career year. The need to overcome the loss of Wilson is now replaced by confidence.
Confidence can be a killer to performance.