Some assumptions seem so obvious they are not challenged even though they are wrong.
Last week, early in the Seahawks blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers, FOX announcer Kevin Burkhardt said to his broadcast partner, Tom Brady, “The Seahawks have such a big advantage playing here in their home stadium.”
Brady, who as the commercial says, knows more about football than perhaps anyone who has ever played the game, continued his conversation with Burkhardt as if his partner’s statement on the Seahawks at home was correct.
In fact, the Seahawks record during the two years with Mike Macdonald has been their head coach, is much better on the road both straight-up and against the point spread. At Lumen Field, the Seahawks are 10-8 straight-up and 7-11 against the point spread. On the road, Seattle is 15-2 straight-up and 12-4-1 against the line.
Does that mean the Los Angeles Rams have a better chance at winning this game in Seattle than they would have if they were hosting the NFC Championship Game?
Since Sean McVay took over at the Rams coach in 2017, his team is 52 and 28 at home straight-up and 41-35-4 against the line. On the road, where the Rams have played their first two postseason games, straight-up wins but point spread losses to the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, Los Angeles is 50-34 straight-up and 46-36-2 against the line.