Seahawks head back on the road with a chance at perfection
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 24: Members of the Seattle Seahawks defense celebrate after intercepting a Philadelphia Eagles pass in the second quarter Lincoln Financial Field on November 24, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitc
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — At first, Duane Brown and his teammates weren’t aware of the streak the Seattle Seahawks were on.
Now, they want to see if they can make a little franchise history.
“It’s definitely something we’re very proud of,” Seattle’s veteran left tackle said. “To go on the road and win in this league is not easy. I don’t care who you are playing. We’ve had some very tough opponents, playing in some very tough environments. We’re extremely proud of that. We didn’t even realize we were undefeated for a while.”
The Seahawks (10-2) go into their final two road games of the season beginning this Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams with a chance to join rare company. Seattle has never won more than six road games in a season but is currently 6-0 away from home, matching the mark set in 2013 when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.
A win on Sunday over the Rams or next week at Carolina would set a new franchise mark. Wins in both would make Seattle just the fifth team since 2000 to go unbeaten away from home, joining the 2001 Rams, 2007 and 2016 Patriots, and the 2014 Cowboys.
For a franchise that for years struggled when it was asked to leave the Pacific Northwest, being this good away from home is a rarity.
“It shows how close a group we are. When we go on the road everyone is connected, everyone is together,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “I think that’s what makes a really good road team is the connection, the chemistry, especially from the defensive side.”
Seattle’s schedule has played in its favor as well. It hosted Baltimore and New Orleans — the Seahawks’ two losses — instead of facing them on the road. It won at Pittsburgh when Ben Roethlisberger played just one half. It won in Atlanta when the Falcons were without Matt Ryan.
But what Seattle has done in its past two road games has been impressive, winning at San Francisco in overtime and following up with a 17-9 win at Philadelphia where the Seahawks dominated.
“It’s important to be really good on the road because you might have to do that in the playoffs ... it’s just opportunities to be able to kind of show what type of team you are,” Wagner said. “I like playing on the road sometimes because at the end of the game when our fans take over the stadium it’s kind of cool.”
There have been a few changes and incentives that players believe are part of the reason for the road success. Rather than going on two buses — one early, one later — from the hotel to the stadium, the Seahawks are now traveling on one bus. It’s a minor change, but one the players believe promotes togetherness and has helped with chemistry.
The bigger incentive it seems is coaches having to give up their seats in first-class on the charter flight after victories. For a team that’s already had four trips to the eastern time zone with one more to come, that’s some significant motivation to avoid being cramped in coach for several hours.
“That rule wasn’t here the first time I was here, and I told coach (Pete Carroll) if I had not left, that rule would not be in place,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. joked. “But I understand and the players really look forward to that. If winning gives them the seats I’ll take it. I’ll take it every time.”
NOTES: Carroll said DE Jadeveon Clowney came out of Monday’s win over Minnesota without setbacks from his core muscle injury. Clowney played 43 defensive snaps in the victory. ... Wagner said the flu bug that circulated through the team last week was unlike what he’s seen in his time here. “You almost had to walk around with hand sanitizer and watch everything you touched.”