History of Seahawks' Snow Games at Lumen Field
Playing football games in the snow isn't necessarily uncommon for the Seahawks, who seemingly face wintry elements on an annual basis traveling to Green Bay to face the Packers at frigid Lambeau Field.
But historically, the majority of Seattle's snow games have happened on the road for several reasons. For one, it simply doesn't snow much in the Emerald City, at least compared to other cold weather NFL cities. Secondly, the franchise played its home games at the Kingdome from 1976 until 1999, eliminating the chance of inclement weather impacting games.
Since transitioning to now-named Lumen Field in 2001, while playing in the rain feels like a weekly occurrence in the wet Pacific Northwest, only two snow games have been played at the stadium in two decades, with the Seahawks winning both of them in a three-year span. With the Bears set to come to town on Sunday, a third snow game may finally be on tap in Week 16.
According to the latest forecast from the Weather Channel, temperatures won't even make it to freezing for a high of 29 degrees on Sunday and drop all the way down to a chilly 13 degrees in the evening. During the afternoon, there's an 80 percent chance of snow and one to three inches of precipitation.
With the growing possibility Russell Wilson and the Seahawks will partake in their first home snow game since 2008, let's travel back in time and revisit the first two games where Lumen Field turned into a snow globe.
November 27, 2006: Seahawks 34, Packers 24
Playing under the lights on Monday Night Football, Seattle welcomed Green Bay to Qwest Field amid uncharacteristically chilly temperatures. At kickoff, the field was clear with temperatures hovering in the mid-30s and after quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tossed an interception on the third play of the game, the Packers struck first with running back Ahman Green finding the end zone for a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the opening quarter. On the Seahawks ensuing drive, Hasselbeck threw another pick and later in the half, he lost a fumble on a strip sack that was returned for a touchdown by Green Bay linebacker Abdul Hodge. Trailing at the break, things weren't looking good for the home team early.
Thriving in the snow, Shaun Alexander rushed for 201 yards in a win over the Packers, the second-highest total of his illustrious career.
But as the game progressed into the second half and temperatures dropped a few degrees, momentum changed as snow began to pile up on the field, which created a major advantage for the Seahawks with star running back Shaun Alexander running behind Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones and a talented offensive line. The reigning MVP toted the rock a whopping 40 times and amassed 201 rushing yards, averaging north of five yards per carry while wearing down the Packers defense. The Seahawks intercepted Favre twice in the fourth quarter while Hasselbeck rebounded from his nightmarish start to turn in a fantastic second half, throwing a trio of touchdown passes to Darrell Jackson, D.J. Hackett, and Jerramy Stevens to help his team pull away late for a prime time victory and improve their record to 7-4.
December 21, 2008: Seahawks 13, Jets 3
While the Seahawks were favored against the Packers two years earlier, they struggled to an abysmal 4-10 start in coach Mike Holmgren's final season at the helm and weren't expected to stand a chance against the 9-5 Jets, who ironically were quarterbacked by Favre. Sure enough, New York struck first when Favre led his team on a long 13-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a field goal by Jay Feely. From there, both teams struggled mightily to move the football and engaged in a turnover fest in increasingly difficult conditions as the snow began to come down at Qwest Field. Fullback Leonard Weaver and tight end Will Heller both lost fumbles for the Seahawks, while Favre was picked off by cornerback Josh Wilson as each team handed each other Christmas gifts a few days early.
Josh Wilson enjoyed one of his best games as a Seahawk, picking off Brett Favre twice to help pull off the upset against the visiting Jets in snowy conditions.
Shortly before the half, however, backup quarterback Seneca Wallace finally got Seattle on the board, finding tight end John Carlson for a two-yard touchdown to give the home team the lead with 36 seconds left in the half. Never relinquishing their advantage, the Seahawks dominated defensively in the second half, forcing three punts and a turnover on downs before clinching an upset victory when Wilson picked off Favre again late in regulation. Successfully playing ball control football in the final two quarters, running back Maurice Morris shouldered the load rushing for 116 yards while Wallace finished an efficient 18 for 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown as Holmgren was sent off as a winner in his final home game on the sidelines. Soaking up a rare victory in a difficult season, fans infamously hurled snowballs at Jets players from the stands after the final horn sounded.
