Seahawks Face Gauntlet Over Final 11 Weeks of 2019 Season

Seattle hopes to win the NFC West, but they'll have to earn a division title competing against a challenging schedule over the next few months.

Getting off to a fast start is always a good thing in the NFL, but in the case of the Seahawks, they should be especially thankful for winning five of their first six games with a brutal remaining schedule.

Starting with safety Earl Thomas and Baltimore traveling to CenturyLink Field on Sunday, Seattle will face the third-toughest schedule over the final 11 weeks of the season based on winning percentage. Only Arizona and Atlanta will play more challenging schedules over the last two and half months of the season by that metric.

The Seahawks next 10 opponents have a combined 33 victories, 24 losses, and one tie this season, good for a 57.7 percent win rate. Half of those remaining games come against teams with at least four wins this year, including two matchups against the undefeated NFC West-leading 49ers.

Additionally, the Seahawks have two tough road games against the playoff-tested Eagles and Rams, who just added star cornerback Jalen Ramsey via trade with hopes of bolstering their defense for the stretch run.

From a positive angle, Seattle will play four consecutive primetime games starting on November 11 when they travel to San Francisco. Under coach Pete Carroll, the team has been near unbeatable in nationally televised games, compiling a 27-5-1 record in such contests since his arrival in 2010.

To match last season’s 10-win campaign, Seattle only needs to win half of its remaining 10 games. But after a surprising playoff berth in 2018, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks don’t want to settle for another wild card and expect to compete for a division title with hopes of earning home field advantage in January.

To make that happen, Carroll’s squad will likely need to get at least 11 or 12 wins, if not more. Considering the looming schedule, getting those six or seven more necessary wins won’t come easy and the team will have to put everything together after surviving several close calls in the first six weeks of the season.