For over one thousand years, the City of Constantinople was an impenetrable fortress. Countless armies tried to attack, but none were successful. It was the greatest home field advantage in the ancient world. It was untouchable, until the year 1453 when the modern firepower and tactics of the Ottomans brought the city to it’s knees, and signaled the end of an empire.
A similar turn of events is happening the in the world of the NFL, specifically in the Pacific Northwest. For years, the home of the Seattle Seahawks – Lumen Field – was a venue where opponents went to suffer a loss. With the roar of the 12th Man behind the Seahawks, Lumen Field was easily one of the top home fields in the league.
Now the Seahawks routinely struggle to win games in front of their faithful fans. In 2021, the Seahawks are an astonishing 0-3 within the friendly confines of Lumen. Although he has been injured for the last few weeks, two of those losses did occur with Russell Wilson at the helm.
This isn’t a recent issue either. In two of the last four seasons, the Seahawks have finished their home record at .500. Last year they did manage to go 7-2, but their final loss was a home playoff game where they were bullied from start to finish by the Los Angeles Rams.
Last year was also a season where no fans were allowed into the stadium due to COVID-19 protocols. This means dating back to 2019, the Seahawks have lost five straight games with fans in attendance. The last time the 12th Man saw the Seahawks win a regular season game at home was a 37-30 win over the Vikings on December 2nd, 2019.
Starting the year 0-3 at home means the Seahawks have an unfortunately prime opportunity to end the year with their worst home record since 2008. That year, Seattle posted a 2-6 mark. I’m not saying they will, but the fact they are already two losses away from having the worst record since then is a concerning possibility.
The Seahawks have a chance to get it right this coming Sunday. They will host the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. If Seattle can’t figure out a way to defend their home turf against one of the worst teams in the NFL it will be indicative of issues they simply will not be able to correct this season.
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