Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Our @goldmctNFL explores three quirks of the #Chiefs’ 2023 schedule:
Each year the NFL’s schedule is wholly unique, which is part of what makes the reveal such a big spectacle.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, fans have become accustomed to them playing a tougher schedule with the team constantly finishing as its division winner. Still, there are always a few quirks each year that separate their schedule and make it unique from each year prior.
Here’s a quick look at three of those quirks from the Chiefs’ 2023 schedule:
The Packers will open on the road (in Chicago Week 1) for the fifth straight season under coach Matt LaFleur.
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Matt LaFleur doesn’t know what a Week 1 home game feels like as a head coach, and he won’t get his first taste in 2023. The Green Bay Packers are opening on the road — in Chicago this season — for the fifth-straight year since LaFleur was hired in 2019.
The 2023 season mirrors the opening of 2019, LaFleur’s first season when the Packers began the year with a win over the Bears at Soldier Field.
The Packers have opened seasons on the road against the Bears (2019), Minnesota Vikings (2020), New Orleans Saints (2021) and Vikings (2022) since hiring LaFleur. Green Bay is 2-2 in Week 1 games under LaFleur but have lost two straight by double-digits.
It’s clear LaFleur would prefer to have a season-opening home game.
“That’s something I thought was going to change,” LaFleur told Larry McCarren of Packers.com. “There’s nothing like having an opening day game at your home stadium with your crowd behind you, but, again, the schedule makers said that’s not the case, and we’ll be prepared to play against a Chicago Bears team that certainly looks, on paper, much improved. It’ll be a great challenge for us.”
The Packers actually go on the road in back-to-back games to start 2023. The home opener doesn’t arrive until the Saints come to Green Bay in Week 3.
The Packers haven’t played at home in Week 1 since coming from behind to beat the Bears in 2018. Per the team, the five-year streak of not playing at Lambeau Field in Week 1 is the longest in team history.
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The Seattle Seahawks could start the 2020 NFL season with two road games, or at least one thanks to the Mariners and Sounders’ schedules.
The Seattle Seahawks could start the 2020 NFL season with two road games based on recent information regarding the schedules of the Seattle Sounders FC and the Seattle Mariners.
The NFL will announce the Seahawks’ schedule in April before the draft, but it is very likely the team will play an away game in Week 1. The Sounders play at CenturyLink Field on September 13 and the Mariners have a home game the following day, eliminating the possibility of a Monday night home game.
The Mariners and Sounders also have home games the following week, so the Seahawks will not get a home game that weekend unless it is featured as the “Monday Night Football” matchup.
Hat tip to Field Gulls for piecing things together.
Due to Mariners and Sounders scheduling conflicts, the Seahawks will likely to start 2020 regular season with two straight road games https://t.co/faskXKCfKz
— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) January 16, 2020
The main takeaway is this, with the soccer and baseball games already on the books, Seahawks fans should not expect too many home games early in the 2020 season.
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The Seattle Seahawks will face the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round and will try for their first win in Lambeau Field since 1999.
The Seattle Seahawks face a daunting challenge in the divisional round of the 2019-2020 NFL postseason as they travel to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Packers finished 13-3 and claimed the No. 2 seed in the NFC under a rookie head coach in Matt LaFleur, a revitalized offense, and a defense that has shown flashes of greatness throughout the season. Not many of their wins have looked easy, and like the Seahawks, they have had a tendency to play down to the level of their seemingly-inferior opponents. However, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still capable of strong play even at age 36 and he has proven that he can still take over a game when the Packers need him to.
But there is something even more troubling for Seattle. The Seahawks have not won a game in Lambeau Field since 1999, the first season in franchise history under Mike Holmgren. Be it in the regular season or the playoffs, Seattle has been unable to seize victory in Lambeau in the 21st century. In fact, the Seahawks have had quite a few brutal losses on the frozen tundra, including the 2003-2004 wild card loss in which Matt Hasselbeck threw a pick-six to Al Harris in overtime that decided the outcome, and a 38-10 thumping in 2016 in which Russell Wilson threw five interceptions. In addition, Green Bay is known to play well in wintry conditions and the temperature drops of December and January, especially in Wisconsin. This matchup will certainly not be easy and the Seahawks should definitely expect more resistance from Green Bay than they received from the Eagles.
Seattle has a prime opportunity to defeat the Packers in Lambeau for the first time this century. It will not be a cakewalk, but the Seahawks have proven themselves to be warriors on the road this season with an 8-1 record (postseason included) and they could extend that record on Sunday. If there is one thing the Seahawks know how to do, it is keeping a game competitive.
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The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the 2019 playoffs. Here are five takeaways from the game.
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 17-9 at Lincoln Financial Field to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. The score was the same as that of their regular-season victory in Philadelphia. Seattle will now travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round on Sunday. Here are five takeaways from this game.
The Seahawks entered halftime up 10-3. Both defenses played well in the first half and didn’t give up a touchdown until Marshawn Lynch’s run with just over a minute left in the half. The Seahawks defense bent but didn’t break, never allowing a touchdown and getting key stops when they needed to. The Eagles defense played solidly overall until the final play when they allowed DK Metcalf to corral a deep third-down pass from Russell Wilson to clinch the win.
Clowney hit Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz while leading with his helmet when the latter gave himself up. This should have been penalized by the officials, but it was not. Wentz would not return for the remainder of the game, leaving Josh McCown to step in. The Eagles had some success offensively with McCown as their quarterback, but it was not enough to rally for the win.
Wilson had his best game in recent memory, throwing for 325 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions while completing 18 of his 30 passes (60%). He also chipped in 45 rushing yards and looked like his dynamic self once again, often scrambling to avoid sacks, getting yards himself when necessary, and making decisive throws for the most part. He missed his mark a few times but played well enough to win and his final pass to DK Metcalf to clinch the victory was a thing of beauty. Speaking of which…
Metcalf had seven receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in his first postseason game. He had a number of big catches, including the game-winning reception on third and 10 with under two minutes in regulation. This was exactly what Wilson and the offense needed with the team having lost many key offensive players to injuries. What’s more, the Eagles passed on Metcalf in the 2019 draft, electing to draft JJ Arcega-Whiteside instead, seven selections before Metcalf dropped to Seattle. Very satisfying for the rookie indeed.
Seattle continues to excel on the road, improving the team’s road record to 8-1 on the season including the playoffs. This has been an anomaly from the Seahawks’ usual dominance at home, but they will need to keep it up. Seattle will likely have to play two more games away from CenturyLink Field to get to the Super Bowl, starting with their divisional-round matchup with the No. 2 seed Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
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There was speculation that Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks tore his ACL in Week 17 against the 49ers, and now it is confirmed.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks suffered an injury in the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers and there was speculation that he tore his ACL. Unfortunately, those suspicions were confirmed and Kendricks is now out for the playoffs.
“Mychal looks like he’s going to need surgery, so he’s going to be out for a while,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters Monday afternoon. “I know reports came out before he even had his MRI. I don’t know how they did that, but they were pretty accurate. He’s got an ACL injury that he’s going to have to deal with.”
This is yet another blow to the Seahawk’s postseason ambitions as they have lost several key players to injury throughout the year. Kendricks recorded 69 tackles, three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
As the No. 5 seed, the Seahawks will play the No. 4-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the postseason. Seattle has a 7-1 record on the road this year, the best in franchise history. The Seahawks have also beaten Philadelphia in one of those games. However, the playoffs are an entirely different beast from the regular season and the Seahawks must be prepared.
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New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t afraid to take his show on the road, citing his team’s high win percentage away from the Superdome.
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The New Orleans Saints have done everything possible to secure a first-round bye week, though it’s still eluded them. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is out of their reach after the Green Bay Packers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Detroit Lions, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants it known that he isn’t afraid to go play on the road.
“I know a lot of people talk about the Superdome, and about us being a dome team, but the bottom line is that over the last 10 years we’ve won more games on the road than everybody but the New England Patriots,” Brees said during his postgame press conference.
That’s quite a stat to pull out of his hat, and Brees isn’t wrong: only the Patriots (57 wins ) outpace the Saints (52) in road wins since 2009, though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are close (having each won 51 games). As they’ve proven this season, the Saints can win anywhere in the NFL.
“I think that’s saying something about our teams,” Brees continued, “About how we’re coached. I think it says a lot. This year we were, what, 6-2 at home and 7-1 on the road?”
The Saints have been just as effective on the road as at home in the Superdome; there’s no greater evidence of that than the 38 and 42 points they dropped on the heads of their last two opponents, each of them in cold weather on the road.
Still, Brees hasn’t hung around the NFL this long by not taking things for granted. He knows what it takes to win in a hostile environment, and expects his team to prepare accordingly when the time comes: “Bottom line is each road game presents its challenges. It’s the crowd noise, it’s the conditions, it’s all those things you gauge depending on where you go. You plan for it, and this game is still about energy and execution. And I feel like that’s something we’ve done a great job with everywhere we’ve gone.”
Drew Brees on playing at home in the playoffs compared to being on the road in the playoffs #Saints pic.twitter.com/P3ZA4Ljhc8
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 29, 2019
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The Seattle Seahawks improved to 11-3 by defeating the Carolina Panthers by a score of 30-24. Here are five takeaways from the game.
The Seattle Seahawks (11-3) defeated the Carolina Panthers (5-9) on the road by a score of 30-24, clinching the best road record in franchise history at 7-1 and a playoff berth virtue of the Rams falling to the Cowboys on Sunday. The Seahawks control their own destiny as they return home for the final two games of the regular season. Here are a few takeaways from the Week 15 win.
After throwing four touchdowns to four interceptions over as many games, Wilson returned to his form over the first nine weeks, throwing for 286 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also had a perfect passer rating through the first half. Wilson was poised, decisive and kept mistakes to a minimum. The Seahawks will need this kind of production from Wilson consistently if they wish to make a deep postseason run. A solid day for Seattle’s treasured franchise quarterback.
K.J. Wright recorded two interceptions, while Bobby Wagner had another. Whenever Seattle’s two veteran LBs had an opportunity to make a play, they made the most of it. The Seahawks gave the ball right back to Carolina after Wright’s first pick but turned his second one into points with a field goal. Wagner’s interception was athletic, worthy of the highlight reel, and prevented the Panthers from scoring points before halftime. Wagner suffered an ankle injury late and did not return, but walked off the field under his own power. A great day for the vets.
After Rashaad Penny’s unexpected production over the past few weeks and his devastating ACL tear, Chris Carson was expected to carry the load as the workhorse back. He did that with superb ability this week against the Panthers’ porous run defense, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which came on a fourth and 1 in a crucial moment in the game. He was perhaps the player of the game for the Seahawks, picking up first downs when they needed him to and never losing grip of the football. This performance was exactly what Carson and the team needed.
It is safe to say that Lockett is healthier than he was in the past three weeks. It showed on the field, as he recorded eight receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown, breaking his career-high of 965 receiving yards last year. He said in his postgame interview that he still feels a little sick from the flu, but he certainly looks better. He is knocking on the door of 1,000 receiving yards for the season, needing just six yards to reach the mark. If he accomplishes this, he will be the first Seattle receiver to do so since Doug Baldwin in 2016. Lockett looks to be returning to peak form on his road to 100% recovery, which is a very good thing for Seattle.
Seattle has only blown out an opponent once this year, the Cardinals on the road in Week 4. Once again, the Seahawks built up a sizable lead and found a way to nearly squander it. This team always keeps games competitive whether they are winning or losing. Pete Carroll loves to burn out the clock, but this tactic often leads to three-and-outs and gives the opposing team opportunities to play catch-up, which may eventually bite Seattle if not careful. It says something about the Seahawks’ resilience as they keep finding ways to win . . . but they have made many games closer than they should be on paper.
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The Seattle Seahawks’ success in 2019 has been fueled by the culture and chemistry in the team’s locker room according to LB Bobby Wagner.
The Seattle Seahawks are 10-3 and in second place in the NFC West coming off a brutal loss Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams. However, they are still hot on the heels of the 49ers for the division lead with three games left to play, culminating in a showdown with San Francisco in Week 17.
Almost nobody expected the Seahawks to start 10-3 in 2019. There are multiple factors that have contributed significantly to the team’s success this season, including the culture in the locker room.
“I just think it shows how close of a group we are,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said last week. “When we go on the road, everybody’s connected, everybody’s together, and I think that’s what makes us a really good road team – the connection, the chemistry, especially on the defensive side because when the offense is up it’s so quiet. We’re able to communicate a lot better, we’re able to talk to one another a lot better. You can only talk to other people if you have a chemistry with them.”
Wagner said he and the other veterans got the younger players involved and mixed the position groups together to make them feel more connected – including while riding on the team bus.
“The one bus thing was just for everybody to be more connected,” Wagner explained. “Instead of separating the groups, having everybody come together, everybody preparing together, everybody coming out together, I feel like it speaks to that closeness. When you’re around the guys so much it makes you learn who you’re playing with and builds that comradery.”
Following their gut-wrenching primetime loss to the Rams, the Seahawks will seek to recover together against the Panthers in their final road game of the season.
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The Seattle Seahawks are undefeated on the road at 5-0 this season and can extend that record against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
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The Seattle Seahawks are known throughout the NFL for their daunting home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field. However, they have been less stellar as a road team in the Pete Carroll era. That has changed substantially this season, as the Seahawks are undefeated on the road with a 5-0 record in 2019. This is already one win away from the record for most road victories in franchise history, behind the 2013 season in which they finished 6-2 away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field.
Conversely, Seattle suffered their two losses at home against the Saints and Ravens. Most of the Seahawks’ wins have been close shaves, but they keep finding ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This is particularly evident on the road, as four of their five victories away from Seattle have been by one possession. At the end of the day, what matters is the fact that the Seahawks keep winning, not the method by which they achieve the victories.
The Seahawks (8-2) have a chance to keep their 2019 road record perfect when they face the Eagles (5-5) in Week 12. Seattle has performed well in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a 4-0 record there over the past 14 years. This could work to the Seahawks’ advantage, especially considering the Eagles are coming off a devastating loss to the Patriots. The game against Philadelphia will take place on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field at 10:00 a.m. PT.
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