The Seahawks Versus Early East Coast Games
The Seahawks are probably contenders this season, even with their horrible defense, simply because they are operating so well on offense. But they have more than one major weakness. They occasionally have to go east. For 1pm EST games.
Unlike Seattle’s defense, this feels like it has been a problem for a while. Not a major one, mind you, but enough of one that it feels like there have been a lot of Hawks games over the years where they’ve started very slow on a 1pm EST game and had to dig themselves out of a severe first half hole. The Hawks have been good enough for the past decade to do this, but it it still happens. This most recent week with Buffalo is a good example.
Seattle got off to their usual east coast slow start, finding themselves in a 17-0 hole shortly into the 2nd quarter after sloppy offensive play and horrible defensive play. They found some points late but still entered halftime down 14 points. They came out of halftime and fumbled, let the Bills go back up by 17 points, and from then on it was a pretty even game. Since the Bills are good this year and Seattle has no defense, the hole simply proved insurmountable. If Seattle doesn’t sleep for the entire first quarter they probably has a good chance of winning the game. They narrowed the gap to one touchdown but they just never got close enough.
This isn’t meant to throw shade at the Bills, who are good. This isn’t like Seattle would have stomped Buffalo otherwise. But it probably would have felt more evenly matched. I also can’t say that “Seattle Vs East Coast” is a true measurable phenomenon but it feels like it happens to them at least once per season. To be fair to Seattle, they are also a weird team that have never played a normal game.
See, this SOUNDS like a solid excuse, but the Hawks are 11-3 in EDT games since 2016 (this includes prime-time games, I haven’t dove fully into start times for each game).
I’m not sure where the narrative that Seattle cannot win on the east coast came from. I think McAfee said it and suddenly everyone is all “yeah that makes sense”. All it does is ignore the historically bad pass defense the Hawks have (which is the main reason they lost) as well discount the effort put forth by Buffalo with fortunate scheduling.
Yeah, having a game a 10am local time sucks, but if the team isn’t prepared for it, that’s a failure on the coaches/staff/players for not preparing properly.
That’s probably the thing you need to zero in on. Not just EST games, but specifically 1pm (early scheduled) EST games, and if you can look up how the first half went.
Those are games being played at 10am for those players, and that’s where the theory comes from
in an article from Nov 19th last year: “The Seahawks have won six consecutive 10 a.m. PT games dating to the middle of the 2016 season, and are 3-0 this year. And Seattle is 14-6 in its last 20 10 a.m. starts, a turnaround that began in 2013 when the Seahawks went 4-1 in 10 a.m. starts, a year after they had gone 1-3.”
Seattle has been better that .500 on 10am games, but does that mean they don’t struggle? I haven’t looked into it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are often ranked well above the teams they are playing at 10am. The Seahawks have been a playoff team for all but one of those years, and it is likely that games they played against east coast playoff teams on the road were more often primetime games than those against non-playoff teams.
The better question is have the Seahawks performed above or below predictions for these 10am games? Maybe they won more than lost, but should have won more than they did.
Either way, I love the comic and the Seahawks definitely deserved it with their performance!
MMM data mining. Hawks are 13/7/3 ATS on 1 PME “East Coast” away games. MB CIN CLE PIT dont count and mb TEN does but im done working on this lol.
DATA https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tz7hxLJv8oeUwAMLi65y-h3EOVkpg7JTTQLyoIRwCrs/edit?usp=sharing (via oddsshark)
Since ’08*
Now this is the kind of data mining that gets my blood going! SEA is 13/7/3 ATS since ’08 on games I deemed “East Coast” at 1 PM E
Maybe CLE PIT CIN dont count but i counted em. MB TEN does idk
DATA: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tz7hxLJv8oeUwAMLi65y-h3EOVkpg7JTTQLyoIRwCrs/edit?usp=sharing (via oddsshark)
Seattle added Jamal Adams and everyone thought they’d step it up. They have B-Wag, who I thought was the best MLB in the league. I guess not. Dave you should seriously consider watching Gridiron Heights. I’m just saying, it is good. It’s this comic as a cartoon, they are only one-two minute episodes so it’s not a waste of time.
True that. Bleacher Report’s been stepping up their game with Gridiron Heights recently.
That’s about the only place then.
I know about Gridiron Heights you can stop mentioning it in every comment you make
Thank you for your service to this comment section Dave, I appreciate it.
Did Kyle Orton come back for that last panel?
IKR? I am so glad I’m not the only one who noticed that.
We don’t need to beat them to get to the supper bowl tho so steven gridiron heights is a little over talked but it’s ok
This seems Familiar to some other comics HHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Congratulations to the Seahawks for being the recipients of this comic this year.
Who is operating everything besides the steering wheel?
And I thought this would be the Steelers.
To be fair, a lot of west coast teams start slow in those games, not just the seahawks.
ACKSHUALLY Seahawks are 10-1 in early games since 2017
Shut up, Dave does his research and doesn’t need your 2 IQ statements about how he can do his job. Also the Panthers on Primetime TV.
ur a panthers fan too?
Go Panthers
I just wanted to pop in and say, as a Hawks fan, how great a burn it is that Dave put them in the Action Green uniforms for when they look stupid. Because as much as the Hawks have the best uniforms in the league, those alternate jerseys are hideous and I cringe every time they show up on the field. Sick burn, my friend.
*Cough Cough*
A 2012 quote from Mr. Rappoccio himself:
“Nike just released their uniform redesigns for the NFL. Outside some fabric changes, and the noteable exception of the Seahawks, none of the uniform designs changed much. The seahawks somehow were made worse. Just bring back the freaking neon green jerseys and everyone will be happy. I know I will be, the Neon jerseys had a definite identity which was loads better than the weird blue they wear nowadays. Blue is so distinct, that’s why half the league wears some variation of it.”
I still like them more than most but I know most people hate them
why does everyone think the ‘hawks in neon green is ass
The Green jerseys with the blue pants is a heck of a look. Underrated, and a perfect alternate.
I love this format so much
This is always my favorite comic format-it’s what reminds me that the Steelers first loss will probably be against a bad team on the road (it could have been the Cowboys rip)
I appreciate how Buffalo in this comic is just drinking beer and generally being derpy. Also how the background shifts from rainy Washington to snowy New York.
You should tag this and the other ones (Steelers? Pats? Panthers? Maybe more) with “hype train wreck” or something like that
You have done it again.