GLENDALE, Ariz. — So off they go, on the road here in the desert — and then likely for the entirety of their postseason, however long that lasts.
Perfect, say the Seattle Seahawks.
“I’m so glad we’re going on the road, so we can finally hear each other and talk to each other,” Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright said before boarding the plane that took the Seahawks (9-6) to Sunday’s regular-season finale at NFC West-champion Arizona (13-2).
Wright said the difference in noise between home games at ear-splitting, press-box-shaking CenturyLink Field and away ones is “night and day.” Thus, he says, that’s the difference between the Seahawks being able to communicate effectively on defense before snaps and being woefully out of touch and place.
Wright says that alone could be the decisive difference for the Seahawks’ defense in the postseason.
“And it will show up,” Wright said. “It WILL show up.”
No matter whether the Seahawks beat the soaring Cardinals or lose for the second consecutive week, Seattle is heading on the road to begin the playoffs next weekend. And the weekend after that, if the Seahawks win Jan. 9 or 10.
Right now Seattle is the sixth of six conference playoff seeds, the second wild card. If Minnesota (10-5) wins at Green Bay (10-5) in the North division title game Sunday night the Seahawks’ first-round playoff will be at the Vikings.
Seattle beat Minnesota 38-7 in Minneapolis Dec. 6 while holding NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson to 18 yards.
If the lately skidding Packers beat the rising Vikings Sunday and the Seahawks upset the Cardinals earlier in the day, Seattle will be the five seed. It would play at No. 4 Washington in the opening round.
If Green Bay beats Minnesota and the Seahawks lose at Arizona, Seattle will be the sixth seed and play its first-round game at the No. 3 Packers. The Seahawks lost at Green Bay 27-17 in September, the second game of this season.
So, yes, it’s timely the Seahawks are saying they enjoy playing away games.
“I don’t think playing on the road is tough, honestly. I enjoy playing on the road,” said quarterback Russell Wilson, who needs 173 yards passing to become the Seahawks’ first 4,000-yard passer in a season. “I love playing (in Seattle) — like I always say, there’s no place like home. But going on the road is actually more exciting, I think, because you get to go to a place that has 75,000 people rooting against you. That’s always kind of fun. … The noise, and being in the huddle with 10 other guys, and they’re all listening. Everybody’s focused, everybody’s so attentive and everything. It’s fun.
“I know for the past four years been able to do that really well, and so I know we all look forward to going on the road.”
The facts Seattle has exactly one road playoff win in the last 31 years — Jan. 6, 2013, at Washington — and has reached its three Super Bowls only after having home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs as the conference’s top seed those three times? We’ll save that for next week.
Wright said there was more miscommunication last week in the home finale that led to big plays by the Rams. It was the Seahawks’ third loss in eight home games, their most home defeats since 2011.
The other losses there this season: When the Seahawks’ defense was split with half playing one coverage and half playing another on Cam Newton’s winning touchdown pass with 32 seconds to go in Carolina’s win in October; and when Arizona’s Carson Palmer completed 29 of 48 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns amid Seahawks confusion in coverages in Seattle’s 39-32 home defeat Nov. 15.
In their last two road games, at Minnesota and Baltimore, Seahawks’ defenders could easily hear and talk to each other before the snap. They didn’t allow an offensive touchdown in either one of those games, winning by a combined 73-13.
Of course, the Cardinals are a far tougher test than the Vikings and Ravens.
Arizona has steamrolled the Eagles and playoff-bound Packers by a combined 78-25 the last two weeks. Coach Bruce Arians has already declared the obvious: Even with the division clinched, his Cardinals won’t be resting any starters. They can seize home-field advantage as the NFC’s top seed with a win and a loss by Carolina at home to Tampa Bay.
Behind the MVP-like Palmer, Arizona has the league’s top-ranked offense at 420 yards per game and the No. 1 passing offense. It’s 6.41 yards per play leads the NFL. So do the Cardinals’ 47.3-percent rate converting third downs and 23.8 first downs per game. Arizona has more touchdowns this season than punts (57 to 55).
Palmer is No. 2 in the NFL in passer rating to Wilson. Pete Carroll’s former Heisman Trophy winner at USC slings it down the field farther than anyone; his 8.9 yards per completion leads the league.
Arizona is 19-2 the last two seasons with Palmer healthy and starting. He missed 10 games last season and his late-season knee injury ruined the Cardinals’ 9-1 start to 2014.
The Seahawks’ secondary has uncharacteristically allowed many deep pass completions this season, especially down the hash-mark seams. That defensive backfield may or may not get back strong safety Kam Chancellor Sunday from the bruised tailbone he got Dec. 13 at Baltimore.
“This week, we’ve got to stay on top,” Seahawks defensive back DeShawn Shead said. “Eliminate the big plays; they are a big-play offense.”
Shead returned last weekend from a sprained ankle, started, then yielded to Jeremy Lane, the usual nickel back. Lane and Shead may alternate more against the Cardinals — anything to get interceptions against a quarterback that will throw it to Larry Fitzgerald (103 catches at age 32) and friends even if the Seahawks have them covered.
“They’re going to put the ball up when you’re in coverage, and it’s your responsibility to have yourself in position. If you’re not, they will capitalize,” Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard said. “That’s one major thing that we’re locked in, we’re focused on, is putting ourselves in position to stop what they do best.”
As well as the Seahawks’ defense has played over the last six weeks, they still aren’t generating turnovers like they did in their runs into the previous two Super Bowls. Seattle has 20 takeaways. That’s four fewer than last season — and 19 fewer than in the 2013 regular-season, before it won the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals are plus-12 in turnover margin (third-best in the NFL), with 33 takeaways. Seattle is plus-4. That’s the key difference between 13-2 and the division champion and 9-6 and the sixth playoff seed.
“Yeah, we definitely need to get the ball back to the offense,” Pro Bowl middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “Whether it’s fumbles, interceptions, I feel like that’s always been a big thing for us. It’s always helped the offense out a lot.
“We definitely need to do that going into the postseason. Oh, that’s definitely been talked about and stressed.”
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