Taking momentum from their NFC West championship into the 2011 season won’t be easy for the Seahawks.
Not with the way their season starts.
Seattle opens its season with two road games — at San Francisco on Sept. 11 and at Pittsburgh on Sept. 18 — and plays four of its first six on the road. And one of the two home games in the first six games is against Atlanta, which went 13-3 last season.
Of course every game on the NFL schedule, which was released Tuesday, is in question at the moment because the league is in the midst of a lockout that began in March. But assuming things get resolved by September, the Seahawks start their NFC West title defense with a tough stretch of games.
The Seahawks also will play host to a pair of primetime TV games, something they’ve had very few of in recent years. Seattle did have its Week 17 game against St. Louis flexed into primetime last season, but the Seahawks were not scheduled for any primetime games at the start of either of the past two seasons.
This year, Seattle will play host to Philadelphia on Dec. 1 in a Thursday night game, then St. Louis on Dec. 12 on Monday Night Football.
Of Seattle’s eight road games, five kick off at 10 a.m. Pacific time, historically a very difficult starting time for West Coast teams. If the Seahawks survive those games and a tough start to the season, they do have the advantage of playing four of their final six at Qwest Field.
Seattle ends its regular season game on the road at Arizona on Jan. 1, 2012. The Seahawks’ bye comes in Week 6, sandwiched between trips to New York and Cleveland. The Cleveland contest marks Browns president Mike Holmgren’s first game against his former team.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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