SEATTLE – Brace yourself.
The Seattle Seahawks are playing a home game today, and that can only mean disaster.
Whether it’s a five-hour post-game commute on icy highways or a wind-created power outage, fans attending Seahawks games haven’t been too happy with the post-game fiascos as of late.
So what does today have in store? More prickly weather, and even pricklier fans.
If the Seahawks lose to the San Diego Chargers today, marking the first three-game losing streak since Oct. 2004, the fan base could start getting restless.
If, on the other hand, Seattle knocks off the AFC heavyweight Chargers (12-2), it could be complete pandemonium.
“If we get a win, that’ll get us into the playoffs, and that will get people excited all over again,” fullback Mack Strong. “But we can’t worry about any of that stuff right now. We have to worry about winning.”
For the third week in a row, the Seahawks (8-6) enter a game needing a victory to clinch the NFC West title. The past two attempts came up short, leaving the fans with that familiar “Same Ol’ Seahawks” feeling.
While 2005 was a dream season for Seattle, 2006 is starting to become a nightmare.
“Losing is hard,” offensive lineman Sean Locklear said. “You’re riding high, and then you fall down fast, and you don’t have time to look back.
“Last year flew by so fast that I have a vague memory of it. All I remember is winning. You appreciate last year, but this is a different year.”
Indeed, it is. Rather than focusing on the NFC’s No. 1 seed or how to balance rest-versus-rust heading into the postseason, this year’s Seahawks have some different goals in mind.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to win a football game,” defensive end Grant Wistrom said.
If the Seahawks figure it out today, it could make the first 14 weeks a forgotten memory. A win over San Diego would immediately re-establish Seattle as a Super Bowl contender, in that the Chargers are arguably the best team in football right now.
San Diego won’t be rolling over, either, even though the AFC West title is already secured. The Chargers are still playing for the No. 1 seed in the conference, which would bring homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer said last week that the goal now is to “work like the devil to try and make sure you finish what you started.”
This time last year, the Seahawks were in a similar position. But now they’re just trying to win a game, win the division, and win back the love of their fickle fan base.
“We are still in a position to win our division,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “A few years ago, that would’ve been awesome. I don’t think it’s as doom-and-gloom as it (is perceived), necessarily. We still have an opportunity to take care of business, accomplish one of our goals this year – and, really, accomplish all of our goals.”
Most of the Seahawks don’t think their recent two-game losing streak has thinned out the fan base.
“I hope not,” Strong said. “They’ve been very loyal so far this year. It’s been that way since I’ve been here.
“I’m sure they feel the frustration, just like we do. But hopefully nobody’s thrown in the towel and jumped off the bandwagon just yet. We’ve still got a lot of football to play.”
“We need to do it so that we can get clicking as a team,” tight end Jerramy Stevens added. “Obviously, we want the fans with us, and we enjoy that, but if we don’t go out and play good football, it won’t matter how much the fans are cheering for us. We need to be moving the ball and sustaining drives.”
Statistically, this doesn’t look like a good week to try to get on track. The Chargers boast the best record in football (12-2) and are ranked in the top 10 in both offense (fifth) and defense (seventh).
But the Seahawks aren’t as concerned with that as much as they are getting themselves back on the winning track.
“We’re looking at it like: if we play our game, we can beat anybody,” cornerback Kelly Herndon said. “We’ve just got to play a complete game. We haven’t done that all year. And if it starts happening now, we can make this run.
“San Diego has been playing well, and they’ve had a great year. But we feel like, if we’re playing out game, we can beat anybody. That’s our whole mindset right now. We don’t care if we beat an average team or a good team; we’ve got to get ourselves right.”
If they don’t get right today, it could lead to another disaster.
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