Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week we ask questions of the most plugged-in Seattle Seahawks fans and fans across the country.
The regular season has ended and the Seahawks are the NFC’s No. 1 seed, which means the path to the Vince Lombardi Trophy runs through Lumen Field. For the first time in 11 years, Seattle enters the postseason atop the NFC.
Before the playoffs begin, let’s have a look at the latest Seahawks Reacts survey to see how the 12s are feeling right
now.
Following a franchise-best 14 wins in the regular season, football fans in the Emerald City are as confident as ever in the team’s playoff hopes. The last three times the Seahawks got the conference’s top seed—2005, 2013, 2014—the team reached the Super Bowl. Coincidence? I think not.
Now, I’m not saying that Seattle is guaranteed to make its fourth appearance on the game’s biggest stage. What I am saying is that this level of confidence is entirely justified. The Seahawks have the league’s leader in receiving yards, the top-ranked defense in points allowed, and have broken a franchise record for wins in a season with a second-year head coach. Naturally, this translates to a high level of fan confidence in a team.
On to the big question from this week’s poll: Who would Seahawks fans most want to play in the Divisional Round?
Unsurprisingly, most of the 12s that responded wish to see the 8-9 Carolina Panthers in the Divisional Round. That being said, it is worth noting that 35% said they most want to see the No. 7 Green Bay Packers.
Evidently, hardly anyone wanted the 49ers or Rams, as those matchups could go either way considering Seattle’s regular season splits with both teams and the sheer havoc that division matchups often bring. The road to the championship is never easy, but most Seahawks fans would probably be okay with not facing L.A. or San Francisco for a third time.
Switching gears away from the NFC West, let’s revisit a hypothetical playoff contest against the Panthers. This matchup would provide a lot of familiarity for Seattle—these teams last met just two weeks ago, with the Seahawks leaving Charlotte with a 17-point victory after being tied 3-3 at halftime.
There’s also Carolina head coach Dave Canales’ ties to Seattle—Canales was a long-time assistant on Pete Carroll’s coaching staff, going all the way back to Carroll’s time at USC. Canales worked under Carroll from 2009 to 2022, serving in various roles on his offensive staff prior to being hired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator for 2023. Obviously Canales is not Carroll, but he spent a lot of time around the legendary Seahawks coach.
Lastly, there are a few notable similarities at play between this year’s playoff field and that of 2014. In 2014, the Panthers won the NFC South at 7-8-1, defeated the Arizona Cardinals (an NFC West opponent) in the wild-card round, and lost to Seattle at the then-named CenturyLink Field the following week.
This season, Carolina won its division at 8-9 and is gearing up to host the Los Angeles Rams (a much more hated NFC West foe) for wild card weekend. I’ll let you fill in the rest.
On that note, I hope you all enjoy a stress-free opening round with your preferred divisional playoff matchup coming to fruition!
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