Tag Archives: Seattle Seahawks

5 THINGS I’LL MISS IN MY BACKYARD: 2. Puck ‘n Wings/Burrito Bandidos

Posted by gruesomegreg on

So, I’m making a big move on Tuesday–over three kilometres, in fact!  (Okay fine, 3.1 km.)  But while it isn’t a great physical distance, moving to my new apartment means I’ll no longer be in an Annex State of Mind.  I have lived in The Annex for four years now, and have come to the realization that your average Annex resident is either under the age of 25 or over the age of 50.  So I might not miss the people–or being the best-dressed guy on the block on Casual Friday, no less–but there are certainly a few things that I’ll regret not having within walking distance anymore.  I’ll be counting off five of them over the next few days.

(I mean, you don’t actually expect me to walk three kilometres, do you!?  That’s like a half-hour marathon–OK, more like 45 minutes for me…)

5. Lee’s Palace (and to a lesser extent, the Annex Wreckroom)

4. Bloor Cinema

3. Sonic Boom

2. Puck ‘n Wings/Burrito Bandidos

(Just when they had the perfect picture set up, a grumpy old lady walked right into their shot…)

It’s nearly impossible to pick between these two fine establishments, both within a rocket-armed QB’s throw from my soon-to-be-former apartment (which you can sorta see in the far-right corner of this photo).  For my money’s worth, Puck ‘n Wings has the best buffalo wings north of Buffalo, and when it comes to chicken wings in this city, only the Crown and Dragon comes close.  The place is also always almost-empty on Sunday afternoons, so they have no problem putting the Seahawks game on one of their flatscreen TVs for me.  That said, I only caught a couple Hawks games at the Puck last year, as I was able to watch a lot of them at home.  A winning record gets you a lot more televised broadcasts on Sportsnet–and it seems they even have a handful of prime-time contests this upcoming season.  Let’s Go Hawks!!!!

Speaking of the Seahawks, I’ve developed a post-game ritual that incorporated the Mexican joint around the corner from the Puck (and also somewhat visible in this photo), Burrito Bandidos.  See, I’ve made a habit of going for a victory meal after every Hawks win, and ever since the fish ‘n chips joint at Bloor and Albany became a poutinerie, said ritual involves the halibut burrito from Bandidos:

121018_175414

Now, I know there’s a burrito joint near my new digs on Dundas, but I’ve heard they don’t have hali.  And when it comes to wings, St. Louis simply can’t pass the Puck.  Looks like I need a new Sunday ritual–or a healthy supply of subway tokens, anyways. :(

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Could the Seahawks go all the way to the Super Bowl this year? Well… maybe!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

A couple days ago, I hinted that the Super Bowl would be decided between the Broncos and the Patriots in the AFC championship.  And I still believe the Broncos are the best team in the league right now; really, the only team that could knock them off would be the Pats.  On the other hand, the NFC is a lot more wide open.  It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say the Seattle Seahawks could win the conference championship–or that they could lose in the first round.  But as a Hawks fan, I must say I like their chances.

Seattle is certainly one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now.  Not only did they end the regular season on a five-game winning streak, they swept through December in style, putting up a whopping 193 points while allowing just 60.  That’s an average margin of victory of 26.6 points per game, which is more points than most teams even score.  Not only does Seattle boast a top-10 scoring offense buoyed by the third-ranked rushing attack, they also allow fewer points per game than any other NFL team.  The SeaFense is 10th against the rush, sixth against the pass and fourth in fewest total yards allowed.  Hey, you know what they say, defense wins championships, right?

And like I said, there really is no clear cut favourite in the NFC.  The first-ranked Atlanta Falcons had the benefit of playing in a weakened NFC South division, with the added bonus of facing the AFC West in their non-conference schedule.  Aside from the Broncos, no AFC West team had a winning record this season, and the division boasted two of the NFL’s worst five teams in the Chiefs and Raiders.  Is it any wonder the Falcons went 4-0 against the AFC?  Meanwhile, the Seahawks have already beaten both San Francisco and Green Bay this season, although the latter win was highly questionable, to put it mildly…

Sooooo, what’s standing in Seattle’s way, then?  Well, how about the Washington Redskins?  The Skins had an even more impressive finish than the Hawks, winning seven straight games to take the NFC East title.  Along the way, they put up at least 28 points in all but one of those contests, beating the playoff-contending Giants, Ravens and the Cowboys.  In fact, they beat Dallas twice, including a 28-18 Week 17 whuppin’ to win the division.  Washington boasts a top-five offense, both in points and total yards, while rushing for more yards than any other team in the league–including Seattle.  But if defense wins championships, the Redskins’ 24.2 points and 377.7 yards allowed per contest just ain’t gonna get the job done.

Mind you, if Seattle were to win today–and I certainly think they will–they’d then hafta travel to Atlanta.  And while the Falcons did drop a couple questionable contests on the road, their only home loss this season came in Week 17, when they had nothing to gain by winning.  Along the way, they sent Denver, Dallas, New Orleans and New York home in defeat, shutting out the Giants 34-0 in Week 15.  Atlanta also boasts a top 10 offense, both in scoring and total yards, while their sixth-ranked passing attack would challenge the Seahawks’ sixth-ranked pass defense.  Meanwhile, the Falcons defense can stop ‘em when it counts, allowing the fifth-fewest points this season despite finishing in the bottom 10 in rushing, passing and total yards allowed.

As you can see, it won’t be an easy road for Seattle just to get to the NFC championship, where a rematch would loom, on the road, with either the Packers or the Niners.  The Hawks would definitely have some confidence going up against a San Francisco team that they disassembled 42-13 just two days before Christmas, but going up against the Packers in Green Bay, well, let’s just say that the regular officials probably won’t make the same mistake. ;)

In any case, while I might have predicted a Denver-Atlanta Super Bowl, I’ll still be cheering for Seattle every step of the way…

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!

UPDATE 01/06: Well, Seattle took their first step towards the Super Bowl today.  Playing in a hostile environment, they dispatched the Redskins 24-14, earning the franchise’s first road playoff win since 1983!  It got off to a bit of an ugly start, Washington scoring TDs on their first two drives–but then the SeaFense clamped down, holding the Skins to just 69 yards of offense over the final three quarters.  Although they didn’t capitalize on all their drives, the offense played well enough to win, putting 380 yards on the board.  Marshawn Lynch had another Beastly playoff game, rushing for 132 yards on 20 carries, including the go-ahead TD.  Of course, you could say Seattle was helped by a gimpy RG3, who went down for good in the fourth–but hey, a win is a win…  Now, bring on the Falcons!

UPDATE 01/13: Although I had picked Atlanta to win beforehand, I was still cheering for the Seahawks all the way.  Great second-half effort to take a one-point lead with 35 seconds to play, but the SeaFense couldn’t keep ‘em outta field goal range.  30-28 Falcons.  That comeback leaves Seattle with nothing to hang their heads about, but the way the game ended is sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouths, both of the team and of Seahawks fans, myself included.  But hey, like I said in my prediction post, we’ll get ‘em next year, though…

Hey Wood, it’s not like you would’ve won anyways!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

After the 50-17 thumping of the Buffalo Bills by the visiting Seahawks last Sunday, some speculate that this might be the end of the Bills in Toronto Series.  The original agreement between the team and the city was for five years, but according to the Toronto Star, “word is a new deal will soon be announced.”  Just don’t tell that to Bills center Eric Wood, who lashed out at Toronto and its so-called fans on a Buffalo radio station today.  “I think the Toronto series has turned into pretty much a joke,” he said on 97 Rock, as per the Star. “It’s a bad atmosphere for football. I mean, nobody wants to play there.  I guess for opposing teams it beats the hell out of going in somebody else’s stadium and dealing with a bunch of crowd noise.”

The funny thing is, there was a pretty decent crowd—in terms of size and noise—at the 100th Grey Cup a few weeks earlier, although that appears to be an anomaly.  The Argos don’t draw well otherwise, and as for the Bills game, which was reportedly sold out, it had “Only 40,770 fans, the majority cheering for the playoff-bound visiting Seahawks”—Star reporter Bob Mitchell’s words, not mine.  Then again, can you blame Toronto fans for not jumping on the bandwagon of a losing team once a year—or Buffalonians for not taking the cross-border trip to see a team that was all but eliminated from the playoffs by kickoff?  Even in the eyes of someone who only attends one football game a year (someone I can’t really relate to), the choice between the Grey Cup and the Bills game was pretty much a no-brainer.  Of course, I went to both…

Mind you, while most Bills backers have been bashing the team on its website for weeks now, they still show up to the other home games.  Well, most of them, anyways.  When the team’s not winning, there tend to be a few blackouts—which, incidentally, means the Toronto market gets to see different teams on TV.  But when those angry Bills fans do go to the games, at least they show some passion.  As Wood puts it, “I mean, it’s a crucial third down for them in the first quarter, and they’re running just regular snap count, where I don’t care if we have a half-filled Ralph Wilson Stadium, they don’t do that.”

And even if they’re winning (which has only happened once at Rogers Centre, mind you), well… “That game up in Toronto last year worked out in our favour. We got up on them (Washington) early and they pretty much fell asleep with no crowd noise. They gave in quick, too. It’s just not a fun game for us.”

Me, I can’t wait to see what the Daily Buffalo Bills Buzz has to say about this…

Today, I’m heading back into enemy territory (well okay, it’s more of a neutral site…)

Posted by gruesomegreg on

At the 100th Grey Cup, I was surprised by all the Argos jerseys in the stands.  I’ve been to quite a few Toronto games over the years, and I’d never seen so many supporters in double blue.  Of course, I was decked out in Stampeder red-and-white…  So much for that, though! :(

However, just a few weeks later, I’ll be heading back to the Rogers Centre, once again wearing enemy colours.  Well, enemy might be a bit of a strong word.  There isn’t much history between the Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks, and the latter were clearly selected for this year’s installment of the Bills in Toronto Series because they hail from the opposite end of the continent.  Chances are, there’ll be more Bills backers than Seahawks supporters in the stands, which is what the organizers were hoping for.  That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see several other teams’ jerseys in the crowd; casual fans drawn to an NFL contest here in Canada, complete with a halftime performance by Mr. Gangnam Style himself, Psy.

And this game will hardly have a championship atmosphere, either.  From what I gather, Cincinnati’s win on Thursday night officially eliminated eight-loss Buffalo from playoff contention; having already lost to the Bengals on the season, there’s no way they could finish ahead of Cincy in the Wild Card race.  (Let’s face it, a team with an 8-8 record probably wasn’t going to make the playoffs, anyways.)  On the other hand, Seattle already has eight wins, and is trying to hold off a few teams for a Wild Card spot in the NFC.  Having beaten the Bears, Cowboys and Vikings, the Seahawks are in pretty good shape should it come down to a tie-breaker scenario–and an NFC West title isn’t even out of the question.

Y’see, while Seattle heads north to Toronto this week, their division-rival San Francisco 49ers are also taking a long trip to meet the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football.  The 10-3 Pats are coming off a dominating 42-14 home win over a solid Houston Texans squad, have won seven in a row, and have only lost once at Gillette Stadium all season–a fluky 20-18 setback to the Arizona Cardinals all the way back in Week Two.  Considering that they’ve only been held under 29 points twice since then, I wouldn’t expect a repeat of that performance.

And, should Seattle win today, it would set up a meeting between the 9-5 Hawks and the 9-4-1 Niners at CenturyLink Field next week.  Because the only way Seattle loses today’s game is if they look past Buffalo.  I can’t say I see that happening.  C.J. Spiller should get the bulk of the carries for the Bills, but I don’t see Ryan Fitzpatrick putting up big passing numbers, even against a somewhat-depleted Seattle secondary.  And since Buffalo seems to be a pass-first team, despite the lightning in the backfield, they’re bound to have trouble moving the ball.  Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t predict a repeat of last week’s 58-0 shuffling of the Cards–but I don’t think this game will be very close, either.  Seahawks 32, Bills 13.

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!

The agony of missing the playoffs in fantasy football…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Early in the season, my fantasy football team was following the same path as the Seattle Seahawks.  Coming off a big Week Seven win, the Calgary Seahawks (yes, that’s the name of my fantasy team!) were 5-2 and near the top of my league.  But as Seattle headed into its bye week with two straight wins, my Hawks were hitting rock-bottom, registering four straight losses from Weeks Eight to 11.  The last two setbacks were by three points apiece, which only made matters worse.

In Week 10, with Aaron Rodgers and the Pack on a bye, I turned to Ben Roethlisberger in the Sunday nighter–and he just happened to get hurt early in the third quarter after a mediocre first half, leaving me just short of victory.  The following week, I had Frank Gore in the Monday nighter, while my opponent had Vernon Davis.  My four-point lead was erased as Gore didn’t score, rushing for 78 yards, while Davis caught passes for 83 and a TD.  And just like that, I was 5-6.

Fortunately, I had a favourable schedule down the stretch, facing two teams at the bottom of the league that weren’t actively managed.  That said, while the top two teams had long locked up playoff positions, there was a real dogfight going on for the third, and especially the fourth, postseason spots.  Come Week 14, we had two teams at 7-6 and two more at 6-7, though only one of them could make the playoffs in our 10-team league.  Luckily, I was going up against the worst team in fantasy-football history, one whose owner had logged in once since the start of the season to trade Chris Johnson for the aforementioned Davis (clearly, I was asleep at the switch when that trade was accepted) and failed to replace him with another RB in his starting lineup, going with just one back from then on out.  This guy also kept Peyton Manning on the bench all year, while starting Andy Dalton, and had Greg Jennings and Randy Moss at receiver, despite the fact that the former had been injured and the latter invisible for most of the season.  Suffice to say, I laid down the fantasy equivalent of Seattle’s 58-o Arizona beatdown, winning by a league-record 86 points.  But even then, I needed some help to get in…

As it turns out, one of the 7-6 teams was going up against the top team in the league, who proceeded to put up even more fantasy points than I did (151 to my 142), with the likes of Brandon Marshall, Brandon Lloyd, Jamaal Charles and Marshawn Lynch all having huge days.  (For the record, I passed on Lynch to pick Rodgers in the first round, and have been plagued with injuries and inconsistency at the running back position ever since!)  Interestingly enough, the other 7-6 squad was facing off against the second 6-7 team, who had fought their way into contention with five straight wins, including that game where Davis bested Gore in Week 11.  They’d also picked up Chris Johnson in the interim, but just when I was counting on them to continue their winning ways, they really laid an egg.  The same team that had beaten me three weeks earlier played so poorly that they would’ve only bested my Week 14 opponent, the worst team in fantasy-football history, by a mere nine points.  Ouch!

Now, I’m not sure how the Yahoo fantasy tiebreaker system works, but thanks to my Week 14 domination (did I mention I had the SeaFence in my starting lineup?  41 fantasy points, baby!), I finished with the third-most fantasy points throughout the season and the third-best cumulative margin of victory, only behind the two teams that ran away from everyone else.  But while on paper, I might’ve been the third-best team in the league, those two three-point losses had me finishing in fifth place in a format where only the top four teams make the playoffs.  Now ain’t that a kick in the head!

In any case, I can’t be too upset at the shortcomings of my fantasy team, because my Seahawks (the Seattle Seahawks, that is) could pretty much clinch a playoff spot by beating Buffalo this Sunday.  A Seattle win, combined with a Redskins loss to Cleveland, means the Seahawks can finish no worse than sixth in the NFC.  (I think the Rams might need to lose too, but Seattle plays ‘em at CenturyLink in Week 17 anyways.)  Now, to their credit, the Browns have won three straight–albeit against KC, Oakland and a Pittsburgh team starting Charlie Batch at quarterback.  But if Robert Griffin can’t go, Washington’s loss could be Seattle’s gain.  In any case, the Buffalo-Seattle game just happens to take place in Toronto, so I’ll be there to cheer on my team, one way or another. :D

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!

COMMENT OF THE DAY: As a Seahawks fan, I approve this message!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/nfl/article/1299932–buffalo-bills-fans-accept-grudgingly-game-in-toronto

With a few die-hard Buffalo Bills fans grudgingly trudging up to Toronto this weekend for the latest installment of the Bills in Toronto Series, their team all but eliminated from playoff contention, tickets are apparently 85 per cent sold.  Of course, it remains to be seen how many of those seats will be empty after Psy performs at halftime.  That said, any Torontonians with half a brain should be rooting for the Seahawks.  So says this guy:

cotd1210

(And no, I did not post that comment on the Toronto Star…)

The NFC Wild Card race just got a lot more interesting…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

At this time last week, the Seattle Seahawks sat at 6-5, tied with Minnesota and Tampa Bay for the last playoff spot in the NFC.  Fortunately, they pulled off a big road win in Chicago last Sunday, just as I had hoped, while both the Bucs and the Vikes were unlucky losers.  Now, heading into this week, the Hawks find themselves a game ahead of Tampa and Minny–but also the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, who are both very much alive in the NFC East.  Furthermore, the St. Louis Rams, by avoiding a second tie against San Fran this season, are only a game and a half back, with a win over Seattle in their back pocket.

Alas, while St. Louis did defeat the Seahawks way back in Week Four, Seattle has a chance to even the score in Week 17–should the Rams somehow still be in the hunt by then.  The Hawks also boast wins over Minnesota and Dallas, effectively putting them two games ahead of each team.  But they won’t meet the Bucs or the Skins this season, so we could very well be in for a three-horse race.  In fact, with four games remaining, I wouldn’t put the Vikes or the Cowboys out of the picture, either.

That said, Seattle has a pretty favourable schedule down the stretch, with three games at home, and one at a neutral site.  Granted, there will probably be more Bills backers than Seahawks supporters at Rogers Centre next Sunday, but if Buffalo loses today, their slim playoff hopes will go up in smoke.  Toronto Series aside, the Hawks host three divisional opponents this month, as St. Louis, San Francisco and Arizona all come to town, with the Cards already in the Emerald City.  They may not be down to their third-string quarterback anymore, but Arizona’s passing attack is still pretty whack, and they haven’t been putting points on the board all season.  This is a very winnable game for Seattle, especially with the 12th man behind them.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys head to Cincy to face a 7-5 Bengals squad still battling for a playoff spot in the AFC.  This is almost a must-win game for both sides, but coming off four-straight wins–including a 31-13 shellacking of the New York Football Giants–I’d put my money on the home team.  Likewise, the Redskins face a tough test against their in-state rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, who lead the AFC North.  The Skins are on a hot streak of their own, but can they break through the stingy (20.2 points allowed) Ravens D?  That remains to be seen…

Minnesota, for their part, hosts the Chicago Bears squad that’s coming off a loss to Seattle.  With the Bears and Packers tied atop the NFC North, Chicago won’t take this one lightly, and I expect their ball-hawking defense to give Christian Ponder fits all afternoon.  But if there’s one 6-6 team with a reasonable shot at victory, it’s Tampa Bay, who hosts the 3-9 Eagles.  Philly’s down to its backup QB and RB, and without its top receiver, but they still managed to put up 423 yards and 33 points at Dallas.  I certainly wouldn’t sleep on Nick Foles or Bryce Brown–especially since the latter burned my fantasy football team last week. :(

So there you have it, the Seahawks could come into Toronto with a two-game lead in the NFC Wild Card race, whereby beating Buffalo would pretty much wrap up a playoff spot.  Incidentally, the Bills are playing host to the Rams today, so one of those teams will be out of their respective playoff picture by 4 o’clock or so…

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!

UPDATE 6:15 PM: Well, things didn’t go exactly as planned.  Minnesota, Dallas and Washington all won, the last two in the dying seconds or OT.  But the Bucs blew it against Philly, and with Chicago losing to the Vikes, Seattle’s all set to take over the fifth seed.  Did I mention the Hawks are leading 38-0 at halftime?  Now that’s what I call a statement game! :D

If the Seahawks were to ever win a road game, this would be a good time to do it…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

I gotta say, 2012 has been a step forward so far for the Seattle Seahawks.  The SeaFense is shutting teams down, Marshawn Lynch is running over people, Russell Wilson is starting to come into his own–at least at CenturyLink Field.  The Seahawks are a perfect 5-0 at home this year, including wins over Dallas, New England and Green Bay (even if that last one probably should’ve been a loss).  But on the other hand, the 6-5 Hawks have won just once on the road, against the lowly Carolina Panthers.  They’ve got three home games left, so 9-7 isn’t out of the question, but will that be enough to land them a Wild Card berth?

Well, if the Hawks miss the playoffs this year, their last two road losses will come back to haunt ‘em.  Last week, they held the Miami Dolphins at bay for the better part of three quarters, but a couple crucial defensive mistakes cost ‘em late, as they lost 24-21 on a last-second field goal.  Likewise, they had largely kept the Detroit Lions offense in check in Week Eight, but gave the ball back to Stafford and co with a couple minutes on the clock, giving up a game-winning drive in the dying seconds to fall to 4-4.  Now, the Hawks have just two road games remaining–one of which is right here in Toronto–and they need a big statement game to avoid being one-and-done in the playoffs.  Lest we forget, a Wild Card team doesn’t get any home games in the postseason…

Now, I really think Seattle should beat Buffalo in a couple weeks.  It’s a pretty favourable matchup on paper, and the 4-7 Bills are just another loss away from kissing their playoff hopes goodbye.  On the other hand, the Hawks should still be in the thick of things come Week 15–but they might be on the outside looking in come the 16th if they don’t get a win this week.  And you can bet they won’t be looking ahead to the Bills when they’re up against a playoff-caliber opponent, the type of team they could meet in a first round game…  the 8-3 Chicago Bears.

Now, the Bears don’t really light it up on offense.  In fact, they’re dead-last in the league in passing yardage (the only team behind Seattle!), and 30th in total yards.  But if they still score 25 points a game, it’s because their defense is usually good for a touchdown or two.  In fact, they’ve scored eight of them this season, with 20 picks and 13 fumble recoveries.  For a rookie QB like Wilson, this ought to be his toughest road test yet.

That said, I think the kid might finally be up for the challenge.  In his last two road games, those oh-so-agonizing defeats to Detroit and Miami, he put up a respectable 460 yards passing with 4 TDs and just one pick.  Those costly early-season turnovers have been all but eliminated, and of course, he’ll need to continue to be mistake-free for his team to have a chance.  On the other side of the ball, I don’t see any Bears receivers who’ll pose too much of a threat to the third-ranked Seattle pass defense, particularly if the front seven puts pressure on Jay Cutler and the swiss-cheese Chicago O-Line.  This could very well come down to a matchup between Lynch and Matt Forte, not unlike the Week Nine showdown between Beastmode and Adrian Peterson.  AP might have rolled up more yardage in that one, but Seattle won the game, beating the Vikings 30-20.

Then again, there’s no way I see the Hawks putting up 30 points on the Bears at Soldier Field.  For Seattle to score an upset, this should be a low-scoring contest.  But I think they can do it.  Seahawks 14, Bears 12–a final tally the NFC North isn’t unfamiliar with, either. ;)

Even after Amendment 64, we won’t be seeing Birdman Andersen or Ricky Williams on the court/field again…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Well, it looks like Peyton Manning won’t hafta worry about his receivers cracking up in the huddle or being a little slow off the line of scrimmage.  Despite Amendment 64 passing in the state of Colorado and a similar motion getting approval in Washington, the NFL has made it quite clear: marijuana is still considered a banned substance.

“The NFL’s policy is collectively bargained and will continue to apply in the same manner it has for decades,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told USA TODAY Sports.  “The Colorado and Washington laws will have no impact on the operation of the policy.”

It’s the same story in the NBA, where league spokesman Mike Bass reiterated “Marijuana is a prohibited substance under our collectively bargained anti-drug program.”  Methinks the Birdman picked a good time to cut ties with the Nuggets—even if it comes in light of a bizarre child-porn conspiracy…

On a related note, it’s rumoured that Ricky Williams’ comeback hopes have been nixed by the NFL’s statement.  Not that the Seattle Seahawks needed another dreadlocked running back, anyways. ;)

It’s a Thursday night showdown with first place on the line… Where’s Bocephus when you need him?

Posted by gruesomegreg on

The insanity of this Seahawks season continues, what with that crazy last-minute comeback to beat New England last week.  The Seattle team that would lay down against top competition IN the past couple years (2010 Wild Card notwithstanding) now boasts wins over Dallas, Green Bay and New England–all at home, mind you.  The flipside is that their only road win thus far has come against the lowly Carolina Panthers, while they’re also 0-2 against the NFC West.  That makes tonight’s matchup against the Niners in San Francisco a reel big fish for the Hawks.  A win today could see them with sole possession of first place almost halfway through the season, and with Arizona fading (back-to-back losses against St. Louis and Buffalo), the division could very well come down to the head-to-head record between these two teams.  Of course, we’re only in Week Seven…

Last week, while the Hawks pulled off a big comeback victory over the perennial Super Bowl contenders, the Niners found themselves in tough against the defending champs.  After kicking an early field goal, the San Fran offense stalled, going scoreless for three-and-a-half quarters, while their usually-stout defense gave up 26 points.  Of course, the offense gave the Giants pretty good field position by tossing three picks, which probably didn’t help.  Still, the Niners team that went 13-3 last year didn’t get embarrassed like that on their home turf, so perhaps that leaves the door open for Seattle this year.

Of course, the Hawks do it all with defense, giving up the second-fewest points and rushing yards in the league.  The tall, rangy Seahawks secondary has also led the way in racking up five picks, while the D-Line has posted a whopping 17 sacks on the season.  That certainly doesn’t bode well for Alex Smith and his sprained middle finger, he who’s been sacked 16 times and picked off on four occasions thus far, while posting a paltry 214.5 passing yards per game.  For what it’s worth, his Seattle counterpart, Russell Wilson has thrown six picks and 185 yards a game, but he’s coming off a performance (293 yards, three TDs) that was every bit as good as Smith’s last outing was bad.  It might be worth noting, however, that all six of Wilson’s INTs were thrown on the road.  This will definitely be the rookie’s toughest test away from home, no doot aboot it!

In any case, this is likely going to be a knock-em-down, drag-em-out type effort between two tough Ds and elite RBs Marshawn Lynch (549 yards, two TDs) and Frank Gore (470 yards, four scores).  As per custom, I’ve benched both Gore and TE Vernon Davis, who I’m in the process of trading, on my fantasy team this week.  I’ve also partaken this evening in another one of my Seahawks winning rituals: the halibut burrito!

I know it may sound strange, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look–and taste–delicious!  I usually go for one of these after every Seahawks win, but because the game doesn’t start till 8:30 tonight, I had to grab one before kickoff.  I’m hoping it’ll bring the team luck; hey, it sure seemed to work on Monday Night Football against the Packers! Seahawks 14, Niners 12. ;)

LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!