<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Seahawks' schedule shows they still have prime-time appeal

          Last season was the first since Russell Wilson took over as the starting quarterback that the Seahawks didn't make the playoffs. Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
          • Brady Henderson, ESPNApr 20, 2018, 01:56 AM
            Close
              Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Henderson covers the Seattle Seahawks. He joined ESPN in 2017 covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM. You can follow him via Twitter @BradyHenderson.

          The NFL has released its 2018 regular-season schedule. Here's a look at what's in store for the Seattle Seahawks.

          Breakdown: So much for the thought that the Seahawks might be less appealing to schedule-makers as a prime-time option after missing the playoffs and moving on from a handful of star players this offseason. The Seahawks have five prime-time games, which is the maximum, and four of them are at CenturyLink Field. That's in addition to their Oct. 14 game against the Raiders in London, which was announced long ago. So the Seahawks will be plenty visible in 2018 even if they're no longer legitimate Super Bowl contenders. That's the most notable aspect of their schedule outside of Seattle opening with back-to-back road games -- at Denver and at Chicago on Monday night. One of the other prime-time matchups is a Thursday night home game against the Packers in Week 11, which will be a difficult test against Aaron Rodgers for a defense that no longer has several of its mainstays. Another is two weeks later at home against the San Francisco 49ers, which will mark Richard Sherman's return to CenturyLink Field. By the way: The Seahawks are 22-4-1 in prime-time games since coach Pete Carroll took over in 2010, including a 14-2 record at home.

          London calling: The Seahawks' bye comes at a natural spot -- in Week 7 after their Oct. 14 London game against the Raiders. That will be the first regular-season game outside of North America in franchise history (the Seahawks played in Toronto in 2012). And speaking of reunions, they'll face Marshawn Lynch in that game, presumably for the first time as a Raider since he's unlikely to play when the teams meet in their preseason finales. With the bye sandwiched between the London game and a Week 8 game against the Lions in Detroit, the opening two games will mark the only time the Seahawks are away from home in consecutive weeks. The Seahawks play three of their first four on the road but are at home for four of their final five games.

          Tough second-half stretch: It's not hard to pinpoint the toughest stretch in Seattle's schedule. It comes between Weeks 8 and 12, when Seattle will play at Detroit, home against the Chargers, at the Rams, home against Green Bay and then at Carolina. All of those teams finished above .500 last season except the Packers, who went 7-9 in large part because of Aaron Rodgers' broken collarbone. The Detroit and Carolina games kick off at 10 a.m. PT (subject to flex scheduling), which is always a challenge for teams coming from the West Coast. The London game is the only other one that kicks off in that time slot, though it will be nighttime there.

          Strength of schedule: T-5th, .523

          Seahawks Regular-Season Schedule (all times Eastern)

          • Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, at Denver, 4:25 p.m.

          • Week 2: Monday, Sept. 17, at Chicago, 8:15 p.m.

          • Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 23, Dallas, 4:25 p.m.

          • Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.

          • Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m.

          • Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 14, vs. Oakland (London), 1 p.m.

          • Week 7: BYE

          • Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, at Detroit, 1 p.m.

          • Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 4, Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m.

          • Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m.

          • Week 11: Thursday, Nov. 15, Green Bay, 8:20 p.m.

          • Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 25, at Carolina, 1 p.m.

          • Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, San Francisco, 8:20 p.m.

          • Week 14: Monday, Dec. 10, Minnesota, 8:15 p.m.

          • Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.

          • Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, Kansas City, 8:20 p.m.

          • Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, Arizona, 4:25 p.m.