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          NFL Nation

          Seattle Seahawks' 2019 schedule gives them chance for strong finish

          • Brady Henderson, ESPNApr 18, 2019, 01:21 AM
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              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 2019 regular-season schedule. Here's a look at what's in store for the Seattle Seahawks.

          Game-by-game predictions

          Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson predicts an 11-5 finish:

          Sept. 8: vs. Cincinnati -- win

          Sept. 15: at Pittsburgh -- win

          Sept. 22: vs. New Orleans -- loss

          Sept. 29: at Arizona -- win

          Oct. 3: vs. L.A. Rams -- win

          Oct. 13: at Cleveland -- loss

          Oct. 20: vs. Baltimore -- win

          Oct. 27: at Atlanta -- loss

          Nov. 3: vs. Tampa Bay -- win

          Nov. 11: at San Francisco -- win

          Nov. 24: at Philadelphia -- win

          Dec. 2: vs. Minnesota -- win

          Dec. 8: at L.A. Rams -- loss

          Dec. 15: at Carolina -- loss

          Dec. 22: vs. Arizona -- win

          Dec. 29: vs. San Francisco -- win

          Strength of schedule: 25th, .479 opponent win percentage

          Breakdown

          The Seahawks no longer have the same star power following last year's purge of some of the most well-known players in franchise history. But they still have a megastar quarterback in Russell Wilson. That explains why their schedule includes five prime-time games, which is the max. It's the same number the team had on its 2018 schedule before one game was flexed. The Seahawks will play four consecutive prime-time games in the second half of the season, with a bye in Week 11 in between. Being the home team on Thursday night is always a major advantage. The Seahawks will take it when they host the Rams in a Week 5 game that will have early implications for the NFC West standings. Under Pete Carroll, the Seahawks are a whopping 26-5-1 in prime-time games. Week 11 is the latest the Seahawks have had their bye since 2013.

          Early risers

          If Carroll and the Seahawks have any quibble with their schedule, it would probably be the four road games in the 10 a.m. PT slot at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Atlanta and Carolina. The Seahawks won all three of their 10 a.m. games last season (one was in London), but it's still a challenge for teams from the West Coast to play that early. Keep that in mind before you get too confident about the Seahawks beating the Steelers sans Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.

          Earl returns

          Seattle's home game against Baltimore in Week 7 will mark Earl Thomas' return to CenturyLink Field. Thomas has said that he has no hard feelings toward the Seahawks after his tumultuous final season in Seattle. But some fans, whose last image of the All-Pro safety in a Seahawks uniform is him flipping the bird toward Carroll, might not feel the same.