Another season is well in the books, so I thought it would be a fine time to go back and look at how the Seattle Seahawks have fared against their division rivals in the biggest moments. Ever since joining the division during the 2002 re-alignment, the Seahawks have mostly owned the west.
Seattle has won the division nine times since 2002, which is far more than San Francisco (5), Los Angeles/St. Louis (4), or Arizona (3). Yet not all games – or wins – are created equal. Some simply mean much more.
Whether it is for high stakes or merely symbolic, let us examine the Seahawks’ most important wins over their division rivals.
Arizona Cardinals: Seahawks dominate 58-0 in 2012
The 2012 Seahawks are remembered fondly, but there are those who forget the fact this team was middling along at 6-5 through twelve weeks. A crucial 23-17 overtime win in Chicago over an 8-win Bears team gave Seattle new life in a way the franchise had never seen before – or since.
After their victory in the Windy City, the Seahawks had unlocked something, and their victims were the lowly Arizona Cardinals. Seattle absolutely pasted Arizona to the tune of 58-0, the largest margin of victory in franchise history.
The Seahawks’ blowout win kicked off a remarkable three week stretch, followed by a 50-17 win over the Buffalo Bills and a 42-13 win over the eventual NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers.
THEN-St. Louis Rams: Seahawks beat Rams 16-6 to win NFC West at 7-9
The NFC West for the last decade has been routinely recognized as one of the most competitive divisions in football… but it wasn’t always this way. In the not-too-distant past of 2010, the NFC West was once the single worst division in league history. It was so bad the eventual winner – the Seahawks – did not even have a winning record.
It all boiled down to a Week 17 showdown in Seattle, with the Seahawks hosting the St. Louis Rams. The Rams had defeated Seattle 20-3 in Week 2, and with a win in Week 17 they would have clinched the division at 8-8.
Instead, the Seahawks punished rookie quarterback Sam Bradford with three sacks, and Seattle quarterback Charlie Whitehurst did just enough to get Seattle the 16-6 win.
San Francisco 49ers: Seahawks win 2013 NFC Championship
Could it be anything else? With the exception of hoisting the Lombardi two weeks later in Super Bowl XLVIII, there is perhaps not a better moment in Seahawks franchise history.
The Seattle/San Francisco rivalry in the early 2010’s was a sight to behold. Two teams built in nearly identical ways, led by two head coaches with a longstanding rivalry dating back to their careers in college football, it was must-see every time the Seahawks and 49ers faced off.
It was only right the two powerhouses of the NFC would square off with conference supremacy on the line. There could only be one, and ultimately, it was Seattle who prevailed.
