The Seattle Seahawks (9-4-1) are 7-0 at home and have clinched the NFC West, which means they are guaranteed at least one home playoff game. They are also in a battle for a first-round bye with the Lions (9-4). The Seahawks probably want home field more than any other team.
Why?
Historical dominance
The Seahawks lost their first playoff game at their current stadium (then known as Qwest Field, now CenturyLink Field) and have since won nine straight there. The only teams that had longer home playoff win streaks in NFL history are the Packers (13 wins from 1939 to 2001) and the Patriots (11 wins from 1996 to 2007).
The last time the Seahawks lost a home playoff game was Jan. 8, 2005, when Russell Wilson was 16 years old. The Seahawks have played 26 playoff games either home or away (excluding Super Bowls, which are at neutral sites). They are 11-2 at home, 3-10 on the road.
Wilson is 4-0 at home in the postseason, making him one of five quarterbacks since 2001 with at least two home wins without a loss. He’s also 38-5 at home, including the playoffs in his career, the best mark by any quarterback with at least 10 starts since his debut in 2012 (Tom Brady is next at 36-6).
Strange and exciting things go their way
The Seahawks' nine-game winning streak has featured some memorable moments.
2006 wild-card game against Cowboys
Tony Romo bobbled the snap on what would have been a field goal from essentially extra-point distance. Romo still could’ve achieved a first down or touchdown (it was fourth-and-1 from the 2) when he picked up the ball, but he was tackled short of the marker by Jordan Babineaux. The Seahawks hung on to win 21-20.
2010 wild-card game against Saints
Beastquake was born. Marshawn Lynch broke eight tackles and stiff-armed Tracy Porter to the ground before diving into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown run. The crowd was so loud at CenturyLink Field, it registered seismic activity on one of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network’s monitoring stations. It’s the longest touchdown from scrimmage in Seahawks playoff history.
2013 NFC Championship Game against 49ers
The Seahawks were leading 23-17 with the 49ers driving. With 30 seconds left, Colin Kaepernick tried to find Michael Crabtree in the corner of the end zone, but Richard Sherman deflected the pass and Malcolm Smith caught the interception, clinching the win and setting off Sherman's postgame news conference with Erin Andrews and Ed Werder.
2014 NFC Championship Game against Packers
The Seahawks trailed 19-14 when they attempted an onside kick that was in and out of the hands of the Packers’ Brandon Bostick. The Seahawks took the lead and converted a two-point conversion, but the Packers tied the scored and sent the game to overtime. That’s where Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown on the first possession, giving the Seahawks the 28-22 win.
It’s loud there
Stop if you’ve heard this before: It’s loud in Seattle. The Guinness World Records have recognized the Seahawks twice for the “Loudest Roar at a Sports Stadium.” They set the mark with 136.6 decibels during a goal-line stand against the 49ers in 2013, and then bumped it up to 137.6 decibels that season in a game against the Saints.
That decibel level is nearly the equivalent of that on an aircraft carrier deck (140 decibels) and is louder than thunder (120 decibels), live rock music (114 decibels) and motorcycles (100 decibels).