Seahawks still have tough reputation at home, but record no longer justifies it

For years, the Seattle Seahawks were a team that no one wanted to play in general, but especially on their home field.

Not only were the Seahawks one of the NFL's best teams throughout the mid 2010s, but they were nearly unbeatable at Lumen Field (or CenturyLink Field, as it was known at the time). From 2012-15, the peak of the Legion of Boom era, they were an astounding 31-5 at home, including a perfect 4-0 in the postseason. It was also during this time that Seahawks fans set the record for the loudest stadium in the world, though that record was short-lived.

Now, though, Lumen Field doesn't have anywhere near the same aura as it did a decade ago.

Seattle's home-field advantage hasn't been the same for years now, but it has been incredibly apparent over the past couple of years. Since the start of 2024, the Seahawks have a record of 4-8 at home, the seventh-worst in the league. That includes a 1-2 record this season, with their latest home game being a narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back on Oct. 5.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks fans look on during warmups before the game against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Despite that, an ESPN survey of 111 NFL players last season found Lumen Field to be the second-toughest place to play in the league behind only the Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium. Is that just a leftover of the past? Well, not entirely.

Even with the Seahawks' recent struggles at home, Lumen Field still gets incredibly loud on game days. Opponents are still averaging 1.5 false start penalties for game at Lumen Field since 2021, the third-most in the NFL during that span, and the noise absolutely plays a part in that.

"You know when you were coming here that they were bringing it," said Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who spent the past eight years with the rival Los Angeles Rams.

"It changes the game. It really does. It's something that other teams have to worry about. When it's at its best, it's constant, too. Coming in as an opposing offense, there's no let-up. It's just every time you're trying to communicate. It's not just at the line of scrimmage. It's in the huddle. ... The stress that causes offenses is a big deal."

The Seahawks' struggles at home are all the more perplexing when considering that they are 10-1 on the road under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald. Restoring that home-field advantage is paramount to them becoming true Super Bowl contenders, but doing so is obviously much easier said than done.

"We've got to win, period," Macdonald said, per ESPN. "Opposing fans don't want to show up if we're consistently kicking butt and doing what we're supposed to do."

"If we knew exactly how we could win games every time at home, trust me, we would be mashing that button, as many times as we possibly could. But what I can tell you is, we're chasing it, we're determined to do it, and our guys are determined to do it."

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