As the Seahawks return Saturday to the NFL playoffs from the same position as a year ago — No. 1 NFC seed, first-round bye, potentially two playoff games at home — it is reasonable to consider that they may be better than the team that won the Super Bowl, despite a 12-4 record that is one game in arrears.
A number of statistical measures point to incremental upticks — more yards gained, fewer yards given up, etc. — but one stands out that borders on the astonishing.
In the fourth quarter of the final six games of the regular season, Seahawks opponents have scored zero points. If fourth quarters were beaches, the Seahawks would have made a lie out of an ancient axiom, because they've proved you can sweep out the tide.
By way of comparison, in the final period of the last six games of 2013, they allowed 27 points — still good, particularly when the offense scored 41. But this year, it's 48-0.
That is a door slam felt two states away, and also unprecedented. The Seahawks are the only team in the era of the 16-game schedule (since 1978) to allow zero points in the fourth quarters of the final six games of a regular season. The stingiest fourth-quarter teams:
