Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald walks to the locker room following a loss against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Home game struggles for Seattle Seahawks part of broader NFL-wide trend

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 7:00 PM ET

Lumen Field used to be one of the NFL's toughest environments to get a win in if your name wasn't the Seattle Seahawks. When Seattle was at the height of its power from 2012-20 (with one down year in 2017), Seattle was 55-17 at home (.764 win percentage). The last four seasons have seen a significant downturn in the effectiveness of the Seahawks' home-field advantage.

From 2021-24, the Seahawks are 16-18 (.471 win percentage) on their home field — losing more at home in four years than they had the previous nine campaigns. While it's a concerning figure for the Seahawks alone, a Pro Football Focus study shows it's part of a much larger trend across the league.

Nothing coming easy at home

Sure, the Seahawks were an outright better team during those years when their home win percentage was soaring. Their defense, which is supported by the home crowd, was also the best the franchise has ever had. We can't act like that isn't part of the overall equation.

However, according to PFF, other teams have faced similar struggles. The true home-field advantage hasn't arrived until the playoffs in recent seasons.

"Since 2010–14, teams have steadily performed worse at home during the regular season, casting doubt on the notion of home-field advantage heading into the playoffs," PFF writer Bradley Locker wrote. "Over the past five years, only half the league has posted a winning home record — a clear reflection of the fading impact of playing on familiar turf.

"One reason for this trend could be the widening talent gap between the NFL’s best and worst teams. Last year’s Titans, for example, would have been heavy underdogs against the Eagles, Chiefs or Lions — even at Nissan Stadium. On top of that, advancements in preparation, recovery and travel have leveled the playing field, reducing the edge that home familiarity once provided."

NFL teams from 2010-14 won 57.2 percent of their home games, per Locker. That number has since dipped to 53.2 percent from 2020-24. That might now seem like a massive difference, but it's a big enough swing to create an outlier in the data.

In the playoffs, however, it's been the opposite. According to Locker, home teams have posted a 41-19 record over the last five postseasons, illustrating how important it still is to earn a higher seed via regular season win record. The difference, of course, is less of those regular season victories are coming at home.

The Seahawks are a perfect example, as they went 7-1 on the road in 2024 and 3-6 at home. What this data doesn't account for is whether opposing fans are traveling better in certain markets, and how fan turnout (or selling of tickets) is impacting the performance of the home teams. Lumen Field, for example, appeared to be heavily infiltrated by opposing fan bases on multiple occasions last season.

It's always curious when a team turns in significantly better results when traveling as opposed to when they get to stay home and sleep in their own beds. A few of those difficult home losses could have spurred a playoff run if one or two plays had gone a different way. Seattle hopes to reverse that trend in 2025.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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