The Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs are coming in hot, entering the NFL playoffs with just six days between games. As each team finished the regular season on Sunday, the normal schedule of the week was thrown out of whack with as the 2011 NFL playoff schedules were released. Instead of a typical Sunday game this coming weekend, each of the four teams will play on Saturday, forcing a change in practice schedules.
During the regular season, Tuesday is typically an off-day. Players gather for a light workout on Monday, take Tuesday off and get back to work installing the game-plan on Wednesday and beyond. The Seattle Seahawks were on the practice field at the VMAC on Tuesday, going through the rigors of practice in preparation for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
Here’s where it becomes a disadvantage. The Saints capped the regular season at home, in New Orleans, on Sunday with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a quick turnaround to this weekend’s first round game, the Saints have to crunch all their preparation into a few short days before traveling to Seattle on Friday. The Seahawks, meanwhile, play at home without having to deal with a day of travel.
Call it a small advantage, call it what you want, but every little bit helps as the Seahawks roll into the playoffs