Seattle: A "must" win?

[MHS831]

The first game of the season?  Is that possible?  I think it is as close to a "must win" as any first game I have ever seen.

 

Why? 

 

Imagine the reaction if the Panthers beat Seattle.  Compare it to another game/event.  It would be equivalent to a playoff victory around here.

 

The biggest problem with this team is actually how losing has rattled the fan base.  We started as a franchise by going to the NFC Championship during the second year.  We played in 3 NFC championship games and a Super Bowl during the team's first 10 years of existence.  We got spoiled.  Even after a couple down years, 2008 happened, and the team won 12 games, earned a bye and home field advantage for the playoffs.  Seems like decades ago.

 

Since then we had Jerry's pie chart, Marty's spending spree, Fox gets fired, rumors that the team was leaving for LA,  an a few double-digit loss seasons.  We watched the new hope, Rivera and company, give away game after game in the fourth quarter.  We watched other-colored jerseys fill our stadium week after week because the fans had reason to lose their commitment to the team--Jerry and Marty became distant and smug, morons whose decisions were ridiculed across the league.

 

Winning this game would wash away four years of humility and restore hope.  It has a ton to do with the atmosphere for the next home game, and players thrive on that positive energy. So does the economy.  So do I.  I am tired of trudging into work on Monday's following a loss wondering what about life is worth living, hoping to avoid the obnoxious co-worker from the North whose drive in featured a one-liner rehearsal designed to get me to take a swing at him.

 

Enough is enough.  I do not want a moral victory.  I am tired of watching Rivera's face on the sideline looking like a third grader at a spelling be who had just been asked to spell "psuedoantidisestablishmentarianism."   Man up, grab your boys by the pouch, and make a tough call.  Screw tomorrow and next week and next year.  Win NOW.

 

[Jackofalltrades]

I think it's crucial to get off to a good start, but I don't know if it's a "must win" or not.

[OBXPantha]

I don't think RR thinks it is as per his press conference but as was previously discussed maybe he was just trying to keep from putting too much pressure on the team.

[Zod]

The question is incomplete.

 

Is the game tomorrow a "must win" to what end?

 

Is it a must win in terms of a winning season or playoff birth? Certainly not. If it were, Baltimore would be out of the hunt now.

 

Is it a must win to instill confidence in the minds and hearts of the fans who are hoping for not the same old story? Absolutely.

[Ruff]

I think a "must-win" can't apply to the first game of the season. We're playing a team that by all rights should be better than us, and we have a historically awful game one.

That being said, a win would be really nice, and could go a long way to boosting the confidence of the team.

[Squirrel]

Not one game in a season is a must win.  But a season is a must win,

[TylerVagyler]

If we win it's the first time we are over .500 in 5 years.  I'd like to see it happen for that reason alone.

[KSpan]

Fox wasn't fired - his contract was allowed to expire. And there is a difference between a sense of urgency and a 'must-win'. The team absolutely needs to play with urgency and intent, but implying that a loss on Sunday ruins the entire season is melodramatic.

[Carl Spackler]

The Panthers haven't won their opener since 2008 and consequently haven't been to the playoffs since 2008. It would be nice to not be 0-1 for a change, but this is gonna be a tough game. As far as our Week 1 opponents since 2008, this might be the toughest team of them all.

[Ruff]

If we win it's the first time we are over .500 in 5 years. I'd like to see it happen for that reason alone.

Wow, is that true? If so, that's one of the saddest things I've read in a while.

[MHS831]

It really depends on how you look at it.  If the Panthers lose, I know people will say the Buffalo game is a must win.  So, is the second game of the season a...

 

Part of the point is this:  There will not be a realistic opportunity for a late season turnaround. 

 

Yes, mathematically, it is not.  However, what a loss would do to the fan  base is a different issue.

[Chaos]

The only issue I have with a "must win" logic to the first game is that it suggests that a loss ends all hope, and we know it doesn't.  Having said that, it would be huge for this team and fanbase to get this win, bigger than any other season opener I can remember.

[AceBoogie]

I think tomorrow's game is a must win for Seattle. The have San Fran next week and with a loss to us they could be looking at 0-2. Statistics show playoff chances are slim after that kind of start.

If we lose we have buffalo next week and if we can't beat buffalo well this season is over anyway.

[SCP]

Yes it's a must-win.