Making Sunday’s win all the more important was the fact that the Seahawks, who won their first two games at home this season, had lost four straight at Lumen Field prior to Sunday’s victory. And making the win all the more impressive is that the Seahawks were operating under far-from-ideal conditions for much of the week, with the power out at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center from Tuesday night until late Friday morning due to the storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in the Puget Sound region, and that had some people in the area still without power on Sunday.
“Thoughts and prayers go out to those people,” Macdonald said of those in the region still without power. “From our perspective having gone through this week, we thought it was a great opportunity for us to come together. I hope everyone is still safe out there, getting through that. Obviously great to win at home finally after this hiatus and bring some joy back to some people’s lives.”
The power outage meant that, while the Seahawks had limited power in the building provided by generators, meetings had to be moved, there was no hot water in the building, and food service was limited. None of those potential distractions kept the Seahawks from focusing on the task at hand, however, and ultimately from earning a big win.
“We didn’t blink,” Macdonald said.
Added receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who scored the game’s only touchdown and had six receptions for a team-leading 77 yards, “The whole week has been a little weird as you know with the power (outages). I’m just proud of my guys coming in here prepared and ready for today. I thought we attacked today well. We got the win. It was a big win for us. Playoff (type) game like we’ve been saying. Definitely happy with today.”
For players, getting back on track at home was important, first and foremost because it’s hard to have a good season with a losing record at home, and also to reward the fans who create such a special atmosphere at Lumen Field.