Could the Seattle Seahawks’ legend of the “12th man” be coming to an end before our eyes? It appears to be a legitimate possibility now.
For those unfamiliar, “12th man” and “12s” are popular terms for Seattle Seahawks fans. As football teams play with 11 players per snap, fans have practically given the defense the advantage of a “12th man” with their raucous and thundering crowd noise.
One notable instance: In a 2005 home game against the New York Giants, the blaring Seahawks crowd caused the opponents to commit 11 false start penalties.
As noted by KING 5 at the time, Seattle fans also set a crowd noise record at 137.6 decibels in a Dec. 2013 contest against the New Orleans Saints. The Kansas City Chiefs’ fans broke the record at Arrowhead Stadium at 142.2 decibels one year later.
But do Seattle Seahawks fans really bring the same levels of intimidation that we saw in the 2000s and much of the 2010s? Perhaps not, as this viral video shows San Francisco 49ers fans invading Lumen Field during Sunday’s season opener:
That’s certainly a sight you wouldn’t have expected to see in Seattle a decade ago.
Seattle Seahawks Are No Longer A Dominant Force At Home
Over Russell Wilson’s first three seasons in Seattle (2012 to 2014), the Seahawks only lost two home games. But from 2021 to 2024, their home record (in order) was 3-5, 5-4, 5-3 and 3-6. Oddly, they’ve been much better on the road than at Lumen Field this decade.
Interestingly, the Seattle Seahawks announced last week that they’d have police officers working undercover by posing as away team fans. How many officers are being used for this isn’t exactly clear, but the video of the 49ers fans’ invasion from Sunday’s game has to be concerning for the Seahawks organization.
After all, this used to be a proud franchise that never had to worry about selling tickets and filling up the stadium with its locals.
