Week 1: Bucs at Seahawks Release

Posted by Matt Loede on September 6th, 2007 filed in News

The Seahawks open the regular season at home for just the third time in the last 10 years when they face the Tampa Bay Bucs at Qwest Field this Sunday, September 9. Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. and will be shown on FOX (channel 13 in Seattle).

This marks the eighth matchup between the two 1976 expansion teams with the Seahawks holding a 6-1 advantage in the series. Seattle closed out last season with a 23-7 win on New Year’s Eve in Tampa. This marks the fourth time in franchise history that Seattle opens against the same team in which they concluded the previous season. Seattle closed and opened the 1981 and 1982 seasons facing Cleveland, the 1986 and 1987 seasons facing Denver and the 1992 and 1993 seasons facing San Diego.

Seattle won the first four games played, including the October 17, 1976 matchup at Tampa Bay resulting in a 13-10 victory. The two teams played in the Kingdome the following year on October 16, also resulting in a Seahawks win, 30-23. After that game, the two teams did not face off for 17 seasons. The Seahawks won 22-21 at the Kingdome in 1994 and also the last two games played in Tampa Bay; a 10-6 win on September 19, 2004 and last season’s finale.

The Buccaneers only victory came November 28, 1999, at the Kingdome ending a five-game Seahawks winning streak that season. The Seahawks began that year 8-2 before running into the Buccaneers, and finished 9-7, capturing the NFC West crown during Mike Holmgren’s first season as Seahawks head coach.