The Seahawks will be without their "12th Man" to begin the regular season.
Seattle announced Wednesday that it will play at least its first three games at CenturyLink Field without fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The team is set to host the Patriots in Week 2, Cowboys in Week 3 and Vikings in Week 5.
"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult determination to play at least our first three home games (Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11) without fans in attendance," the team said in a statement. "While CenturyLink Field has become the best home field advantage in the league thanks to the energy and passion of the 12s, the health and safety of all of our fans, players and staff remains our top priority. While we are hopeful that conditions will improve as the season moves forward, we will continue to follow the lead of public health and government officials to make future decisions about having fans in attendance."
Team reporter John Boyle noted that the club intends to reach out to season ticket holders should conditions improve and it is determined that it is safe for a limited number of fans to attend games. The next home game that could potentially include spectators would be in Week 8 against the 49ers on Nov. 1.
So far, four of the Seahawks' first five games will be played under these conditions; their Week 1 opponent, the Falcons, announced Monday they won't have fans while the Dolphins, who they'll face in Week 4, have yet to make a decision.
