This wasn’t any ordinary road trip for the Seahawks, nor did they treat it that way.
Not with the Super Bowl being played in this very same unfamiliar building in less than two months.
Seattle players said they made sure to soak up every last detail about MetLife Stadium before, during and after their 23-0 demolition of the hapless Giants on Sunday afternoon — just in case they make it back to these parts on Feb. 2.
Just don’t ask quarterback Russell Wilson to point it out on a map.
“New York City … uh, Jersey … uh, whatever you want to call it … is a great place to play,” Wilson said with a laugh. “Obviously, it crosses your mind that the Super Bowl is here.”
If any visiting team is worthy of taking a closer look at their Meadowlands surroundings this season, it’s the rampaging Seahawks. Seattle improved to 12-2 with the shutout, is the runaway favorite to grab the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and has looked all but unbeatable at home.
No wonder so many Seahawks players felt so comfortable discussing a subject that most of their counterparts would be afraid to touch out of fear of jinxing themselves.
“I do think that’s advantageous to us [having played at MetLife],” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “Anytime you get comfortable with a stadium, get a chance to play there, see the locker room, see the city, feel the time-zone change and the weather, it’s advantageous to your team.
“Guys got comfortable with their routine this week,” Sherman added, “and if we’re blessed to come back here, guys would have a routine.”
Wide receiver Golden Tate admitted the Seahawks were nearly measuring the drapes in the locker room.
“It’s tough not to think about [coming back] since we’re 12-2 now,” Tate said. “We don’t vocalize it, but we’re human. It’s hard not to think about it.”
The fit felt even cozier for Seattle because so many of their famed “12th Man” followers were in attendance — and the 5-9 Giants were so bad — Sunday’s contest often felt like a Seahawks home game.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll and several of his players raved about the strength of the fan turnout considering the distance.
“Our 12th man did a great job showing up and showing out, and we appreciate that,” Sherman said. “They were making noise throughout the game, and they made us feel at home. They made a great impact today.”
Added Wilson: “It was just a great atmosphere for us, and we played a great game.”
As well as saying they won’t mind if it snows on Feb. 2, the Seahawks appeared to be most excited about the logistical upper hand of visiting the Meadowlands well in advance of the Big Game.
“We’re definitely comfortable here now,” Tate said. “We understand the locker room, the city, the hotel, the drive over here. It’s definitely an advantage, although it won’t matter if we don’t handle our business before then.”
Wilson agreed the Seahawks need not get too comfortable.
“We’ll just have a great feel for the stadium [if we make it back],” he said. “We’ll have been here before, and we were successful here. That’s a positive thing. But to get to the Super Bowl, we have a lot more work to do.”