The Seattle Seahawks have a long road ahead of them, literally.

This isn't the usual Seahawks path to the Super Bowl like we've witnessed in the past. The last two years the Seahawks were the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and thus they didn't have to play a single playoff game on the road en route to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. The Seahawks have had one of the most dominant home field advantages in recent memory, but they're going to have win away from CenturyLink Field.

We've seen wild card teams make it to the Super Bowl before. The 2010 Green Bay Packers, 2007 New York Giants and 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers were all wild card squads that won it all. This Seahawks team posted an average record on the road this year, 5-3. Surprisingly, the Seahawks were just 5-3 at home as well this season. As crazy as it may seem, CenturyLink Field hasn't provided much "home-field advantage" this year to the Seahawks.

In addition to that, Super Bowl 50 will be played at Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks biggest rival. Odds are the Seahawks won't have the overwhelming fan support in that game. So can they do it? Can the Seahawks prove everyone wrong and go 4-0 away from Seattle this postseason?

The matchups don't paint a pretty picture. The Seahawks are just 2-3 against the NFC playoff teams this year with losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers. Eventually the Seahawks are going to have to play one of those elite teams. The Panthers stunned everyone and beat the Seahawks in Seattle back in Week 6. There's a lot more traveling to do when you're wild card team as opposed to being a No. 1 seed.

In addition to not having home field advantage and traveling much more, the Seahawks won't have the luxury of resting their players in the first round anymore. Pete Carroll's squad has been dealing with a lot of injuries at the running back position. Thomas Rawls is done for the year, and Marshawn Lynch has been hindered with lower body injuries. Lynch is listed as probable to play against the Minnesota Vikings.

Russell Wilson has been playing outstanding this season, but one could argue he is being asked to do far too much. His offensive line isn't protecting like we're used to seeing, and Wilson is taking a lot of sacks because of it. Despite the loss of tight end Jimmy Graham, wide receiver Doug Baldwin has been providing an excellent deep threat and reliable target for Wilson.

Still, it all comes back to the defensive side of the football for the Seahawks. The Seahawks "Legion of Boom" secondary is the primary reason they have won the NFC the last two years. Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor should be able to have their way against the Vikings offense this upcoming weekend. Whether or not they can win three straight games after that remains to be seen.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1