Despite 5 losses in 6 games Seahawks are still in the playoff race--thanks to middling NFC
Yes, they are playing like they are worthy more of a top draft choice than a spot in the playoffs.
Yet thanks to their underwhelming conference, the Seahawks could have both — and thus a truly remarkable season.
Even after losing for the fifth time in six games on Saturday, 24-10 at Kansas City, to fall to 7-8, Seattle remains in postseason contention in the NFC with two games remaining in the regular season.
The Seahawks can still make the playoffs by winning their final two games and getting help. Washington, the seventh of seven NFC playoff seeds entering Saturday, lost 37-20 at NFC West-champion San Francisco. The Commanders fell to 7-7-1. Washington hosts Cleveland (6-9) and playoff-bound Dallas to end the season.
So the Seahawks are, improbably, still just a half game out of a playoff spot.
Detroit had won six of seven entering Saturday to be at Seattle’s heels at 7-7. But the Lions lost 37-23 at Carolina.
Plus, thanks to Seattle trading Russell Wilson to Denver in March, the Seahawks own the third-overall pick in next spring’s NFL draft. That’s because the Broncos are 4-10 entering their shouldn’t-have-been-showcased Christmas game at the Los Angeles Rams (4-10) Sunday.
Playoff contention AND the third-overall pick on Christmas Day. Those are quite the Seahawks stocking stuffers, even after five losses in six games.
“It could turn out...that these last two games are enormous for us, obviously,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said.
“Give us a chance to be in it to the very end.”
Both of the Seahawks’ remaining games are at home: versus the New York Jets (7-8) on New Year’s Day and the Rams Jan. 7 or 8.
Seattle is going to be favored to win each game, which would leave the Seahawks 9-8 with a decent chance to earn the seventh and final playoff seed in the NFC seed.
“Right in the middle of the playoff race,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said after his 25-for-40 passing day for 215 yards, a touchdown and a key interception in the end zone against the Chiefs.
“We’ve got two games. At home. I mean, what more could you ask for?”
Playing better, for one.
They did in the second half at Kansas City Saturday.
Poor starts doom Seahawks
Seattle’s defense held Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to two three-and-out drives and 13 total net yards over three possessions from the third quarter into the fourth. They got pressure on Mahomes and stopped rookie running back Isiah Pacheco, who was running for more than 5 yards per carry early. That kept the Seahawks in the game.
On offense, Kenneth Walker took teammates’ and coaches’ advice and ran more straight ahead and decisively, for 91 of his 107 yards. A running game like that is how these Seahawks have to play, to set up Smith for more success on play-action passes in more attainable third-down situations.
Problem for Seattle was that improvement came after it fell behind 17-0. That’s no way to win. Not against Mahomes and the AFC West-champion Chiefs. Not against the remaining Jets and Rams. Not against anybody.
The early game Saturday fit the Seahawks’ losses to Tampa Bay, Carolina, Las Vegas and San Francisco before Kansas City.
The lack of a running game early put Seattle in third downs and these yardages to go: 10, 10, 8, 11, 11 and 14.
That’s why the Seahawks were 2 for 14 converting third downs Saturday.
That’s why they fell behind the Chiefs 17-0.
“We ran 11 times in the first half, for nothin’,” Carroll spat of Seattle’s 26 yards on the ground in the first half.
“And then we were just determined to go back at them in the second half, and make sure we are going to find out: Are we going to run it, or not?
“We did.”
Sixteen times for 107 yards after halftime, in fact.
How Seahawks improved in defeat
Walker’s running game returning after weeks of injuries and ineffectiveness was the most encouraging aspect of Seattle’s offense in Kansas City, if not its entire game. If the Seahawks can run like that on the NFL’s fifth-ranked rushing defense, they should run as they need to to beat the Jets and Rams the next two weekends.
Quinton Jefferson spent much of Saturday in the Chiefs backfield. Fellow defensive lineman Shelby Harris got through Kansas City’s vaunted offensive line for a season-high six tackles. Linemen making tackles instead of safeties was the difference between Seattle defending third and long versus third and shorts.
The Chiefs were just 3 for 11 converting third downs against the Seahawks.
Again, if Seattle can do that against Mahomes and Kansas City it should be able to do it against the Zach Wilson, John Wolford or whichever quarterback the Jets and Rams start against the Seahawks the next two weeks.
“Heck, you’ve got an opportunity to get to the playoffs, still,” Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs said. “I mean, this is what you wanted at the beginning of the year. Nobody ever thought we would be in this position, anyways, to have the opportunity to go to the playoffs.
“I mean, we’ve still got an ‘opp.’”
This story was originally published December 24, 2022 at 4:22 PM.
