After six eventful seasons that defined the ‘Legion of Boom’ era, the 2018 Seahawks were supposed to be planning for the future. The playoffs wouldn’t be realistic. Not with the losses of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett and others this offseason. This was a bridge year in which they would look to re-tool for 2018 and beyond. Right?
Wrong.
After a clutch 30-27 win over the Panthers, Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are where they ought to be — in the postseason hunt.
In the win, Seattle broke Carolina’s 10-game home winning streak, and gave them an inside track on one of the NFC’s two wild card spots.
In a league filled with high-flying offenses, Carroll has Seattle going back to the basics, as the Seahawks boast the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense by a considerable margin.
But the team still runs through Wilson, who has more wins than any quarterback not named Tom Brady, since he came into the league in 2012.
“When the game is on the line, you either gotta want it or you’re going to fear it,” Wilson told Deion Sanders after the game.
As always, there was no fear in Wilson, one of the NFL’s best players under pressure.
The Seahawks quarterback hit two big-time throws late to best Cam Newton’s bunch — a game-tying 35-yard touchdown pass to David Moore on 4th-and-3 and a 43-yard pass to Tyler Lockett to set up Sebastian Janikowski’s game-winning field goal.
In September, an 0-2 Seahawks team looked as if the only smiles on their face would come from reminiscing about the past. Things looked gloomy for a team that plays in arguably the gloomiest city in North America.
But now, at 6-5, the Seahawks are ushering in a new era featuring a team fully built around their star quarterback. And although they still plan to re-tool for beyond this season, it’s actually the immediate future that shines bright for Seattle.
AFC playoff race heats up for winter push
With five weeks to play, and a chilly winter ahead, the AFC playoff race is heating up in ways the NFL hasn’t seen since 2012.
Then, the Broncos stole the conference’s No. 1 seed in Week 17, as the Texans dropped from the No. 1 to the No. 3 spot with a loss to the Colts then, who grabbed the No. 5 seed. The Patriots would get the No. 2 seed then after the Texans’ loss. And with all that, New England hosted the AFC Championship Game, but lost to the Ravens, who ultimately won Super Bowl XLVII as the AFC’s no. 4 seed.
Insanity, right?
Well 12 weeks into the 2018 season, the AFC is as close as ever, with just a game and a half separating the conference’s top five seeds. Here’s the playoff picture at the moment.
Behind a career-day from Sony Michel (21 carries, 133 yards, touchdown) and a significant return performance from Rob Gronkowski (three catches, 56 yards, touchdown) the Patriots glided to a 27-13 victory over the Jets. The win was expected but still all the more important because of an unexpected pleasant surprise from one of the conference’s other contenders.
Despite out gaining the Broncos 527-308 in total yardage, Pittsburgh’s four turnovers doomed them, as the Steelers suffered 24-17 loss in Denver. The final giveaway was all too familiar- a goal line interception thrown by Ben Roethlisberger, that may ultimately cost them a higher seed in the AFC.
Looking ahead it’s the Steelers who have one of the tougher finishes, with back-to-back games versus the Patriots and Saints, as well as a Sunday night contest with the surging Chargers next week.
The Patriots should have a good shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC if they win out. The Chiefs rested up during their bye week and return with the lowly Raiders, but may lose one during a tough three-game stretch versus the Ravens, Chargers and Seahawks. That won’t be easy.
Touching back on today’s win in New York, New England may be quietly building an anti-thesis to the explosive offenses of 2018, by building  a powerful clock-killing running game that could keep offenses like the Chiefs, Steelers and Chargers and off the field. But that will be made easier in front of their home crowd. As the Patriots are 5-0 at home this season, and have never made the Super Bowl without a first-round bye.
Seeding is important. And the race for the AFC’s most top spots is closer than it’s been in many years. Get ready for a fantastic finish this next month.
Quick-hits
– Maybe it’s time to start anew in Green Bay. After their eighth straight road loss, one that put them in a position to have to win out just to have a shot at an NFC wild card spot, the Packers (4-6-1) oh so dearly need a change. Aaron Rodgers (17-for-28, 198 yards, one touchdown) wasn’t very sharp, and badly missed Davante Adams in the end zone late, with the game on the line.
Still, the Green Bay quarterback reverberated a less-aggressive (and optimistic) version of his 2016 run-the-table talk, which ultimately came to fruition. But if the Packers are to do that, they may be inclined to hold onto Mike McCarthy, the team’s coach since 2006. But it’s certainly obvious that Green Bay (and Rodgers) are ready for a change, no matter how this season ends.
– All too often put in a position like Rodgers is now, Andrew Luck has done the best he can with little help around him. Even though Indianapolis can surely add more talent around Luck this offseason (they are slated to have over $100 million in salary cap — a league-high) the Colts have made due, winning their fifth game in a row. This one, a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback to dispatch the Dolphins (5-6) featured Luck’s 10th and 11th touchdown pass to Eric Ebron, a former first-round pick with the Lions, who has teamed up with Indianspolis’ franchise player to form one of the league’s best quarterback-receiver (tight end) duos. Â The Colts (6-5) will have to battle with teams like the Ravens (6-5), Titans (5-5) and Broncos(5-6) for the AFC’s No. 6 seed. Judging by their five-game winning streak, and the fact that the Ravens are running with rookie Lamar Jackson now, Indianapolis should be considered the favorite to land that playoff spot. This team will be great in 2019 and beyond, but they’re pretty damn good now, too.
– Well, I guess the defending Super Bowl champions aren’t exactly finished. The Eagles (5-6) avoided utter embarrassment by rallying to beat the Giants (3-8) after facing a 19-3 deficit (at home) early on. As soon as time ran out shortly after Jake Elliot’s game-winning field goal, one thing was clear, there’s still fight left in this dog.
Philadelphia will host an Alex Smith-less Washington (6-5) team next week and then will travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys (6-5), who they lost to at home earlier this season. Considering the Eagles should beat Washington, and the Cowboys host the NFL’s best team (Saints) on Thursday night, it’s likely all three clubs will be knotted at 6-6 atop the division with four games to go. Meaning the Eagles-Cowboys matchup in two weeks may be for the NFC East. The Eagles were considered toast this week, and halfway through their game on Sunday. But their season is from from over.
No Guts No Glory 