Just last week, the Seattle Seahawks were having a season that was better than almost anyone expected.
But they hit a major speed bump over the weekend. It wasn’t entirely their fault, but it does make the playoff outlook much different than it was just a few days ago.
Let’s start with the Seahawks themselves. They went down to L.A. on Sunday night and laid a major egg against the Rams, losing 28-12 and looking rather listless in the process.
You could say the Rams look improved as of late, having now one three out of their last four. But, nonetheless, it was a game the Hawks easily should have won, especially considering how tight things are getting in the NFC playoff race—to say nothing of the clearly superior product the Seahawks have put on the field this year, at least in regards to the Rams.
What should probably be more alarming to Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, et al, is what happened in New Orleans on the same day.
First of all, let’s recall that the San Francisco 49ers were recently in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season. They had to play the Green Bay Packers, the Baltimore Ravens, and the New Orleans Saints in back-to-back-to-back matchups. It was supposed to be where the Niners were exposed, knocked from their lofty first-place perch.
Instead, all San Francisco did was absolutely dismantle the Packers, lose by three points in a close game against the Ravens, and then get in a boat race with the Saints that they ultimately won on a last-minute field goal.
Guess who’s back in first place in the NFC playoff race now?
You guessed it. That gold and red squad from the Bay Area.
They sent Seattle tumbling all the way down to the fifth seed in the NFC, one of two wildcard spots.
At this point, Seattle is still in control of their own destiny. Win out, and they’ll win the NFC West and likely be a two or three seed (remember, the Saints own the tiebreaker over the Hawks).
But it’s Seattle’s last game of the season that will be its hardest. They host none other than the 49ers on 12/29.
Choose your superlative. This matchup will be titanic, monumental, with everything on the line.
It’s been years since we’ve seen such an important game between Seattle and San Francisco. Expect all the bad, old blood to come back out.
It’ll be a battle between journeyman, erstwhile MVP candidate Russell Wilson and young upstart Jimmy Garoppolo.
San Francisco’s stout defense should look familiar to Seattle since it’s not unlike the kind of defense that Seattle used to be known for.
And there to remind everyone of the past will be none other than Richard Sherman.
Could Seattle possibly lose at home to San Francisco?
Well, before last weekend, we wouldn’t have thought that San Francisco could go on the road and beat a good Saints team, but they did.
Can Seattle win at home against San Francisco?
By all means, yes. They’ve already beaten San Francisco once, and in Santa Clara, though the 49ers were missing one of their best players, George Kittle, in that game.
For fans in the Pacific Northwest, the script should be familiar by now. Yes, it will be time for hot wings. Yes, it will be time for hop juice. Call your local popcorn purveyor now and have them back up a giant truck in front of your house.
For the 12th Man, it’s crunch time. Believin’ time. The odds are getting long. Things aren’t the way they were supposed to be. But if Russell Wilson is up for the challenge, and he most certainly is, then you can be, too.
