Fansided

Seahawks attempt to reach playoffs again after surprise berth

By Lee Vowell

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Jeff Heath #38, Demarcus Lawrence #90, and Leighton Vander Esch #55 of the Dallas Cowboys combine to stop Chris Carson #32 of the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Jeff Heath #38, Demarcus Lawrence #90, and Leighton Vander Esch #55 of the Dallas Cowboys combine to stop Chris Carson #32 of the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Seattle Seahawks are attempting to reach the postseason for the second straight year. To do so, they’ll need Russell Wilson to continue being elite.

Best-case scenario

Seattle surprised many going to the playoffs last season, and has the capability to do it again in 2019. Russell Wilson has a new contract and remains a top-tier quarterback, the backfield is loaded with talent and the receiving corps has veteran Tyler Lockett and rookie second-round pick D.K. Metcalf. The defense may struggle early on without Jarran Reed during his suspension, but the rest of the front seven has enough talent to be respectable until his return. If all goes well, the Seahawks could contend for the NFC West and if they’re beaten out, earn a Wild Card spot.

Worst-case scenario

Losing quarterback Russell Wilson for an extended amount of time. During Wilson’s seven year career, he has never missed a game or a practice due to injury. The Seahawks simply don’t know how to play without Wilson at this point. Without him, Seattle wouldn’t just miss the playoffs. There is a very real chance it would finish near the bottom of the NFC West. Seattle has been lucky with Wilson’s health and for the sake of the franchise, that luck needs to continue.

Confidence level (Low, medium or high)

High.

Having Wilson and Bobby Wagner running the show on offense and defense respectively will do that. Add in perhaps the best special teams in the NFL and Pete Carroll on the sideline, and there’s always reason to believe. Carroll and general manager John Schneider have managed to keep Seattle good even while losing key players like Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Wilson is going to keep the offense moving, the defense stands to be solid and the special teams will flip the field.

X-Factor

Bradley McDougald. He has been in Seattle for two seasons and mostly been overshadowed by players like Earl Thomas. But when Thomas went out for the season in Week 4 of last year, McDougald held the entire secondary together. He is a great communicator and leader. If all goes well, he and rookie Marquise Blair will hold down the back end.

Turning point

Week 5 at CenturyLink Field against the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks lost twice to the Rams in 2018 but both games were close. Seattle seemed to gain confidence from those affairs even in losses. Seattle has a good shot to start off 3-1 going into the first Rams game. Should the Seahawks win and go to 4-1 they will be in great shape for the postseason. If they lose and fall to 3-2, the back end of Seattle’s schedule might make it difficult to get to the playoffs.

Best moment in team history

Thankfully, the Seahawks have many good moments over the last decade. But while Seattle has won a Super Bowl, the best single moment in Seattle history was the Beast Quake run by Marshawn Lynch against the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 Wild Card round. Seattle didn’t win the Super Bowl that year, but the run both registered seismically and helped set the tone for Seattle going forward.