Despite Seahawks’ lopsided loss, No. 2 seed and another defensive scoring title are still within reach

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he didn’t have the entire team look at tape of its 28-point loss to Green Bay. With Seattle now on a short week, Carroll has moved on to Thursday night’s game against the Rams.

That’s a good thing. Why subject the team to getting ill watching its bad play from Sunday. That was the worst Seahawks performance since 2011. Now they face a Rams team that’s in turmoil.

Henderson: With short week, Seahawks quickly put Green Bay loss behind them

I found the timing of the firing of Jeff Fisher to be curious. The Rams are 4-9 and out of playoff contention. They come to Seattle with a rookie quarterback in Jared Goff who runs an offense that can’t score points and with an interim coach in John Fassel. Bringing a limited offense to a loud environment like CenturyLink Field is a lot to ask of a first-time coach.

Also curious is how well the Rams have played against the Seahawks, mainly because of Fisher. He won his last three games against Seattle. Now he’s gone and the Rams might have trouble matching what he usually does in game-planning to face the Seahawks, particularly on a short week.

Here are five things to look at heading into the final three weeks of the regular season:

• The Seahawks should close out the regular season with three wins. They finished their non-division schedule with a 7-3 record. Arizona, San Francisco and Los Angeles have combined for a 5-23 non-division record. Think about it: Seattle has won more of those games than the other three NFC West teams combined. If the Seahawks win their remaining three games vs. their NFC West counterparts, they should be in good shape for the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Lions are 9-4 but they have two tough road games remaining against the Giants and then Dallas on a Monday night. That could drop them to 9-6 before their regular-season finale at home vs. Green Bay. If the Seahawks win out and finish 11-4-1, they should be in good shape.

• Even though the Seahawks gave up 38 points in their loss to Green Bay, they should finish in the top five in scoring defense and could even end up allowing the fewest points for the fifth straight season. The Rams rank 32nd on offense, averaging 286.2 yards per game and only 4.71 yards per play. They’re scoring only 14.9 points a game. The 49ers rank 29th with 314 yards and 19.3 points a game. The Cardinals could get some numbers. They rank 10th on offense with 363.8 yards and 23 points a game. The Seahawks rank eighth on defense, giving up 330.2 yards a game. They’re giving up 17.8 points a game, third in the league behind Minnesota (17.3) and New England (17.7)

• If cold weather affected the Seahawks Sunday in Green Bay, that shouldn’t be an issue during the playoffs. The other three division leaders – Dallas, Atlanta and Detroit – play in domed stadiums. There is a chance Green Bay could run the table and win the NFC North if the Lions stumble, but the Seahawks can nix the possibility of playing back at Lambeau Field. If the Seahawks finish 11-4-1 or even 10-5-1, they’d be ahead of the Packers, who can’t finish better than 10-6. The Seahawks would get a bye week and a home game if they reclaimed the No. 2 seed.

• One of the keys to Seattle’s finish to the season is the running of Thomas Rawls. In his last two games, Rawls has rushed for 173 yards on 27 carries, a 6.4-yard average. If he can average about 80 yards over the final three games, it should boost the Seahawks’ confidence and make it easier for quarterback Russell Wilson. The Rams will be a good test. They give up 110.3 rushing yards a game (20th) but have a defensive front that can drive the Seahawks’ blockers crazy. The Cardinals are better against the run, giving up 96.8 yards a game (10th). The 49ers are horrible at stopping the run. They give up over 170 yards a game (32nd).

• Wilson has to protect the ball, and that’s one of his specialties. Wilson threw five interceptions against the Packers in what might be considered the worst game of his career. Even though Carroll didn’t have a film session with the entire team, Wilson said he and other offensive players and coaches watched tape, compared notes and were prepared to make corrections. The Rams are minus-11 in turnover differential this year. The Seahawks are at even.

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