Clayton: What to watch for in Seahawks’ regular season finale vs Cardinals

Last Sunday, the Seahawks secured the present by beating the Kansas City Chiefs. On Monday, Jody Allen secured the Seahawks future by signing Pete Carroll to a two-year extension.

O’Neil: Seahawks chasing something meaningful vs Cardinals

Locking up Carroll has extended what could be another Super Bowl window for the Seahawks. Carroll did his best coaching job this year in getting the Seahawks to the playoffs. He went back to the old-school running attack and started rebuilding a young defense.

After an 0-2 start, the Seahawks have won nine of their last 13 games. If they have a good offseason of acquisitions, they can start thinking of getting back to the 11- and 12-win level, which puts them back in the Super Bowl mix. The key is trying to catch the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.

Here is what’s ahead in the regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals:

• The offensive line will be a little short-handed at guard. D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy probably won’t play. Both players were pretty sore after the Chiefs games. Ethan Pocic will again get the start, and it’s not out of the question the Seahawks bring Jordan Roos off the practice squad as another guard (or, they could use backup center Joey Hunt). Germain Ifedi will be back at right tackle after missing the Chiefs game. That will allow George Fant to get work at tight end.

What won’t change will be the philosophy of running the football. The Seahawks are now averaging 158.5 yards a game rushing. They have had 500 carries and a total of 2,378 yards. The running success of the team is one of the main reasons the Seahawks are in the playoffs.

• Pete Carroll said he doesn’t have plans to rest his starters and save them for the playoffs. Still, he has to be smart about how long players are on the field so that they don’t risk injury and not be available for the wild card game. He will have to see whether there are any problems going on with Russell Wilson if the offensive line struggles with pass protection (especially if they are down two guards). Doug Baldwin is planning to play but he will need to be monitored because of the many injuries he’s had this year. It will be also be a game-time decision for Tedric Thompson at safety.

• It will be interesting to see how the running backs will be used. Chris Carson will start, but the question is how much Seattle wants him to use his physical style. which risks injury. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Rashaad Penny gets a bulk of the carries. Penny missed two games with a knee injury, but giving him time saves Carson’s body and also gets the first-round pick ready for the playoffs. He’s rushed for 413 yards on 81 carries this season and needs to get some work before next week.

It’s also not out of the question that J.D. McKissic gets more playing time in the second half, particularly if the Seahawks are in the lead. The Seahawks should do pretty well on the ground. The Cardinals rank 32 stopping the run, giving up 2,297 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns. They allow 4.8 yards per rushing attempt.

• Getting a first half lead is the most important thing for the Seahawks. The Cardinals have the worst offensive stats in the league. They’ve had to place seven offensive linemen on the injured reserve list, including four starters. They are only scoring 13.4 points a game and average 4.4 yards per play. If the Seahawks jump to a 10- to 14-point lead in the first half, it will be hard for the Cardinals to come back. For the Cardinals to win and compete, it would have to be a low scoring game.

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