Why a Seahawks win over the Rams could carry a lot of weight
Dec 21, 2021, 12:25 AM | Updated: 12:26 am
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Seahawks are three games under .500 with four games to go, but their window to the postseason is still cracked open.
And maybe that crack is bigger than it appears.
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ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy on Monday, and in discussing the Seahawks’ 4 p.m. Tuesday game against the Los Angeles Rams, he explained why things may still work out to allow Seattle to get back into the playoffs for the fourth straight season and ninth time in the last 10 years.
Asked what a Seahawks win on Tuesday would mean, Fowler responded: “I think it would be a punctuation of what’s been building for a while now, and what’s been delayed because of a number of factors.”
“This is a team that won 12 games last year, has a few holes on its roster but largely was expected to be much better,” Fowler continued. “So Russell (Wilson) goes out (for three games) with finger surgery, they have a new (offensive) coordinator (in Shane Waldron) so they don’t have time to gel, not much running game, and the defense was bad. Well, I think all those things seem to be slightly turning in the positive at the right time, so I think Seattle senses that and that’s why they feel like they can still sneak in even sitting at 5-8.”
Fowler said he picked the Seahawks to beat the 9-4 Rams, whose roster issues related to COVID-19 protocol led to the game being postponed from Sunday to Tuesday. And while Seattle’s own reserve/COVID-19 list has grown in recent days, the Seahawks may still have a better group of players available.
“The Rams aren’t going to be as depleted as maybe we thought earlier in the week but they’re still out I believe five starters, so maybe Seattle can take advantage of that,” Fowler said.
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What about after the Rams game? The Seahawks have 4-10 Chicago on Sunday, 2-11-1 Detroit the following week, and 10-4 Arizona in the regular season finale left on their schedule, and Fowler isn’t ruling out Seattle running the table and getting the help it needs to sneak into the postseason.
“I still think they have a chance to get into the playoffs. I’m still fairly bullish on them just because the team has never had a losing season with Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll together,” he said.
You can hear the full conversation between Fowler, Jake Heaps and Stacy Rost in the podcast at this link or in the player below.
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