Seahawks fans have plenty to be thankful for

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us with all of its face-stuffing, belt-unbuckling, football-gorging wonderfulness, so what better time to look back and see what Seahawks fans have to give thanks for this year?

• First and foremost, they can be thankful that the playoffs are still in reach. With the storied history of Super Bowl champions failing to reach the postseason the next year, the Seahawks have already put themselves in a good spot with five games remaining. A road win and a home sweep of the remaining games will give the Seahawks the 10 wins that feels like a minimum for a postseason berth. The season hasn’t gone according to plan – anyone’s plan – but all of the preseason goals are still very much in reach in late November and that’s nothing but good news.

• It wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving list for Seahawks fans without a nod to Russell Wilson, or perhaps more pointedly, Russell Wilson’s legs. His 644 yards rushing are good enough for 15th in the NFL, ahead of guys like Jeremy Hill, Joique Bell, Denard Robinson – ya know, running backs. Wilson has also eclipsed his previous season best with five games remaining and needs only 71.2 yards per game to hit the 1,000 yard mark. With a pass game that has suffered the loss of Golden Tate to free agency, Percy Harvin to a trade and Zach Miller to injury, it’s hard to imagine where this team would be without Wilson making those plays that only he can.

• Speaking of one-of-a-kind talents to be thankful for, any Seahawks fan has to be thanking their Turducken for Marshawn Lynch. Game-in and game-out, no matter the circumstance, you know that defenses are going to have to deal with Beastmode’s unique brand of punishment. In fact, the only folks taking more punishment from Lynch than opposing defenders are the reporters looking for a quotable moment after the game.

• Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, Seahawks fans can finally be thankful for the return of defense as well. It’s a testament to the rough run of injuries that only missing a player like Brandon Mebane feels like a reprieve, but this is where the Seahawks find themselves. The Legion of Boom has gotten the band back together with the return to form of Kam Chancellor, and Bobby Wagner made his impact felt in his first game back on Sunday against the Cardinals. Throw in Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril rushing in from the edges and that historic defense of a year ago doesn’t quite seem like such a distant memory.

• Jon Ryan and Steven Hauschka don’t get enough love when most folks talk about the Seahawks but they absolutely belong on the Thanksgiving list. Whether it’s counting on the kind of clutch kicks Hauschka made in the first half against Arizona or Ryan time and time again bombing punts to change field position, these two get the job done. Kickers are people, too, and these guys earned the kudos.

• In my mind, no Seahawks giving of thanks would be complete without a mention of Will Tukuafu. A 285-pound fullback? Any fan that likes to see their opponent driven into the ground has to give thanks when they run across one of those.

• Finally, and perhaps to some strangely, I think Seahawks fans should be giving thanks for the NFL schedule-makers and this special holiday date with hated 49ers. In this game, the Seahawks not only have an opportunity to truly help their postseason aspirations but to put a fork in not just San Francisco’s season but perhaps its entire franchise. The ever-present noise that has followed Jim Harbaugh would be deafening should the Seahawks get their first win of the Carroll Era on the 49ers’ home field. Further, this is the first opportunity for the 2014 Seahawks to accomplish something that the 2013 Seahawks could not, perhaps speeding their way down the home stretch in the process. All of this against the backdrop of late-afternoon seconds (or thirds) and in front of a national television audience. Can’t ask for a whole lot more than that.

The Thanksgiving holiday has always been a favorite of mine as it happens during my favorite season and revolves around eating too much and watching football. This year, perhaps more than most, Seahawks fans have much to be thankful for.

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to join the conversation any time on Twitter @TheMichaelGrey.