Salty Seahawks could wreak havoc in postseason
SEATTLE — Technically, mathematically, the Seattle Seahawks have not yet clinched a playoff berth.
But, barring something catastrophic, the Seahawks will again be playing in the games that matter most come January.
After Monday night’s 21-7 win against the Minnesota Vikings moved Seattle to 8-5 on the season, its chances of reaching the postseason jumped to 99.6 percent, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index calculations.
This win was undoubtedly ugly, with yards hard to come by and points even more scarce. And that’s exactly what should concern Seattle’s potential playoff opponents.
These Seahawks aren’t the same as the group that lorded over the NFC in recent years, but they’re following a similar blueprint that has long been a tried-and-true formula for postseason success.
In this, the era of golden-armed quarterbacks and scoreboard-busting offense, there’s still some room out there for good defense and a power running game. The Chicago Bears showed it Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Seahawks doubled down Monday against the Vikings.
For much of this season, the Seahawks’ defense hasn’t looked dominant. But if the group that showed up Monday night can continue to build on shutting down the Vikings, it will be exactly the type of salty outfit that can wreak havoc in the postseason.
The Seahawks pushed the Vikings around for most of Monday night, limiting them to 276 yards and 4.9 yards per play. Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman put the cherry on top of a dominant defensive performance with a fumble recovery for a touchdown with less than three minutes to go.
It’s the second week in a row the Seahawks scored a defensive touchdown. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it’s the first time since Week 17 of 2014 and Week 1 of 2015 the Seahawks accomplished the feat. The last time they did it within a regular season? During their Super Bowl championship year of 2013.
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It took the Vikings seven possessions before they even reached Seattle territory. Minnesota didn’t venture into the red zone until the early stages of the fourth quarter and didn’t score until the game was out of reach with 1:10 to go.
The ideal complement for a strong defense? A power running game.
For a team that entered Monday’s game leading the league with 148.8 rushing yards per game and calling a designed run play at a 48 percent rate — unmatched in the NFL since 2014 — the Seahawks hammered home the blueprint that has them on the verge of another postseason appearance.
By the time this ground-and-pound affair was over, the Seahawks had run the ball a whopping 40 times for 216 yards (not counting kneel downs), an average of 5.4 yards per attempt. Chris Carson led the way with 90 yards on 22 carries, but he got plenty of reinforcement from fellow back Rashaad Penny (eight carries for 44 yards) and quarterback Russell Wilson (five for 63).
The Seahawks let the Vikings know immediately that they intended to run the ball, and they intended to do it often. There was misdirection in those runs, but not much in disguising them.
On 25 of the first 42 plays the Seahawks ran against the Vikings, the Seahawks lined up in a heavy formation with six offensive linemen. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks called 17 runs out of that look, gaining 105 yards on those attempts.
At one point, Penny covered 83.06 yards of ground for a 17-yard gain — the second time this season he has covered 80-plus yards on a run (the other went for 30 yards against Green Bay).
Of course, for all of that to matter, the Seahawks will still need the Wilson who showed up Monday night to give way to the one who normally occupies his spot.
Sure, Wilson was without top target Doug Baldwin, but with the running game having so much success, there were opportunities for him to make plays down the field, most of which he was unable to convert.
A glance at the playoff picture shows New Orleans’ Drew Brees as the only quarterback as proven as Wilson on any NFC postseason contender. But while the Seahawks’ defense and running game have turned back the clock, Seattle will need the Wilson who has led the charge most of the season and not the one who went 10-of-20 for 72 yards and an ugly interception.
The good news is, Wilson’s track record would indicate this was but a blip on the radar. If that’s the case and the defense and run game continue to punish opponents, the Seahawks just might be the team nobody in the NFC wants to play come January.