Russell Wilson, Thomas Rawls Give Seahawks Playoff Hope in Huge Win over 49ers

Sunday's win for the Seattle Seahawks wasn't just another dominating victory over their divisional foes in the San Francisco 49ers. It's also a springboard for them to put a woeful start to 2015 behind them and push for the postseason.

The Seahawks finally looked like the team the NFL has gotten used to over the last few years, winning 29-13 to top the 49ers in convincing fashion for the second time this season. The simple result, however, wasn't the most important development in Seattle.

Instead, quarterback Russell Wilson's best performance of the season will give even the most pessimistic of Seahawks fans reason to believe a third straight Super Bowl trip is still possible. Wilson completed 16 of his first 18 passes, finishing 24-for-29 with 260 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

All of this came on a day when reports trickled in that the team was concerned with his "changed approach" and becoming a "celebrity QB," Evan Silva of Rotoworld passed along from ESPN's Chris Mortensen. 

Perhaps that was all Wilson needed to hear, as he posted a career-best performance noted by Brady Henderson of ESPN Seattle:

"

Take 2: Wilson finishes 24 of 29 for 260 yards, 3 TDs and no INTs. That sets a new career-high for completion percentage, 82.8 percent.

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) November 23, 2015"

Many figured Wilson needed to carry Seattle on Sunday with Marshawn Lynch sidelined with an injury yet again. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

That's because backup running back Thomas Rawls dominated the 49ers' shoddy defense, rushing for 209 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. The workhorse also went for 46 yards receiving and added another score through the air.

Rawls rushed his way into Seahawks history with the performance, as ESPN Stats & Info uncovered:

While Lynch's subpar season—by his lofty standards—could be attributed to his injuries and an ineffective offensive line, the latter didn't prevent Rawls from running all over the place Sunday. His change-of-pace ability and downhill running was something rarely seen in the Seahawks backfield this season.

That had Seahawks fans wondering, as weird as it may be, if Rawls just might offer more to the offense than Lynch does at this point, Danny Kelly of FieldGulls.com pondered:

It's not like this is a one-time fluke, either. Rawls has provided Seattle with its best rushing success in 2015, going for 104 yards against Chicago and 169 yards against Cincinnati in two previous opportunities as the top back.

With head coach Pete Carroll sharing that Lynch is seeing a specialist Monday for his abdominal injury, don't be surprised if Rawls gets more opportunities to show what he can do. And that may be a blessing in disguise for Seattle, given the recent results.

Plus, as long as the offensive line's jelling from Sunday isn't a fluke, the running game should be there no matter who's toting the rock, as Carroll told Gregg Bell of The News Tribune:

The once-dominant Seattle defense hasn't been that in 2015, and even that was apparent at times Sunday as Blaine Gabbert made some nice plays downfield. But as long as Wilson continues doing what he's doing and Rawls can keep up any sort of production similar to Sunday's, that won't be as big a problem as initially thought.

The defense showed signs of being human throughout 2014, and it didn't derail the Seahawks' season by any means as Wilson and Lynch heated up late to get them to the doorstep of a second straight Super Bowl appearance. 

Now at 5-5 and in the thick of the NFC Wild-Card race, it might not matter whether the Arizona Cardinals gift-wrap them the division down the stretch like they did last year. 

As long as it keeps improving, Seattle will be in the playoffs regardless, and will likely be the last team anyone from the NFC wants to face in the opening weekend of the postseason.