Seahawks' Big Win Proves Costly with Loss of Jimmy Graham

While technically true, the oversimplified adage about a win being a win is in reality an attempt to excuse any of the negative circumstances surrounding said win. And at the risk of raining on any 12th Man parades, the Seattle Seahawks' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday indicates that, while Seattle is undoubtedly a playoff contender, there are some key issues surrounding the team as we enter the final month of 2015. 

By no means was the 39-30 victory pyrrhic. Seattle defeated a playoff-contending Steelers team by a legit margin and is now in possession of one of those if-the-season-ended-today NFC wild-card spots. 

But when Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham suffered a fourth-quarter knee injury, it immediately cast shadows over any of those metaphorical parades. 

Graham, who caught four passes for 75 yards during the first three quarters, will be out for the remainder of the season due to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, as Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters after the game. The team's official Twitter account provided Carroll's comments regarding Graham's absence:

And while the former New Orleans Saints star hasn't put together the type of maiden Seahawks season many expected, losing Graham is a devastating blow to an offense that sacrificed part of its already-shaky offensive line to obtain the tight end in the first place.

The Seahawks started just 5-5 partly due to the fact Graham wasn't living up to expectations.

Undrafted rookie running back Thomas Rawls has been putting on shows in place of the oft-injured Marshawn Lynch, but with their prized new tight end underachieving and their best offensive lineman from 2014 (Max Unger) now playing for the Saints, the Seahawks haven't been clicking on offense.

They entered Sunday ranked in the middle of the pack in yards and points per game, and quarterback Russell Wilson hasn't been as sharp. Pro Football Focus ranks that maligned offensive line dead last in pass-blocking efficiency, while Football Outsiders also ranks it last in adjusted sack rate. 

The 6-5 Seahawks aren't likely to catch the 9-2 Cardinals in the NFC West, but a team that was only one game better (7-4) at this point last season and wound up in the Super Bowl knows that there's still plenty of football left. 

Problem is, addition by subtraction is rarely credited for playoff runs. If the Seahawks truly are going to make a run at a third straight Super Bowl berth, they'll have to get more production from Wilson, the offensive line and the receiving corps. And not only will Graham's loss hurt the offense at the tight end position, but he's such a force that his absence will make life even harder on those other cogs. 

During the first 12 weeks, Wilson targeted Graham more than anyone else on offense. And he does have a very solid 401 yards on 27 catches in his last six games. You just know that if Seattle was about to start charging, Graham would have been on the front line. 

Time period	Rec/game	Yds/game
First 5 games	4.2	40.8
Next 6 games	4.5	66.8

Instead, the healthy and present members of that middle-of-the-pack offense will now have to do even more heavy-lifting. 

When the Seahawks had issues in 2013 and 2014, the defense usually came to the rescue. But that D has suffered some key losses too and has now surrendered 30 or more points in two of Seattle's last three games. A team that was untouchable at CenturyLink Field in 2013 and 2014 is suddenly mortal at home. The Seahawks lost back-to-back home games to Carolina and Arizona in Weeks 6 and 10 and were outplayed the majority of Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. 

Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and K.J. Wright can still ball. And that defensive core might still eventually save the day. But with the D sliding a fair bit on paper, it sure looked like the savior would have to come on the other side of the ball. 

Naturally, the first two guys you think of on that front aside from Wilson are Lynch and Graham, neither of whom will be available for the stretch run. 

Yes, technically a win is a win and a loss is a loss. It's a little tough to tell which trumped the other Sunday in Seattle. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon