NFL Playoff Picture: Why Everyone Should Be Fearing the Seahawks Right Now

The Seattle Seahawks have gotten over their slow start to the season and are now starting to resemble the well-rounded, physical team that steamed through the playoffs the last couple of years.

Playing without Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks’ (7-5, second in NFC West) offensive unit has still been one of the most lethal groups in the league of late. The turnaround has been highlighted by a three-game win streak in which Russell Wilson and Co. have averaged 35.3 points per game and had only two turnovers. 

Wilson’s numbers from those three games are as close to perfect as you could possibly hope for. He had 979 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Coming off of a 38-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Wilson told reporters what the keys have been for the effective offense at a press conference on Thursday, per the Seattle Times:

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I think the offensive line is doing a tremendous job. They’re giving me enough time to make plays and just go through the reads. The guys are making the catches, and they’re making the runs after the catches. Thomas Rawls is running the ball physical. I think we mix it up so much, it’s hard [for defenses].

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Thanks to that O-line, Russell has been better able to stay in the pocket lately, resulting in more pinpoint passes, as highlighted by Pete Prisco in his piece for CBS Sports.

Wilson has completed more than 80 percent of his throws from the pocket for 810 yards the last three games, as Prisco notes. But when he needs to run, Wilson still has the ability. He rushed for 51 yards including an eight-yard touchdown run on Sunday.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett agrees with Wilson’s analysis and was quick to acknowledge the big men on the offensive side during an interview on 710 ESPN Seattle’s The Huddle:

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I think the offensive line has had a major role in everything that we’ve been able to accomplish thus far. I think the biggest thing is everybody’s just starting to trust their job and trust that everybody else is going to do their job, which makes it a lot easier for us to be able to succeed. 

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Seattle also currently ranks No. 1 in the league in rushing yards per game, right above Doug Martin and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And while Wilson’s mobility has contributed to that fact, rookie running back Thomas Rawls has also done a tremendous job stepping in for the injured Lynch.

In 12 games played, Rawls is averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He has only one fumble on the year, and he was nominated for Rookie of the Week honors at NFL.com for the third straight week on Tuesday. Again the O-line deserves credit here, and the Seahawks agree, via Twitter:

During a talk with the media on Wednesday, head coach Pete Carroll commented on how important Rawls has been for the team, per the Seahawks team site.

“His consistency,” Carroll told reporters. “His ability to come back week after week after week, he's starting to document that. His attitude is fantastic about being a running back in a tough running system. He's having a great season; he has a tremendous rush average for us.”

On the defensive end, the Seahawks are still as big and bombastic as ever. Led by Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Earl Thomas, they are second in the league in total defense, yards per game.

The defensive unit made another statement on Sunday, shutting down Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson by limiting him to 18 yards rushing.

Thanks to Sunday’s performance, the team currently ranks No. 3 in the league in total yards allowed on the ground. 

Combine these factors with Seattle's ease of schedule, and you can see why so many experts have been chatting about the Seahawks this week.

After Sunday’s game at the Baltimore Ravens, the Seahawks play the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals.

Their schedule puts them in an enviable position. 

As the News Tribune’s Seahawks beat writer, Gregg Bell points out on Twitter: 

Although the Seahawks are only 3-3 on the road this season, the momentum they figure to gain as they end the season has the potential to take them far in the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Seahawks would start the first round versus the 5-7 Washington Redskins.

On top of these factors, teams also should be wary of Seattle because since Carroll took over, the team has been completely dominant in prime-time games.

As the Associated Press notes, the Seahawks are 13-2 in regular-season games on Thursday, Sunday or Monday nights since Carroll joined in 2010. In the playoffs, Seattle has gone 7-3 in that time.

Whether it’s the offensive line, the dynamic quarterback or the depth in the defensive group, this team has the potential to do legitimate damage come January.

The Seahawks' current three-game win streak could turn into at least a six-game win streak and lots of momentum. If they can successfully ride that momentum, they figure to be a handful for a number of teams in the postseason.