RENTON, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks can downplay Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams all they want, but this matchup is huge for them.
A win vaults the Seahawks into a tie with the Rams for first place in the NFC West and a possible home game in the first round of the playoffs. A loss would seriously jeopardize their streak of five consecutive playoff appearances.
“It’s the same thing; every one of those gave us a chance to be in first place. That’s the facts; that’s the truth,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “You can look at it differently, but we don’t.”
The Seahawks have played in far more important games during their current playoff streak. They have even played in back-to-back Super Bowls, and competing in the Super Bowl is a result of winning conference championship games and early playoff games.
The game against the Rams is a regular season matchup with the feeling of a playoff showdown. If the Seahawks don’t defeat the Rams, the consequences could be disastrous. Seattle would drop to 8-6 with two games to play and even if they win their final two games, a 10-6 record might not be good enough to earn a playoff berth in the hyper competitive NFC.
The Seahawks can’t win the Super Bowl if they don’t quality for the playoffs. So while Carroll is saying they approach each game the same way, he and the players know the weight of this game against the Rams hangs heavier than those of weeks past.
“This is a big game. I think everybody knows this is for the division, playoff implications,” Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald said. “A lot of our season falls into this one game, so I mean it’s pressure and what are you going to do with that.
“Guys either rise up or you don’t.”