Get ready for the usual Seahawks playoff run

I don’t know what has gotten into this year’s Seahawks, but whatever they’re doing is working. A couple of weeks ago, Seattle looked like a dead team with their “celebrity” quarterback and nothing seeming to click. Now, Russell Wilson is playing some of the best football I’ve ever seen him play, and the team’s defense has returned to its usual, dominant form. If this keeps up, this team is going to scare a lot of other teams in this league.

It’s tough enough to succeed when you lose a star running back like Marshawn Lynch to injury, who could’ve singlehandedly won the Seahawks a Super Bowl last season if it weren’t for Pete Carroll’s questionable play-calling. However, this team has employed the Patriots’ “next man up” philosophy, and Thomas Rawls (before he went down for the season with an ankle injury) seamlessly stepped into the role and became a stud. The offense is on a crazy hot streak, with a strong offensive line and Wilson making smarter decisions in the pocket. Wilson hasn’t thrown a pick in four weeks, and has thrown 16 touchdowns in that same amount of time. If this keeps up, they could honestly take down any defense in the league, which is reminiscent of their last two seasons that led to consecutive. Super Bowl appearances.

The defense has regained its confidence, and Richard Sherman is back to being the shutdown corner that he has been notorious for. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s not on the cover of Madden anymore, and the curse has been transferred over to coverboy Odell Beckham Jr. and his Giants. Either way, Sherman, the return of Kam Chancellor, a strong linebacking core and usual dominant defensive line have made the Seahawks playoff contenders once again.

A couple weeks ago, you wouldn’t have thought of the Seahawks as playoff contenders, let alone threats to appear in a third straight Super Bowl. However, I could easily see this team beating the Cardinals, Packers, or even the undefeated Panthers. As strong as the Panthers have been, they haven’t played a strong defense recently, and this Seattle team could easily give Carolina a run for their money. Either way, the NFC is shaping up to have an interesting next month and a half leading up to the Super Bowl in February.