A Wild Card Guide For Seahawks Fans: Part 2
The dreaded time has come. Seahawks fans must sit home and watch other teams compete for the Lombardi Trophy while their favorite team is on vacation. There is a faction of fans who just turn off football altogether until August comes around, once their team is out of the race. The majority of fans just plain love football, not just when the Seahawks are playing.
So what interests should Seahawks fans have in the 2021-2022 NFL playoffs?
3/4 of the NFC West
It stings a little. OK, it stings a lot, that the Seahawks are the only member of the NFC West not in the playoffs. That division is widely regarded as one of the best divisions in all of the NFL and unfortunately, the Seahawks took the brunt end of that talented group.
The Rams and Cardinals are squaring off for a third time this year in the rubber match. Those teams went a combined 3-1 against Seattle this season, with the Seahawks winning the season finale against Arizona. Obviously, only one of those teams will advance but that guarantees that at least one NFC West team will move beyond Wild Card weekend.
Frankly, if Seahawks fans wanted to be sinister, they would prefer the Rams to lose. Watching the Rams make several franchise-altering moves such as the trades for Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, and Sony Michel as well as signing Odell Beckham Jr., only to have it all crumble in their first playoff game together would be humorous. That might make the franchise panic and make moves this offseason that would allow the Seahawks to gain an edge once more.
The 49ers surprised many by going 7-2 in their final nine games after a 3-5 start to make the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. However, they have as talented a roster as anyone in the league and they could shock the host Dallas Cowboys in the first round.
There is even a small chance that two NFC West teams could be featured in the NFC Championship Game, which would require a few shocking upsets.
Ex-Seahawks on Other Teams
Richard Sherman was just recently placed on injured reserve by Tampa Bay and will miss the playoffs. However, he would still earn a Super Bowl ring if the Bucs were to repeat as champions. The team also has cornerback Pierre Desir, who had two brief stints in Seattle.
K.J. Wright was a fan favorite in Seattle. After a decade of solid play for the Seahawks, the two sides parted ways, partly to make way for the emergence of Jordyn Brooks. Wright had himself a respectable season in a reserve role in Las Vegas.
Also quietly playing a big role on the Raiders is former Seahawks fifth round pick Quinton Jefferson. He, along with Wright, will try and slow down Burrow and Joe Mixon and company.
Frank Clark is looking to win his second Super Bowl since arriving in Kansas City following that big trade ahead of the 2019 season. Jarran Reed also has relocated to join the Chiefs in search of his first Lombardi Trophy.
Two AFC North teams in the postseason - the Bengals and Steelers - each have Seahawks cornerbacks castoffs in Tre Flowers and Ahkello Witherspoon who were at one point competing against each other for starting jobs in training camp.
Hate-Watching
As bitter fans of a non-playoff team, Seahawk fans will likely hate-watch a team or two. Of course, you dislike your neighbors of the NFC West. Which would you rather endure, one of the Rams, Cardinals, or 49ers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy or watching Aaron Rodgers and the Packers win it all for the first time in a decade? That's honestly an excruciating question to fathom.
Bandwagon Team
There are several likeable teams in the playoffs. If you are a fan of a team not in the tournament, you might want to hitch your wagon to a team to root for to pass the time. Look no further than the Cincinnati Bengals. What Joe Burrow accomplished with that mediocre roster is nothing short of incredible. Plus, the Bengals have not won a single playoff game since the 1990 season. Now, they get a chance to host the upstart Raiders in another shot at glory.
If Burrow's Bengals aren't your thing, the Buffalo Bills might be more your flavor. They play a brand of football that is familiar to Seattle fans - a physical style with a tough defense. Plus, who wouldn't love to watch them finally win a title after having an epic run of bad luck so horrific 30 years ago, that they made an entire ESPN 30 for 30 about it?
The Tennessee Titans are one of the most disrespected No. 1 seeds in recent memory. Like the Bills, they too play a style of football that Pete Carroll would be proud of. Derrick Henry looks set to return, so prepare yourself for more angry runs and highlight-reel stiff arms.
