A Seahawks Christmas Carroll
Merry Christmas to all.
It’s a great time of year, especially for Seahawks fans. Despite the disheartening loss to Arizona, Seattle is in control of their own destiny when it comes to the NFC West.
In order to win the West, they are going to have to call upon three “spirits” to defeat the 49ers on Sunday and clinch a home playoff game. The 49ers would love to play the part of “Scrooge” and say “humbug” to the Seahawks’ hopes of hosting a playoff game and easing their path to the Super Bowl in Miami.
Much like the holiday classic tale A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens, Pete Carroll, nestled in his bed by a Christmas night fire, is visited by three spirits in his quest to guide the Seahawks to victory in their biggest game of the year.
First, in light of recent events, the ghost of Christmas past is paying a visit.
That ghost has taken the form of Beast Mode himself, Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch, of course, is the very personification of the Seahawks’ past glory days, from his “Beast Quake” during the 2010 Wild Card game to winning a Super Bowl and being one yard away from a second straight championship.
Lynch was the face of the Seahawks’ identity as a rough, tough team that wore opponents down on the ground. Lynch had four straight seasons of at least 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2011-2014.
This Sunday and during the playoffs, Seattle is looking to rekindle that magic of the past and find the spirit of the dominant Seahawks teams once again. Lynch will look to lead the way one last time as a reflection of the glory of Seahawks teams passed.
In the present, this team completely revolves around Russell Wilson. Wilson is fifth in quarterback rating in the NFL and third in touchdowns. The offense lives and dies with what Wilson does every Sunday.
If the Seahawks are going to defeat the 49ers and set themselves up for a deep playoff run, it will go through Russell Wilson. Wilson has been giving his best impression of Santa Claus, distributing the football to 15 different pass-catchers this season, with 10 different receivers scoring touchdowns.
As for the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Jamarco Jones may be trying to earn himself the title of heir-apparent to Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown. With Brown once again out with a knee injury, the Seahawks will count on Jones once again to block Russell Wilson’s blind side.
The 2018 fifth round pick may be playing for a future spot on this offensive line. He will have a very tall task in containing a 49ers pass rush that ranks fifth in the NFL with 47 sacks and fourth in tackles for loss.
Jones needs to summon other-worldy powers and lock down the left side of the line in order for Wilson to be successful. The future of the Seahawks offensive line may depend on Jones’ success in the next few weeks. Seattle will find out just what they have in Jones.
Seattle will need the help of the past (Marshawn Lynch), present (Russell Wilson), and future (Jamarco Jones) to defeat the mighty 49ers and overtake first place in the NFC West for good.
Jones will not be the only Seahawk representing the future that will need to step up for the Seahawks to win this game. D.K. Metcalf needs to bounce back from his worst game as a rookie, while Marquise Blair and Cody Barton will likely be called upon at some point to make a key tackle.
Pete Carroll also needs to work his magic in conjuring all three spirits in order for Seattle to take down San Francisco.
This game could mean the difference between a possible Super Bowl run or a quick exit from the playoffs and they will need all hands on deck to finish the job.
