'Sucks!': Seahawks Playoff Position, Win vs. Jets 'Doesn't Really Matter'
The Seattle Seahawks' 23-6 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday was a must-have game for their playoff hopes and now keeps them in the mix entering Week 18.
But not everybody inside of Seattle's locker room was optimistic following the game, as veteran defensive end Shelby Harris could only lament on the Seahawks needing help from other teams to keep their season alive.
“It doesn't really matter," Harris said of the win and being in the hunt. "We have to go out there and handle our business next week. It sucks that we are in the position where we have to watch other people, and we did that to ourselves. At the end of the day, all we can do is go out there and win it next week and see where it goes.”
At the season's midway point, the Seahawks were 6-3 and had a two-game lead over the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC West crown ... but started the second half by losing five of six games.
That skid made the Jets contest an elimination game, and while Seattle fended it off for the time being, still needs the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers this Sunday to make the postseason.
In essence, the Seahawks no longer control their own destiny ... but many of Harris' teammates held a significantly different view after extending their playoff hopes against New York.
“It feels amazing man," defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson said. "Today was win or go home, so we had nothing to lose. Guys were playing with their heads on fire, and we needed that. I feel like that was the first time that we played a complete game in all three phases. It came at the right time, and we have to use this as a building block and take it into next week because the Rams are going to give us everything we have. We just have to keep it rolling.”
Rookie running back Ken Walker III expressed similar sentiments to Jefferson, cherishing the victory but noting that there's still work ahead.
“It feels great, but we just have to stay focused on what we’ve got to do," Walker III said. "We have to win first. So, we’ll go back and watch film, look at the mistakes we made and be focused for next week.”
By all accounts, the Seahawks even having a chance entering the season finale is an impressive feat when considering most preseason predictions had them among the NFL's worst teams.
And yet, with as much as this group has proven - be it quarterback Geno Smith's emergence or a stellar rookie season from Pro Bowl corner Tariq Woolen - the playoffs have been a realistic thought since the middle of October ... and the dream is directly in front of them.
"I think that's exactly what you want," Smith said. "As a team that's what you want, the chance to be in the big dance. Right now, for us it's pretty much playoff football. We’ve got one game and you’ve got to win to get in. Once the playoffs come around, you’ve got to win to keep advancing. So it's good that we get to feel this right now. Good that these guys get to experience these things now, myself included.
"I think it's going to be very, very vital for us going forward.”
Despite being one of the NFL's most successful teams during the 2010s, Seattle's current roster has little playoff experience; it's merely a new cast of characters with several young stars, including Walker III and Woolen.
And now, this young, overperforming group needs one last magical act - even if the lessons learned along the way will only help the franchise moving forward. But what's better than experiencing a playoff push? Actually making the postseason ... and the Seahawks remain firmly in the mix to do exactly that.
However, whether or not they can reach the "big dance" isn't fully up to them - and perhaps that's what truly "sucks" about the situation.
The Seahawks will look to finish strong and handle their own business Sunday at 1:25 p.m. Pacific when the Los Angeles Rams travel to Lumen Field ... and hope the results work out in their favor, proving the victory over the Jets really did matter.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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