'It Ain't Over!': DK Metcalf, Seahawks Eyeing Playoff Push
At the season's halfway point, the Seattle Seahawks were soaring with a 6-3 record and as winners of five of their last six games.
But since falling by five to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich, the Seahawks' season has spiraled out of control, flipping the script and losing five of six, including a 24-10 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
Seattle has watched itself go from leading the NFC West to being on the outside looking in at the postseason with just two games left to play ... but the Seahawks are still alive.
Holding a 7-8 record, the Seahawks are the first team out of the playoffs as things stand, ranking just behind the 7-7-1 Washington Commanders who have a significant question mark at quarterback following the benching of Taylor Heinicke in Saturday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Thus, while Seattle doesn't control its own destiny, the door remains open - especially with a pair of home games looming to close out the season.
As such, while the Seahawks will be nearly a month removed from their last win when they take the field Sunday against the New York Jets, the team remains confident - starting with All-Pro receiver DK Metcalf.
"It ain't over until the end of the season," Metcalf said. "We won't let the NFL and the standings kick us out, but we are still going to fight these last two games and try to get in."
The Jets' (7-8) season has mirrored the Seahawks in some ways, as they started 6-3 but have since lost five of six, including their last four. They'll welcome quarterback Mike White back from injury for what could very well be a playoff elimination game for both sides.
While New York has had quarterback drama of late between White and Zach Wilson, there's little question surrounding Seattle's situation under center - it's Geno Smith's show.
And while Smith hasn't had his strongest showings of late, he's keeping the big picture in mind, expressing optimism in the situation the Seahawks find themselves in.
"We're right in the middle of the playoff race," Smith began. "And we have two games at home, what more could you ask for? We had a tough stretch but that's in the past. That has to be in the past. We have to evaluate this stuff really hard, but we look forward to these next two games. Obviously, it starts with one. You have to focus on that one and then you can move on to the next."
Seahawks Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs reiterated similar sentiments, noting that the team has already outperformed preseason expectations and is focused on finishing the job.
"Heck, you have an opportunity to go to the playoffs still," Diggs said. "This is what you want at the beginning of the year. Nobody ever thought we would be in this position, anyways, to have the opportunity to go to the playoffs. For us, we want to fight, and we want to give ourselves those options. We want to finish 2-0 and finish strong. That's what it's all about.
"We haven't played this last quarter of the season like we wanted to, but we have a shot still. For us, we just have to take advantage of that."
Seattle entered the season projected to be amongst the worst teams in the league, and even with the recent rough stretch, still has everything on the table that it wanted to accomplish from Week 1.
It's this chance to finish the journey and send one final message that only increases the stakes over the last two games ... to the degree that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll dubbed it Seattle's "championship."
"These last two games will be enormous for us obviously," Carroll said. "We are playing the championship of the season right now. That is how we are going to approach it and get it done and give us a chance to be in it in the end."
The Seahawks' "fight" to win their "championship" begins Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Pacific, when they'll host the Jets at Lumen Field ... with a season's worth of hopes and dreams on the line.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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