Reading the room, trying to gauge how many football fans are focused on the weekend in the light of Damar Hamlin’s health. The Bills safety collapsed on the field due to a cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game and was rushed to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
It was a jarring reminder of the fragility of life, which can be threatened or snatched without a moment’s notice. It was also a welcome reminder of the depths of human compassion, as millions of dollars poured into Hamlin’s charity thanks to fans with heavy and hefty hearts.
But the NFL games are scheduled to go on this weekend, and there is a massive one for the Seahawks, who need a win Sunday and a Packers loss to sneak into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. There also is a controversy about whether the NFL is playing favorites by scheduling Seattle’s game four hours before the Green Bay-Detroit game.
The thought is that if the Seahawks beat the Rams, the Lions would lose all motivation, as that result would eliminate them from the playoffs. So, is this unfortunate for the Seahawks? A little. Unfair? Perhaps. But something to complain about? Not even a little bit.
First, the Seahawks (8-8) put themselves in this not-so-enviable position. They were 6-3 at the beginning of November before losing to the Bucs, Raiders and Panthers — none of which have winning records — over a four-game stretch. Remember, this is only the third year that a No. 7 seed has even existed in the NFL playoffs. Before 2020, only six teams from each conference got in. In other words, when you play .500 ball over the first 16 games — which included a late stretch in which you dropped five out of six — there isn’t much room for a grievance.
Second, this is supposed to be entertainment — a bunch of grown men throwing balls, catching balls, kicking balls and tackling each other for millions of dollars per year. And “unfairness” has long persisted as a means to grow this multibillion-dollar industry. When one team is deemed the home team at a neutral site for an international game, it loses an actual home game. And this is in addition to some teams having easier non-division schedules, which almost certainly plays a role in who makes or misses the playoffs — particularly among bottom seeds.
In scheduling Green Bay-Detroit as the Sunday night game, the NFL saw a win-and-he’s-in scenario for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who could be playing his final game with the Packers — one of the country’s most widely supported teams. That’s a storyline the nation is going to tune in to watch, even if the Lions are out.
Did the NFL play favorites? Sure. But the favorite was money — not the Packers.
Finally, it’s silly to think the Lions aren’t going to show up emotionally Sunday night if the Seahawks win. The idea of spoiling a division rival’s playoff hopes might not be as appealing as making the playoffs, but it is motivation enough. Especially when you consider Detroit has won just three games at Lambeau Field and is a young team one victory away from its first winning season since 2017.
A couple of quotes from Seahawks in recent weeks that may apply to the Lions Sunday night. The first was from defensive lineman Shelby Harris after Seattle’s mid-December loss to San Francisco.
“This league is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. Anyone that goes out there and lays it down, you might not have a job next year,” he said. “You can’t go out there and give up. You won’t be around.”
The second was from center Austin Blythe, who responded with the following Sunday when asked about his team not having control of its playoff situation:
“I’d say we are still in control of our situation, and that situation is winning the football game in front of us. If we get in, we get in. If we don’t and we win next week, we know we finished the way we wanted to.”
Players will play hard when future paychecks are on the line. They’ll play hard when pride is on the line, too. And maybe — just maybe — the Lions will play better if the pressure of the playoffs is lifted.
The ideal situation for the Seahawks would be if they played at the same time as the Lions and the Packers. But ideal situations in this life are rare.
Fans can complain all they want about the disadvantage their team is playing in, but it was the Seahawks’ play in the second half of the season that put them at this so-called disadvantage.