The Seahawks did their part. It wasn’t pretty, but the Seahawks closed out the regular season with a 19-16 overtime victory over the rival Rams on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field to finish with a 9-8 record and give themselves a chance to sneak in as the NFC’s seventh and final playoff team.
Now they have to wait out the result of the Lions-Packers game in Green Bay, set to kick off this evening at 5:15 p.m. on NBC. If the Lions win, the Seahawks are in the playoffs. If the Packers win, the Packers are in and the Seahawks’ season is over.
The Seahawks’ victory eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.
Three immediate impressions from the Seahawks’ victory:
A second chance
Jason Myers converted the game-winning kick from 32 yards in overtime, making amends for his miss from 46 yards off the right upright on the final play of regulation.
Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs got the ball back for the Seahawks offense in overtime with an interception off Baker Mayfield on a deep pass intended for Van Jefferson at the Seattle 32-yard line.
Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett for a 17-yard gain to the Rams’ 47-yard, beating Bobby Wagner in coverage.
Kenneth Walker III added a 20-yard run to the Rams’ 27 to get the Seahawks within field-goal range.
The Seahawks offense finished with 402 yards, but it was an uneven performance. The Seahawks were just 1 for 11 on third downs, Smith threw two interceptions and DK Metcalf wasn’t much of a factor.
Ultimately, none of that really matters now. Everyone’s attention quickly turns to the game being played in Green Bay tonight.
What do the Seahawks do about Geno Smith?
That will be the prevailing question going forward, whether the Seahawks sneak into the playoffs or not.
Smith’s performance Sunday was a lot like his overall performance in the second half of the season.
Some good.
Some bad.
Some really bad.
Smith is a free agent when the season ends.
His breakthrough this season has been one of the best stories in the NFL. But has he done enough to convince the Seahawks to bring him back?
Should the Seahawks re-sign him on a multiyear deal at, say, $30 million per season — roughly the average for a decent starting QB in this league?
Or should they go all in on a young QB with their top-five pick in April’s draft and move on from Smith?
Those are fair questions … and questions the Seahawks will need to sort out sooner rather than later.
Milestone moments
Kenneth Walker III bolstered his case for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie by eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark on Sunday, becoming just the second rookie in franchise history to achieve that (Curt Warner).
Walker came into Sunday needing 64 yards and wound up with 114. It wasn’t his best game of a terrific rookie season, but the kind of grind-it-out performance the Seahawks needed.
Walker finished the regular season 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns.
Lockett surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark the fourth consecutive season, doing so on a perfectly thrown 36-yard touchdown pass from Smith in the third quarter.
Steve Largent is the only other receiver in franchise history to have four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
It was a relatively quiet game for Metcalf, who finished with just three catches (on eight targets) for 40 yards.
Metcalf came into Week 18 with 1,008 yards and six touchdowns on a career-high 87 receptions.
Walker, Lockett and Metcalf became just the second set of teammates to each surpass 1,000 yards, joining Brian Blades, Joey Galloway and Chris Warren from 1995.