Seahawks' Focus vs. Cardinals 'Couldn't Be More Obvious' Says Coach Pete Carroll

The Seattle Seahawks meet the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18 and head coach Pete Carroll says what the team needs to do couldn't be more obvious.

The Seattle Seahawks will enter the field on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals knowing that a win is the bare minimum they have to achieve if they are to make it to the postseason.

After last week's 30-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle lost its ability to control its own playoff destiny. Now, a win at Arizona, coupled with results going their way will equal and punched playoff ticket.

For coach Pete Carroll, the goal couldn't be more clear, and he expects his team to share a similar focus.

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“It couldn’t be any more obvious," head coach Pete Carroll said. "This is the finish opportunity here for the regular season and we’ve got to get this game done, we’ve got to get what we need to get done here to have a chance to keep rolling. It isn’t about really what’s down the road, it’s about this game, right now, this time."

The loss to the Steelers stings as the Seahawks were favorites at home, but perhaps what made the loss even worse, was how they lost. Pittsburgh gashed the Seattle defense on the ground, racking up 202 rushing yards. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren did as they pleased. 

With another team that is very adept at running the football up next in the Cardinals, the Seahawks know that they can't give up 200+ yards on the ground again if they are to pull off a win.

“We’ve got to do some things better than we did, and we’ve had some times where we’ve been okay, but we’ve got to get better," Carroll said. "How can you get better in the week? Well, watch. We’re going to do that and we’re going to change a little bit of how this thing happened last week, and I’m anxious to see it come together. Always on this day, it’s back basics and fundamentals and doing the little things right, and so we have to capture this day and make sure it’s a good one for us.”

The path is crystal clear for Seattle - win by any means necessary.

Keys to Victory For Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals in Week 18 - Locked On Podcast

All the scoreboard watching will be useless unless the Seahawks handle business in the desert. If they don't, then this once-promising season will have a rather sour end. 

Things were looking good midway through the season, but a dip in form that saw Seattle drop four straight games, now has it fighting for its playoff life.