With NFC West Title Up For Grabs, Seahawks Aim to Maintain ‘Championship Mindset’ vs. Rams

Following a five-point victory over Washington in Week 15, Seattle clinched its ninth playoff appearance over the last 11 seasons. Thanks to a massive upset suffered by Los Angeles over the weekend, they'll also have a chance to capture the NFC West division title at Lumen Field on Sunday.

After losing to the Packers in the divisional round of last season’s playoffs, the Seahawks were determined to return to the postseason once again in 2020 and now that same drive could potentially earn them their first NFC West title since 2016.

But first, they’ll need to find a way to surge past the Rams, who currently sit just one game back of the division lead. Since there are only two games remaining in the regular season, coming out victorious in Week 16 would guarantee a playoff game would be held in the Pacific Northwest when the postseason gets underway next month.

Though this upcoming showdown is undoubtedly Seattle’s biggest matchup of the season, the goal remains simple for them: they must treat this game just like all the others that have come before it. Attempting to maintain their season-long mentality, coach Pete Carroll admitted his team has treated every game like it could be their last and he’s hopeful they’ll carry that same mindset into this contest.

“This week is what all of that’s about,” Carroll explained. “It’s to get to this point – being a championship opportunity – continuing to pose each game that we play as a championship opportunity. So we’re practicing that mentality so that when we get here, we do exactly that again. So hopefully all of the lessons stick and we carry on.”

After opening this season on a five-game winning streak, the Seahawks hit a bit of a rough patch over their next four games, which resulted in a 1-3 record during that span. But thanks to the defense’s recent emergence, the club has since been able to turn things around and has won four of their last five games.

Aside from last season, where they lost the final two games of the regular season, Seattle has historically performed extremely well in December throughout the Carroll era. Now facing a similar challenge once again, Carroll believes this matchup could serve as another chance for his team to prove they deserve to be considered one of the top playoff contenders in the NFC.

“We have finished well in our seasons,” Carroll discussed. “We’ve finished with a lot of good wins at the end of the year. This is another opportunity to demonstrate that we get it and [that] we know what we’re doing – philosophically we’re tight and connected – and that we can go out and perform like we’re capable against a really great football team. So, nothing changes.”

Since Carroll was named head coach in 2010, the Seahawks have now qualified for the playoffs in nine of the last 11 seasons. Adding to this, the organization has also won at least one playoff round in seven of their eight previous trips and it’s possible that streak could be extended next month.

In a perfect world, Seattle wouldn’t have tragically lost to New England during Super Bowl 49, earning back-to-back championships. That being said, it’s still pretty impressive that no one inside the organization has lost any focus since that heartbreaking moment, as they’ve remained determined to eventually return to the “big dance.”

Poised to turn their goal into a reality this season, the team’s chances of accomplishing that feat would certainly increase by capturing another division title, although that’ll likely be easier said than done. Considering the Rams dominated them back in Week 10 despite winning by just seven points, it’ll be crucial for Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and his teammates to correct their mistakes during this highly-anticipated showdown.

“I think we were a little bit off [back] then,” Carroll detailed. “We just didn’t feel the same and it felt like we played uncharacteristically. Russell [Wilson] made one play in the game when he threw the ball across the field trying to hit [Will] Dissly up the sideline – it was trying hard to make something happen. I think that kind of stood for what it felt like for me as a coach, him as a player, I just felt like we weren’t quite right.”

“Fortunately we get to play these guys again, we’ll see how we do this time around. All that’s ever happened is gone, that’s already behind us. In our minds, we just move on to take the next step and hopefully we’ll take a good step this week.”