Schedule

Seahawks will face Packers again next year

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Seahawks at Packers helmetsThe Minnesota-Green Bay game on Sunday night did more than settle Seattle’s playoff destination: It determined which NFC North team the Seahawks will face in 2016.

The Seahawks will play a second-place schedule next season, which means they will once again face the Green Bay Packers, who finished second to the Vikings in the North.

The Packers and Philadelphia Eagles were the only unknowns entering Week 17. The Hawks already were set to face the NFC South, AFC East and, of course, NFC West.

The Seahawks and Packers will face off for the fifth time in five years (assuming the teams don’t meet in the NFC title game again this season — a safe assumption considering how pathetic the Packers have become). Like this year, that game will be in Green Bay.

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CHAWK LINES, Week 17: At Arizona
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CHAWK LINES -- Seahawks at Cardinals

The Seahawks return to the scene of the Super crime this week, back in Glendale, Ariz., and Russell Wilson revisited the most infamous interception in Super Bowl history.

Wilson credits his durability partly to swimming and advice from NFL veterans such as Vinny Testaverde and Leon Washington.

Mark Glowinski is No. 1 on Bob Condotta’s list of players to watch vs. Arizona.

The Seahawks will see an old friend, Red Bryant.

Here are Seattle’s playoff scenarios.

Here’s a preview of the game from AP.

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Injury report, State of the team, Week 17: At Arizona

Will battered Hawks be up for challenge?

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Seahawks bandagesIt turns out this big Seattle-Arizona clash might not be a very good gauge of where the Seahawks stand vs. the Cardinals, who are Seattle’s biggest hurdle to reaching the Super Bowl.

Half of Seattle’s key offensive players won’t be in the game, with J.R. Sweezy and Luke Willson (concussions) ruled out Friday — joining Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham, Thomas Rawls, Paul Richardson and probably Russell Okung. That means the Hawks are down to second- or third-stringers at four positions.

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Injury report, Playoffs, State of the team

Carroll spins Lynch’s rehab choice, thinks he can make playoffs

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Lynch stretchingMarshawn Lynch’s trademark was approved Wednesday for his infamous phrase, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”

Funny timing, considering he isn’t “here” in Seattle and won’t get fined for it.

Pete Carroll said Lynch might make it back for the first playoff game, and the coach also deflected concerns that the team is not controlling Lynch’s rehab as the running back recovers from abdominal surgery.

Lynch has been working with his personal trainer in the Bay Area, as he does every offseason, and Carroll has been relying on reports from that crew regarding Lynch’s progress.

“I would think he can make it back (for the playoffs),” Carroll said. “That’s what we hear. It’s really up to that day-to-day kind of progression that he’s making. There’s a lot of days between next week starting up. We’ll see what happens.”

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Contracts, Free agency, The roster, Trades

O-line decisions/options for Seahawks in 2016

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Russell Okung talks with GM John Schneider during minicamp in June (AP)Another shabby performance has put the focus right back on Seattle’s offensive line — a reminder that no matter how well it played during the five-game winning streak, it is still a very subpar unit that will need to be upgraded next offseason.

The Seahawks have eschewed using high picks on the line ever since 2011 selections James Carpenter (first round) and John Moffitt (third) did not work out; so, instead of Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro, guard Joel Bitonio and right tackle Terron Armstead, they have J.R. Sweezy, Justin Britt and Garry Gilliam.

The line has gotten worse every year since Russell Wilson became quarterback in 2012. It has been terrible at the end of the past two seasons, stuck using rookies and undrafted players to fill in for injured or underperforming high draft picks. And the unit just played one of its worst games of this season, albeit without Russell Okung, causing everyone to hope that was an aberration as the playoffs approach.

However the season ends up, the Seahawks have to upgrade the unit in the offseason, if possible, and try to build some stability in front of Wilson for 2016 and beyond.

They need to determine (1) what to do at left tackle, (2) whether to keep Sweezy, (3) whether to add a veteran center to replace Patrick Lewis and (4) what they are going to do in the draft.

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Playoffs, Week 17: At Arizona

Rematch season: Playoff destiny is no longer in Seahawks’ hands

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NFC playoffsThanks to the offense’s pitiful performance vs. the Rams, the Seahawks’ playoff destiny is no longer in their hands. But the season of rematches is about to begin.

If the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, the Seahawks will head to Minnesota for the NFC wild-card round — regardless of what the Hawks do against Arizona earlier that day.

If Green Bay wins, Seattle’s result against Arizona will matter: A win would mean the Hawks go to Washington; a loss would mean they go to Green Bay.

 

Other than the possible Washington matchup, every game the Seahawks might play the rest of the way — starting this week in Arizona — will be a rematch from earlier in the season. And the Seahawks owe payback to all but Minnesota — they lost to Green Bay, Arizona and Carolina.

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Contracts, Pro Bowl, State of the team, Trades

Undeserved Pro Bowl spot should spell end of Kam in Seattle

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Kam Chancellor during the fourth quarter against Denver (Getty)It will be a stunner if Kam Chancellor is with the Seahawks next year — his undeserved Pro Bowl spot almost surely sealed his exit from Seattle.

He obviously will use his fourth Pro Bowl election to try to bolster his argument that he should be paid more. Remember, he missed the first two games this season while trying to get a better contract, which is set to pay him $5.1 million in 2016 and $6.8 million in 2017. He quite obviously will try to do it again — and use his “reputation” Pro Bowl vote as proof.

General manager John Schneider already should be planning to trade Chancellor, but this will be the nail in that coffin.

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CHAWK LINES, Week 16: St. Louis
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CHAWK LINES -- Rams at Seahawks.png

Bob Condotta runs down all of the records Russell Wilson is setting or could set.

We don’t care much about the overblown Pro Bowl, but the Hawks tied a team record with seven guys. Michael Bennett, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Tyler Lockett were very deserving.

K.J. Wright did not make the Pro Bowl, but he did get engaged this week.

Condotta also details the various scenarios for the Seahawks landing the No. 5 or 6 seed. Most people seem to think the only bad matchup would be Seattle as a No. 6 seed at Green Bay. But odds are the Hawks will end up the No. 5 seed at Washington or Philly.

The Seahawks have beaten the Rams in Seattle 10 straight times. Todd Gurley will get his first action vs. Seattle.

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Injury report, State of the team

Michael & Brown might have to carry running game to Super Bowl

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“In this system, we’ve never not had a good back. Whoever it is can go for a thousand. I’m not worried about that so much. … Hopefully (Marshawn Lynch is) with us. If he’s not, then we move on. That’s fine.” — Tom Cable in June 2014.

Tom Cable was right: The Seahawks don’t need Marshawn Lynch. And it turns out they don’t really need Thomas Rawls either — as spectacular as he had been in relief of Lynch.

The Seahawks are a system running team — and, once the five linemen are in sync in their zone scheme, it is tough to stop the system. The Hawks proved that again Sunday, when they rolled up 182 rushing yards with two new backs — born-again Seahawk Christine Michael and Bryce Brown.

And, based on Pete Carroll’s comments Wednesday, Michael and Brown will be the ones to carry the Seahawks’ ground game into the playoffs, if not through to the Super Bowl.

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State of the team, Week 15: Cleveland

Secret to Wilson’s Zone? Gotta be the shoes

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The Zone.

It’s that elusive feeling that athletes or any competitive people strive for — that je ne sais quoi that makes them invincible for a stretch, allows them to be almost superhuman, enables them to make it look so easy.

Russell Wilson is in the Zone.

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