This team sat at 6-9 heading into week 17, missing their starting quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, and starting Charlie Whitehurst, who had struggled mightily up to that point in his first year as this team’s high paid, high profile backup. Whitehurst was 35-63 for 315 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 picks in limited action, starting for Hasselbeck against New York in a 41-7 loss, taking over for Hasselbeck in a 38-15 loss to Tampa Bay the week before. He also played sparingly down the stretch against Arizona and Atlanta.

Going into this week 17 game, with their backup quarterback, they were one 15+ point loss away from setting a new record for most 15+ point losses in a season. They had lost all 9 games by 15 and with a loss, they would have had the 7^th pick in the 2011 draft. They didn’t have a rusher with more than 500 yards (excluding Marshawn Lynch, who had about 200 of his 700 with Buffalo). They didn’t have a receiver with more than 750 yards. Their defense wasn’t very good. The catch, if they won that week 17 game, they made the playoffs.

And win that week 17 game they did, creating football Armageddon, making the playoffs as a 7-9 team, the first time a sub .500 team made the playoffs. Even worse, they made the playoffs while 2 teams they lost to by a combined 69 points, New York and Tampa Bay, didn’t make the playoffs despite having 10 wins.

I argued that they did not belong in the playoffs because they were not one of the 6 best teams by record. I wanted the playoffs to be changed so that the best 6 teams by conference, or even the best 12 teams by league, made the playoffs. It made no sense to be that they made the playoffs simply because of where their stadium was located. Even worse, Seattle got a home playoff game.

Vegas took advantage of the public’s overreaction to Seattle making the playoffs and made New Orleans double digit road favorites heading into Seattle. This was the first time all season that a road team was favored by double digits. I noticed this as a trap line feeding off the public’s overreaction and bet heavily against it, also citing New Orleans’ struggles outdoors in hostile environments. However, even I didn’t predict what happened next.

Seattle won. Seattle beat the Saints. The Saints succummed to the elements in Qwest field, the rain, the crowd noise, which on one occasion literally shook the stadium. Marshawn Lynch arose from the dead to have one of the greatest runs in NFL history. Matt Hasselbeck played like he was 29 years old again, the age he was when this team made the Super Bowl. Seattle won.

I still argued that this team should not have been the playoffs, because their win against New Orleans didn’t change the fact that they were not one of the best 12 teams in the NFL or one of the best 6 teams in the NFC. The Seahawks came out flat the next week against Chicago, losing 35-24 in what was really a more lopsided game than that.

Now the Seahawks sit with the 25^th pick in the draft, rather than the 7^th, and some might wonder if it was worth it, those 2 wins. They need help almost everywhere. Matt Hasselbeck carried this team in both playoff games, even outplaying Jay Cutler, in my opinion, in a loss, but he turns 36 in September and is almost a sure bet to miss a couple games a season. Charlie Whitehurst had one good game against St. Louis, but sucked the rest of the year.

Marshawn Lynch, who they gave up a 4^th rounder for, was terrible all year with the exception of that one run. Mike Williams was their best receiver, but he’s injury prone and a potential one year wonder. Their offensive line needs help with the exception of stud left tackle, 2010 6^th overall pick Russell Okung. Their defense isn’t very good. They have a lot of work ahead of them.