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At 4-5, the Seattle Seahawks didn't look like a championship contender. They barely looked like a viable playoff contender.
There should have been questions too after they gave up nearly 500 passing yards against the Steelers at home three weeks ago. The defense hasn't been what it was the past couple years.
But here we are, with three regular-season games to go, and the Seahawks might be making a run.
it took a while, and who knows, after two straight Super Bowl appearances maybe it was just tough to get the juices completely flowing for early season games. Especially after losing a heartbreaking Super Bowl to the Patriots last February. And there were personnel issues. Kam Chancellor's holdout hurt the defense and the offensive line struggled. Marshawn Lynch never looked like himself. Russell Wilson, with a big new contract and more responsibility in the offense, didn't play well in the first half of the season. There was no reason after nine weeks to believe they'd have a shot at another Super Bowl appearance.
Then everything flipped.
Wilson has played out of his mind, with 16 touchdown passes and no interceptions the last four weeks. The defense, after the Steelers performance, has been magnificent. And, of course, the Steelers are hard for anyone to slow down. Everything is clicking the past couple weeks, although rookie running back Thomas Rawls' season-ending ankle injury could be a big problem. They're probably depending on a Lynch return from sports hernia surgery a little more than they'd like. Nobody knows when or if Lynch will be back or how effective he'll be if he does return. But they'll see if they can patch it together without him.
The Seahawks have home games against the Browns and Rams the next two weeks, so pencil them into the playoffs. There's a good chance they'll be the fifth seed too, which means they'll be significant favorites at the NFC East champ in the first round. They didn't look like they could beat the Cardinals a few weeks ago, when the teams met in Seattle. But this seems like a different team now. A rematch would be much more interesting, as would a rematch against the Panthers, who pulled off a last-minute win at Seattle in Week 6.
Would you feel that comfortable picking the Panthers or Cardinals if they played the Seahawks?
It's not easy for anyone to win three straight road playoff games, but we've seen teams get hot late and make a run. Most of those teams didn't have the star power the Seahawks have, either.
It seems like Seattle is back. The road will be tougher this time, but you can't count them out of a third straight Super Bowl appearance quite yet.
Here are Shutdown Corner's power rankings after Week 14:
32. Baltimore Ravens (4-9, LW: 31)
You know it's getting bad when you're thinking, "I really hope Matt Schaub comes back soon."
31. San Francisco 49ers (4-9, LW: 30)
That whole "Maybe Blaine Gabbert can be the 2016 starter" movement hit a snag on Sunday, didn't it?
30. Cleveland Browns (3-10, Last week: 32)
The Johnny Manziel situation has the chance to get interesting. Manziel has played well his past two starts. At least well enough that if he does that a few more times, you wouldn't want to throw out a first-round pick next offseason and start over. But the Browns could also be getting a new general manager and head coach if they decide to clean house. If you tell candidates for those jobs that they're going to have Manziel as their starting quarterback, will that limit the pool? Or, will a new head coach/general manager combination get free reign and dump Manziel no matter what happens these last three games?
29. Tennessee Titans (3-10, LW: 29)
That was a cool trick play touchdown pass from running back Antonio Andrews to quarterback Marcus Mariota. That's all I have to say about the Titans.
28. San Diego Chargers (3-10, LW: 26)
The Chargers taking a delay of game penalty, when they were at the Chiefs' 1-yard line with 5 seconds left, sums up their entire season.*
27. Dallas Cowboys (4-9, LW: 22)
Good news: There's a Saturday night game this week. Bad news: It's with this unwatchable Cowboys team.
26. Detroit Lions (4-9, LW: 24)
Calvin Johnson isn't the same guy he was a couple years ago. But getting him one catch, with 2:30 left in the game when the Lions were stuck on seven points ... I don't get it.
25. St. Louis Rams (5-8, LW: 27)
How many fans will be there Thursday night for the game against the Buccaneers? 5,000? Not like many turned out on Sunday.
Safety Reshad Jones has had an unbelievable season (even though he seemed to get beat on Odell Beckham's long touchdown in the fourth quarter Monday night). If the Dolphins had a better record, he'd be in the NFL defensive player of the year race. At very least he should be a lock for the All-Pro team.
23. Atlanta Falcons (6-7, LW: 21)
What more can you even say? They're a debacle at this point.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8, LW: 28)
Maybe it's an enjoyment of chaos, but I want the Jaguars to win the AFC South. They're only a game back.
21. New Orleans Saints (5-8, LW: 23)
Tim Hightower, who went from 2011 to this season without playing in an NFL game, had 28 carries for 85 yards. C.J. Spiller, who the Saints signed to a four-year, $18 million deal, had three carries. When the offseason comes and you start hearing the "OMG how did the Saints' salary-cap situation get this bad?" stories, just remember moves like the Spiller signing. The Saints are not exactly "fiscally responsible" or have a "smart free-agency plan."
20. Chicago Bears (5-8, LW: 16)
Zach Miller has been a crazy story. He last played an NFL game in 2011. Then he resurfaced with the Bears this season. The last five weeks he has 278 yards and five touchdowns. Pretty cool resurgence for the 31-year old.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7, LW: 15)
If you want to be a playoff team, you probably shouldn't lose a home game against the Saints at this point of the season. Alas, the Buccaneers are no longer really in the playoff mix.
18. Oakland Raiders (6-7, LW: 20)
The Raiders went for the two-point conversation after taking a three-point lead at Denver on Sunday, which made no sense until it was noted that their long-snapper Jon Condo had suffered a shoulder injury. But the question really should be: Why didn't the Raiders prepare for this issue? Shouldn't there be an emergency option somewhere on the roster?
17. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7, LW: 19)
This week's game against the Cardinals will be interesting. If they can win, do we wonder if the Eagles can win a playoff game too? It would give them a three-game winning streak with wins over the Patriots, Bills and Cardinals.
16. New York Giants (6-7, LW: 18)
You can only pick one: Odell Beckham, Julio Jones or Antonio Brown. The way Beckham is playing lately, he might be the answer. The run he's on is insane.
15. Washington Redskins (6-7, LW: 17)
I think the most interesting question of the offseason might be what the Redskins do with Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent (I wrote about it at length here).
14. Houston Texans (6-7, LW: 14)
Another concussion for Brian Hoyer. That's not good. Football-wise, it's really bad having to start T.J. Yates on the road at Indianapolis with first place in the AFC South on the line.
13. Indianapolis Colts (6-7, LW: 13)
The feel-good Matt Hasselbeck story is fading. And giving up 51 points to the Jaguars says a lot about how disappointing this Colts team is.
12. Buffalo Bills (6-7, LW: 11)
Since their season is practically over, I'll just say I really liked "Four Falls of Buffalo," the ESPN documentary on the 1990s Bills. That was a great team. They just got a bit unlucky with their Super Bowl draws. The 1991 Redskins, 1992 Cowboys, 1993 Cowboys should be on anyone's list of greatest teams ever. And the 1990 Giants had the perfect gameplan and won by one point in one of the great all-time games. Every right-minded NFL fan understands by now though that the Bills' run was truly a special one, Super Bowl title or not.
11. New York Jets (8-5, LW: 12)
Todd Bowles has done a fine job. This team has flaws but just keeps winning. He is maximizing their talent.
10. Minnesota Vikings (8-5, LW: 10)
The risks just outweighed the rewards, trying to get a few more extra yards for a field goal attempt on third-and-10 with a few seconds left at Arizona. And Teddy Bridgewater has to get rid of the ball no matter what.
9. Green Bay Packers (9-4, LW: 9)
A lot of Packers fans really think that win, against a Cowboys team that is 1-8 without Tony Romo, was a wonderful one. The Packers led a terrible team, at home, 14-7 with less than five minutes left. Nobody outside of Wisconsin, watching that dull game on Fox, thought "Wow, this Packers team is ready to make a championship run!" Maybe the Packers will make that run, but they'll have to play a lot better to do so.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5, LW: 6)
Not the most impressive performance at home, but the conditions weren't great either. Whatever, it was a win. No big deal unless the offense falters again next week, then maybe we'll revisit. (And please, don't hit me with "How could you move them down????" complaints. These next two teams deserved to be moved up. In that case, someone has to get displaced.)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5, LW: 8)
In the Steelers' last five games, they have scored 38, 30, 30, 45 and 33 points. It didn't seem like they had a great game on Sunday, but scored 33 points against a good defense. Their floor each week seems to be 28 points (though that theory might be tested against the fantastic Broncos defense this week). That's why no AFC team wants to see them in the playoffs.
6. Seattle Seahawks (8-5, LW: 7)
Maybe Bryce Brown or some combination of him, Fred Jackson and DaJuan Harris gives the Seahawks a good running game. But they struggled earlier this year when the running game wasn't clicking. As great as Wilson is playing, he'll need something from the running game to balance things out, and we have no idea when Lynch might be back.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (10-3, LW: 5)
The truth is, we have no idea if AJ McCarron is any good. He had four NFL passes before Sunday, and wasn't bad relieving Andy Dalton on Sunday despite little practice time with the starters. He has played in big games before, albeit at Alabama. He won't be freaked out by the big stage. And this is a really talented team around him. For now, I'm withholding judgment on the Bengals. I'm not sure yet they'll fade away as long as Andy Dalton is out, so they're not dropping out of the top five. Let's see what McCarron can do.
4. Denver Broncos (10-3, LW: 3)
We overreact like crazy to results of single games. If Demaryius Thomas or Vernon Davis don't have those awful drops, we're not talking about how Brock Osweiler needs to go. I still think he's their best option, unless Peyton Manning looks reborn once he returns to practice. I think Osweiler gives the Broncos their best shot at a Super Bowl.
3. Arizona Cardinals (11-2, LW: 3)
The Dwight Freeney signing was smart. He has four sacks in eight games, including a game-clinching one against Minnesota. For less than $1 million? You wonder why other teams that can't generate any pass rush (hello, Giants and Falcons) didn't do it.
2. New England Patriots (11-2, LW: 2)
Well, the No. 1 seed in the AFC goes back to the Patriots. They're not losing any of their last three games either, unless Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski get hurt.
1. Carolina Panthers (13-0, LW: 1)
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but why not: Would a 15-0 Panthers team rest starters in Week 17? They'd have the No. 1 seed clinched. Coach Ron Rivera would be in a tough spot (he told The MMQB's Peter King he doesn't know what he'll do). It's not fair to deny the players a chance at history, and many coaches with a bye week have resisted resting starters for fear the team will get rusty before the playoffs. But if the Panthers get one of their stars hurt in Week 17 chasing 16-0? Rivera would never hear the end of that either. It's all moot if they lose to the Giants this week. But it's an interesting question to ponder.
There should have been questions too after they gave up nearly 500 passing yards against the Steelers at home three weeks ago. The defense hasn't been what it was the past couple years.
But here we are, with three regular-season games to go, and the Seahawks might be making a run.
it took a while, and who knows, after two straight Super Bowl appearances maybe it was just tough to get the juices completely flowing for early season games. Especially after losing a heartbreaking Super Bowl to the Patriots last February. And there were personnel issues. Kam Chancellor's holdout hurt the defense and the offensive line struggled. Marshawn Lynch never looked like himself. Russell Wilson, with a big new contract and more responsibility in the offense, didn't play well in the first half of the season. There was no reason after nine weeks to believe they'd have a shot at another Super Bowl appearance.
Then everything flipped.
Wilson has played out of his mind, with 16 touchdown passes and no interceptions the last four weeks. The defense, after the Steelers performance, has been magnificent. And, of course, the Steelers are hard for anyone to slow down. Everything is clicking the past couple weeks, although rookie running back Thomas Rawls' season-ending ankle injury could be a big problem. They're probably depending on a Lynch return from sports hernia surgery a little more than they'd like. Nobody knows when or if Lynch will be back or how effective he'll be if he does return. But they'll see if they can patch it together without him.
The Seahawks have home games against the Browns and Rams the next two weeks, so pencil them into the playoffs. There's a good chance they'll be the fifth seed too, which means they'll be significant favorites at the NFC East champ in the first round. They didn't look like they could beat the Cardinals a few weeks ago, when the teams met in Seattle. But this seems like a different team now. A rematch would be much more interesting, as would a rematch against the Panthers, who pulled off a last-minute win at Seattle in Week 6.
Would you feel that comfortable picking the Panthers or Cardinals if they played the Seahawks?
It's not easy for anyone to win three straight road playoff games, but we've seen teams get hot late and make a run. Most of those teams didn't have the star power the Seahawks have, either.
It seems like Seattle is back. The road will be tougher this time, but you can't count them out of a third straight Super Bowl appearance quite yet.
Here are Shutdown Corner's power rankings after Week 14:
32. Baltimore Ravens (4-9, LW: 31)
You know it's getting bad when you're thinking, "I really hope Matt Schaub comes back soon."
31. San Francisco 49ers (4-9, LW: 30)
That whole "Maybe Blaine Gabbert can be the 2016 starter" movement hit a snag on Sunday, didn't it?
30. Cleveland Browns (3-10, Last week: 32)
29. Tennessee Titans (3-10, LW: 29)
That was a cool trick play touchdown pass from running back Antonio Andrews to quarterback Marcus Mariota. That's all I have to say about the Titans.
28. San Diego Chargers (3-10, LW: 26)
The Chargers taking a delay of game penalty, when they were at the Chiefs' 1-yard line with 5 seconds left, sums up their entire season.*
27. Dallas Cowboys (4-9, LW: 22)
Good news: There's a Saturday night game this week. Bad news: It's with this unwatchable Cowboys team.
26. Detroit Lions (4-9, LW: 24)
Calvin Johnson isn't the same guy he was a couple years ago. But getting him one catch, with 2:30 left in the game when the Lions were stuck on seven points ... I don't get it.
25. St. Louis Rams (5-8, LW: 27)
How many fans will be there Thursday night for the game against the Buccaneers? 5,000? Not like many turned out on Sunday.
Edward Jones Done crowd for opening kickoff for Rams-Lions #stlrams #FanAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/JWDItDb8SF
— Norm Sanders (@NormSanders) December 13, 2015
24. Miami Dolphins (5-8, LW: 25)— Norm Sanders (@NormSanders) December 13, 2015
Safety Reshad Jones has had an unbelievable season (even though he seemed to get beat on Odell Beckham's long touchdown in the fourth quarter Monday night). If the Dolphins had a better record, he'd be in the NFL defensive player of the year race. At very least he should be a lock for the All-Pro team.
23. Atlanta Falcons (6-7, LW: 21)
What more can you even say? They're a debacle at this point.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8, LW: 28)
Maybe it's an enjoyment of chaos, but I want the Jaguars to win the AFC South. They're only a game back.
21. New Orleans Saints (5-8, LW: 23)
Tim Hightower, who went from 2011 to this season without playing in an NFL game, had 28 carries for 85 yards. C.J. Spiller, who the Saints signed to a four-year, $18 million deal, had three carries. When the offseason comes and you start hearing the "OMG how did the Saints' salary-cap situation get this bad?" stories, just remember moves like the Spiller signing. The Saints are not exactly "fiscally responsible" or have a "smart free-agency plan."
20. Chicago Bears (5-8, LW: 16)
Zach Miller has been a crazy story. He last played an NFL game in 2011. Then he resurfaced with the Bears this season. The last five weeks he has 278 yards and five touchdowns. Pretty cool resurgence for the 31-year old.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7, LW: 15)
If you want to be a playoff team, you probably shouldn't lose a home game against the Saints at this point of the season. Alas, the Buccaneers are no longer really in the playoff mix.
18. Oakland Raiders (6-7, LW: 20)
The Raiders went for the two-point conversation after taking a three-point lead at Denver on Sunday, which made no sense until it was noted that their long-snapper Jon Condo had suffered a shoulder injury. But the question really should be: Why didn't the Raiders prepare for this issue? Shouldn't there be an emergency option somewhere on the roster?
17. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7, LW: 19)
This week's game against the Cardinals will be interesting. If they can win, do we wonder if the Eagles can win a playoff game too? It would give them a three-game winning streak with wins over the Patriots, Bills and Cardinals.
16. New York Giants (6-7, LW: 18)
15. Washington Redskins (6-7, LW: 17)
I think the most interesting question of the offseason might be what the Redskins do with Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent (I wrote about it at length here).
14. Houston Texans (6-7, LW: 14)
Another concussion for Brian Hoyer. That's not good. Football-wise, it's really bad having to start T.J. Yates on the road at Indianapolis with first place in the AFC South on the line.
13. Indianapolis Colts (6-7, LW: 13)
The feel-good Matt Hasselbeck story is fading. And giving up 51 points to the Jaguars says a lot about how disappointing this Colts team is.
12. Buffalo Bills (6-7, LW: 11)
Since their season is practically over, I'll just say I really liked "Four Falls of Buffalo," the ESPN documentary on the 1990s Bills. That was a great team. They just got a bit unlucky with their Super Bowl draws. The 1991 Redskins, 1992 Cowboys, 1993 Cowboys should be on anyone's list of greatest teams ever. And the 1990 Giants had the perfect gameplan and won by one point in one of the great all-time games. Every right-minded NFL fan understands by now though that the Bills' run was truly a special one, Super Bowl title or not.
11. New York Jets (8-5, LW: 12)
Todd Bowles has done a fine job. This team has flaws but just keeps winning. He is maximizing their talent.
10. Minnesota Vikings (8-5, LW: 10)
The risks just outweighed the rewards, trying to get a few more extra yards for a field goal attempt on third-and-10 with a few seconds left at Arizona. And Teddy Bridgewater has to get rid of the ball no matter what.
9. Green Bay Packers (9-4, LW: 9)
A lot of Packers fans really think that win, against a Cowboys team that is 1-8 without Tony Romo, was a wonderful one. The Packers led a terrible team, at home, 14-7 with less than five minutes left. Nobody outside of Wisconsin, watching that dull game on Fox, thought "Wow, this Packers team is ready to make a championship run!" Maybe the Packers will make that run, but they'll have to play a lot better to do so.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5, LW: 6)
Not the most impressive performance at home, but the conditions weren't great either. Whatever, it was a win. No big deal unless the offense falters again next week, then maybe we'll revisit. (And please, don't hit me with "How could you move them down????" complaints. These next two teams deserved to be moved up. In that case, someone has to get displaced.)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5, LW: 8)
In the Steelers' last five games, they have scored 38, 30, 30, 45 and 33 points. It didn't seem like they had a great game on Sunday, but scored 33 points against a good defense. Their floor each week seems to be 28 points (though that theory might be tested against the fantastic Broncos defense this week). That's why no AFC team wants to see them in the playoffs.
6. Seattle Seahawks (8-5, LW: 7)
Maybe Bryce Brown or some combination of him, Fred Jackson and DaJuan Harris gives the Seahawks a good running game. But they struggled earlier this year when the running game wasn't clicking. As great as Wilson is playing, he'll need something from the running game to balance things out, and we have no idea when Lynch might be back.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (10-3, LW: 5)
4. Denver Broncos (10-3, LW: 3)
We overreact like crazy to results of single games. If Demaryius Thomas or Vernon Davis don't have those awful drops, we're not talking about how Brock Osweiler needs to go. I still think he's their best option, unless Peyton Manning looks reborn once he returns to practice. I think Osweiler gives the Broncos their best shot at a Super Bowl.
3. Arizona Cardinals (11-2, LW: 3)
The Dwight Freeney signing was smart. He has four sacks in eight games, including a game-clinching one against Minnesota. For less than $1 million? You wonder why other teams that can't generate any pass rush (hello, Giants and Falcons) didn't do it.
2. New England Patriots (11-2, LW: 2)
Well, the No. 1 seed in the AFC goes back to the Patriots. They're not losing any of their last three games either, unless Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski get hurt.
1. Carolina Panthers (13-0, LW: 1)
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but why not: Would a 15-0 Panthers team rest starters in Week 17? They'd have the No. 1 seed clinched. Coach Ron Rivera would be in a tough spot (he told The MMQB's Peter King he doesn't know what he'll do). It's not fair to deny the players a chance at history, and many coaches with a bye week have resisted resting starters for fear the team will get rusty before the playoffs. But if the Panthers get one of their stars hurt in Week 17 chasing 16-0? Rivera would never hear the end of that either. It's all moot if they lose to the Giants this week. But it's an interesting question to ponder.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab