The Seahawks are headed to Green Bay this week for the divisional round of the playoffs, their seventh time in 10 seasons under Pete Carroll and John Schneider that they've been one of the final eight teams standing in the postseason. The Seahawks will kick off their week of practice on Wednesday, which makes now a great time to answer questions from you, the fans. And remember, if you want to take place in next week's mailbag, you can tweet your questions to me (@johnpboyle) or submit them online at Seahawks.com/SeahawksMailbag.
@BumperStainReal asks, "Do you think the Seahawks have a legitimate chance at the Super Bowl? If so, what are your keys to victory for them?"
A: When there's only eight teams left in the tournament, yes, every team has a legitimate chance at reaching the Super Bowl. You don't get this far by accident in the NFL; you've got to be a pretty good team to find yourself two wins from the Super Bowl, so yeah, there's a real chance at it. That being said, it won't be easy. The Seahawks are on the road against a 13-3 Packers squad this week, then could end up in San Francisco to face the NFC's top seed the following week if they win (though a home game is also possible, more on this later). The good news for the Seahawks is that they've been really good on the road this year, going 8-1 including last weekend's wild-card win in Philadelphia. And as linebacker K.J. Wright noted last week, "If you've got Russell (Wilson) back there at quarterback, you've got a great chance of winning."
No single position in the NFL can affect the outcome of a game more than a quarterback, and if Wilson keeps up the level of play he showed in Philadelphia, the Seahawks will be very dangerous for as long as they're in the postseason.
If you're looking for another key to victory, I'd point to the pass rush, which has been inconsistent this year, but at times has looked really dangerous, including last weekend's game in which the Seahawks recorded a franchise postseason record seven sacks.
Don Wahl from Graham asks, "If the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl this year, they'd be 10-1 on the road. Has any team in NFL history accomplished this?"
A: Sunday's win in Philadelphia was Seattle's eighth road win, postseason included, this season, making them the sixth team in the last 25 years to be 8-1 or better on the road.
As to the question of a 10-1 road season, that has been done once, by the 2007 New York Giants, who lost their road opener, then won seven road game in a row in the regular season before winning three straight road playoff games to get to Super Bowl XLII, where they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The 2005 Steelers won nine road games, postseason included, going 6-2 in the regular season before winning three road games to reach Super Bowl XL, and well, we'll stop there.
@bob_from_cali asks, "How much of Russ being Russ again Sunday night was him taking over, or was it the game plan?"
A: The Seahawks knew the Eagles had a really good run defense and were aggressive both in how they defend the run and how much the blitz. As a result, yes, the game plan called for taking a lot of shots down the field. There was a definite element of Russell Wilson taking over in what was a great performance for him, but the Seahawks were counting on being able to make things happen in the passing game, and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer came up with a good game plan to make that happen.
This game was also a good example of what Pete Carroll means when he talks about wanting a balanced offense even if it might not look like that on the stat sheet. Carroll's commitment to balance isn't so much about having even run/pass numbers every week, it's about having an offense that can find ways to win in different situations. And much like last year's win in Carolina in which the Panthers stopped the run, but Seattle won on another big day from Wilson, Sunday's win in Philadelphia called for the passing game to take over when the Eagles made it hard to run the ball.
@UnintendedMax asks, "What is the most cheese you have ever grated at one time?"
A: Hmm… Maybe a couple of pounds when we were making a bunch of egg casserole for our older daughter's birthday party a couple years back… Oh, I get it, this is a joke because the Seahawks are playing a team whose fans are known as cheeseheads… Well you got a serious answer anyway, so I hope that was informative.
@davidsharkansky asks, "What is the status of Duane Brown and Mike Iupati for the divisional round?" @FreundtLuis and @Garrett4Christ also asks about the status of those two starting linemen.
A: Carroll said Monday that they didn't yet know the status of either player heading into this week, though neither has been ruled out as of now. Iupati, who was held out with a neck injury, has been battling a stinger for multiple weeks, but Carroll said it didn't quiet down last week enough for him to get cleared. Brown, meanwhile, is two weeks removed from knee surgery. We'll see what Carroll says when he talks to the media on Wednesday, but it sounds like the status of both players won't be known until late in the week, if not game day.
It would be big for a short-handed Seahawks offense to get those two back if they can play. In addition to playing without Brown and Iupati last weekend, the Seahawks have also been without center Justin Britt since the middle of the season; they lost starting tight end Will Dissly in Week 5 and have been without backup tight end Ed Dickson all year; they saw their top three running backs land on injured reserve late in the season; and including Josh Gordon's suspension, they were without three of their top six receivers last week.
Richard Smith from Lewiston, Idaho asks, "Have two teams ever played each other twice in the same stadium in a single season and had the identical final score in both games?"
A: It is indeed quite strange that the Seahawks won 17-9 in Philadelphia both in Week 12 then again in the wild-card round. Has that ever happened? I have no idea, nor can I think of a good way to look that up, but the odds of it have to be pretty slim.
@codergirl03 asks, "If the Vikings beat San Francisco, would that mean the Seahawks would get a home game?"
A: That is correct. The Vikings are the NFC's No. 6 seed, while the Seahawks are the 5 seed, so if both of those teams win on the road, the Seahawks would host the NFC championship game at CenturyLink Field. While a handful of wild-card teams have advanced to the Super Bowl over the years, a 5 seed has not hosted a conference championship game since the 12-team playoff format began in 1990.
@FlescherNick asks, "Is Ugo Amadi going to have a greater snap count this week?"
A: Amadi has taken over the nickel cornerback roll late in the season, at first because Akeem King, who had been playing there, moved to left corner for two games to replace an injured Shaquill Griffin, but Amadi kept that spot in the past two games with Griffin back.
Amadi played only 25 percent of the defensive snaps last week, which lines up pretty closely with Seattle's nickel usage all year as they have stuck to their base defense more often this year than in the past, but it's worth noting he had a couple of nice plays on third down stops, including good coverage on a deep ball that went incomplete, and a tackle short of the first-down marker on third-and-long check-down pass.
Whether that role grows this week will likely depend on the personnel the Packers employ, but the Seahawks like what they have seen from having three linebackers on the field this season, so it's hard to see them straying too far from their base-heavy looks, especially against a Packers offense that features a strong running game.
@lowkey_253 asks, "Why haven't we seen any snaps from Turbin yet?"
A: It wasn't much, but Turbin did play two offensive snaps in Philadelphia Sunday. And him not playing shouldn't be seen as a reflection of something he's doing wrong, it's just not that common for the Seahawks to get three running backs heavily involved in any given game, and right now Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch are the top two backs. And in the past two games in particular, the Seahawks haven't had a ton of rushing attempts. In Week 17, Lynch and Turbin's first game back with Seattle, the Seahawks fell behind the 49ers early two weeks ago leading to more pass attempts than might have been the plan had the game been closer; and last week the Eagles were very effective against the run, so the Seahawks only handed the ball off to Lynch and Homer a combined 17 times. If the Seahawks could have a game where they're playing from ahead and/or running the ball more effectively, then there's a good chance Turbin could get a series or two.
Go behind the scenes with team photographer Rod Mar as he shares moments from the Seattle Seahawks' wild card game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Eye on the Hawks is presented by Western Washington Toyota Dealers.
On Friday afternoon, Seahawks general manager John Schneider and running back Marshawn Lynch walk to the team buses to begin the trip to Philadelphia for the wild-card playoff game against the Eagles.
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett heads to the team buses on Friday.
Scores of 12s lined the streets to see the Seahawks off on their trip to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The Seahawks were greeted by rain and light fog upon landing in Philadelphia late Friday evening.
Seahawks safety Lano Hill waits to enter the team hotel in Philadelphia.
On Saturday, the Seahawks headed to a local field for their walk-thru, where quarterback Russell Wilson greeted teammates with handshakes.
Defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr., talks to his starting linebackers K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and Cody Barton.
Seahawks defensive lineman L.J. Collier rides the team bus from walk-thru to Lincoln Financial Field for the team's brief stadium visit on Saturday afternoon.
The convoy of Seahawks buses heads to Lincoln Financial Field for a brief visit on Saturday afternoon.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson checks out Lincoln Financial Field, site of the wild-card playoff game. Wilson and the team were familiar with the stadium, having played there back in late November.
On game day, the team held brief walk-thru meetings in the hotel ballrooms. Running backs coach Chad Morton reviews strategy with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
On Sunday afternoon, players and coaches took a long escalator down to the street to board buses for the game. From left are Aaron Curry, Bryan Mone, Khalil McKenzie, Ryan Neal and Jacob Hollister.
12s packed the street in front of the hotel hoping for a glimpse of their favorite players as they boarded buses for the game.
Seahawks Jordan Roos and Luke Willson head from the hotel to the team buses.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson exits the hotel and heads to the team buses on game day.
Seahawks receivers David Moore and DK Metcalf at their lockers in the visitors locker room hours before kickoff.
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf focuses as he runs routes during the early warm-up period before the game.
Seahawks offensive tackle George Fant works during the early pre-game period.
Seahawks Tre Flowers and Shaquem Griffin walk off the field after their early warmups.
Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green signs autographs for 12s who lined the tunnel leading to the visitor's locker room.
Running back Travis Homer collects his thoughts before taking the field.
Seahawks offensive lineman Kyle Fuller paints his face in the locker room before the game.
Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin tosses his hair as puts on a neck warmer and face mask in preparation for the cold weather.
Quarterback Russell Wilson talks to teammate Geno Smith and coaches Austin Davis and Dave Canales as the quarterbacks took the field for pregame warmups.
Seahawks equipment assistant C.J. Hargis assists defensive end Ziggy Ansah in the locker room before the game.
Seahawks Russell Wilson, Ziggy Ansah and Shaquill Griffin are in the middle of a gathering of the entire team on the field at the start of pregame warmups.
Seahawks linebacker and defensive captain Bobby Wagner stretches during pregame.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll hugs rookie linebacker Cody Barton, who was starting in his first NFL playoff game.
The Seahawks get loose in the locker room before taking the field to face the Eagles in the wild-card playoff game. From left are Shaquem Griffin, Quinton Jefferson, Penny Hart, Lano Hill, Khalil McKenzie and Kyle Fuller.
Seahawks teammates and twin brothers Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin shake hands in the end zone before kickoff.
12s showed off their colors amidst the local fans in Philadelphia.
Seahawks offensive guard D.J. Fluker gets fired up on the sidelines before kickoff.
Cornerback Tre Flowers and running back Marshawn Lynch on the sidelines before kickoff.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson asked a military member if he could help hold the flag during the playing of the national anthem.
Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green puts pressure on Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz early in the game.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson escapes the pocket and looks downfield.
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf poses after a reception for a first down early in the game.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers converts on a 49-yard field goal to open the scoring.
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett makes an improbable catch along the sidelines. Lockett was ruled out-of-bounds and the pass incomplete originally, but the Seahawks challenged the play and review showed that Lockett had kept both feet inbounds for a completion and first down.
Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner tackles Eagles running back Boston Scott during the first half.
Seahawks receiver David Moore heads up the sideline for a 38-yard gain as teammate DK Metcalf blocks an Eagles defender.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch scores on a five-yard touchdown run to give Seattle a 10-3 lead heading into halftime.
At halftime, quarterbacks coaches Dave Canales and Austin Davis strategize with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. At left is equipment assistant Kinner Blum.
Seahawks defensive linemen including Quinton Jefferson, Poona Ford, Jadeveon Clowney, Bryan Mone and Rasheem Green listen to instructions in the locker room at halftime.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch stiff-arms an Eagles defender on his way to a 20-yard gain.
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf catches a 53-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to extend Seattle's lead in the third quarter. The initials 'JB' on Metcalf's wrist were in honor of teammate Jaron Brown, who missed the game.
Seahawks DK Metcalf, Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson and Travis Homer celebrate after Metcalf's long touchdown catch from Wilson in the third quarter.
Seahawks defenders Bradley McDougald and Poona Ford combine to stop Eagles running back Boston Scott.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambles for yards as Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham dives in pursuit.
Seahawks receiver David Moore dances over would-be tackler Cre'Von LeBlanc in the second half.
Seahawks Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed sack Eagles quarterback Josh McCown on fourth down with two minutes left in the game to stop a Philadelphia scoring threat.
Facing third-and-ten from their own 11-yard line, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw deep to receiver DK Metcalf, who leapt high in the air to make the reception and seal the victory for Seattle. Metcalf set an NFL record for rookie receiving yards in a playoff game with 160 yards.
Seahawks defenders Jarran Reed, Poona Ford and Quinton Jefferson point towards celebrating 12s in the stands at the end of the game.
Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin strike poses as the two film video segments for Seahawks fans after the game.
A jubilant Jadeveon Clowney hugs assistant coach Jethro Franklin in the locker room after the game.
Seahawks offensive lineman D.J. Fluker leads the celebration in the jubilant visitor's locker room after the win while at right, receiver DK Metcalf hugs offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
12s braved wind and rain to greet the Seahawks as the buses arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center at nearly 1:30am on Monday morning.
