Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald knows that all three phases of football are important. It's part of his weekly messaging, something he's told the players and Seattle's actions match those words. It's easy for a coach to say something is important, but it's another for that same coach to pour into said thing and make sure they can back up what they say. Seattle's special teams unit has had a season full of noteworthy moments like punt and kick return touchdowns and those moments help illustrate what happens when coaches treat special teams like the difference maker it's proven to be for the Seahawks in some key moments.

"That's what we believe in," Macdonald said. "So we're going to try to back that up the best we can. I think it goes back to kind of how we want to operate. We're going to tell you what we think is important and how we want to operate, principle wise. And then again, how you build trust and how you actually develop things and actually how you grow. You got to back it up with your actions. So, it's how you invest in it. It's who you have out there, it's who you have coaching them. Jay (Harbaugh) and Fitz (Devin Fitzsimmons) have done a tremendous job and we got great players that buy in and they love playing for those guys and they've done a great job."

And when the coaches are fully invested, it has a trickle-down effect for the players. Special teams is not just brushed off as some additional part of the football game, it is fully part of the operation Seattle runs.

"It's the standard that it's very serious," safety Julian Love said. "I've been in some rooms where it's like, 'Don't worry about it. We're going to kick it through the end zone.' Like no, we kick the ball and play, we cover kicks and we expect to create explosives in the return game. It started with Jay Harbaugh, just setting the tone. This is serious because nobody wants to do it anymore. Kickoff rules are changing. All these things are constantly changing about special teams. If we can get it right first, we could be really special. And he said that from day one. So credit to all of our teams leaders as well as Jay."

Fullback Brady Russell said their unit thrives because of the "willingness to treat special teams like it's your main position and the amount of guys that are bought in and then the scheme too. If you have a coach that can convey the importance and it's not just another day sitting through a punt meeting. Every day is engaging and making us believe how important our job is."

The players in that room whether it be All-Pro punter Michael Dickson, All-Pro and Pro Bowler Rashid Shaheed or Russell all know that what they do can and sometimes will directly affect the outcome of the game.

In Week 3, it was a George Holani kickoff recovery in the end zone that resulted in a touchdown and extended Seattle's 17-14 lead to 24-17. In Week 15, it was Jason Myers having a perfect day, going six for six on field goal attempts and scoring Seattle's only points of the day. Then there was the Week 16 Shaheed punt return that sparked a second-half comeback to defeat the Rams and secure a spot in the playoffs. And most recently it was Shaheed's opening kickoff touchdown return that established the tone for a dominant 41-6 divisional win.

These all seem like big moments to outsiders, but to the players in the locker room it's just what they're supposed to be doing.

"Just to be able to give my team a boost of confidence at any point of the game, being able to change the game, that's just my job, my role," Shaheed said. "Being part of this team and being able to have the coaches trust me to do that means the world to me."

The Seahawks lead the NFL in kick and punt return touchdowns with four all together through the regular season and including playoffs.

"Really just proud of the guys," special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh said. "They deserve to have all the success just because like we were talking about before, the investment that they have that they've put in day in and day out. The unselfishness, the commitment to doing it right all the time and respecting the opponent and the process and all that, they deserve to have success, and it is a little unusual to have in our world a 20-yard punt return. There might be three four of those in a week in the NFL, it's two first downs. That's a big play, but it probably gets lost in the shuffle of most games. And in our world, those things are a big deal. So, when you have touchdowns happening where everyone notices it is a little extra cool because you just want it for them. They get some limelight and people talking about them and a lot of those guys are so much of the spirit of your team and they bust their butts and it's just cool to see them get recognition for that."

Shaheed said, "We all know that any chance that we touch the ball, we know that we can score, and that's our mindset. And I feel like, as long as we have that mindset, we could continue to produce, make big plays."

Part of the success in punt and kick returns has been the mid-season acquisition of Shaheed who has two punt return touchdowns and two kick return touchdowns through the season, including playoffs.

"He was someone that I know that we were targeting throughout the process," Macdonald said following the divisional round game. "And I mean that's John (Schneider) and the personnel folks that made it come to life. So, shout-out to him. Turns out, it was a luxury, initially, because of our receiver situation, but with Tory (Horton) going down it ended up being a great move. It was a great move initially. But from my perspective and the coaches' perspective he's a player that we really respect. When he's catching the ball in kickoff return, you're like, 'Oh, here we go, we've got to contain this guy.'"

The second part of that success is setting up the players for success. After the punt return in Week 16 against the Rams, Shaheed said the return was a direct result of something they saw on tape and we're able to capitalize on.

And against the 49ers last week, Seattle was in a similar position with the kick return touchdown.

"I think the biggest thing is [the coaches are] just kind of a step ahead of everybody," Russell said. "Last week, he was able to tell us like "This guy on the 49ers team is going to try to do this. This guy is going to try to do this. Here's how we're going to exploit that.'"

It also helps to have Shaheed who is, as Cooper Kupp would say, a "cheat code" with his speed.

"One thing that's neat is that Sheed is so fast and that just kind of is like, 'Oh, he is so fast.' But the first portion of the run when he really manipulates the coverage with his initial angle, keeping them where he wants him, he knows where he is going to go the whole time, but by pushing the ball vertically before he winds it back the same way you'd ask a runner to do on Duo or Inside Zone, that's so critical to the play working," Harbaugh said. "And it is true that he's super-fast, but there's nuance to it beyond just being genetically gifted that he has to be able to bring to life and he has to have the patience to, 'Hey, I know I'm going to go there, but I'm going to stay here to the last possible second even though it looks like I might get tackled before I wind the ball back.' And it's neat. And that's an aspect of his game that he's worked hard at and it helps the blockers look really good too."

Russell said, "He's the fastest kid alive. So it helps when you've got someone that fast running the ball back there. You open up a little hole for him and he's going to take advantage of it every time."