The Seattle Seahawks have had a tough season so far, but they have a chance to revive it after their brilliant last-gasp comeback against last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Drew Lock lead a stunning drive with just one minute and fifty two seconds left in the fourth quarter that culminated in a Jaxon Smith-Njigba go-ahead touchdown.
Jalen Hurts had 28 seconds to try and force overtime or secure the victory, but Julian Love intercepted a deep attempt with six seconds left.
It was later revealed by Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni that it was an attempt to draw a pass interference call to get the visitors into field goal range to tie the contest.
The result leaves the Seahawks at 7-7, third in the NFC West right now as a result of being swept by the Los Angeles Rams and having an inferior record to the latter, albeit playing one less game.
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A turning point?
The Seahawks season has been underwhelming so far.
They had another strong draft in April where they picked up Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Devon Witherspoon, Smith-Njigba and Zach Charbonnet as well as making big splashes in free agency in the off-season.
Injuries, poor play-calling on both sides of the ball, and the lack of an identity on offence looked to have fatally wounded the Hawks’ play-off hopes.
After a shock week one loss to the Rams, they won three in a row, a stunning overtime victory over the Detroit Lions, a home win against the Carolina Panthers and a demolition of the New York Giants.
A rough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, where they were lacklustre in the endzone followed, with victories over the Arizona Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns, sandwiched in between a crushing loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
A narrow win over the Washington Commanders was the precursor to a four game losing streak, against the Rams, two losses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
Pete Carroll will hope that Monday night’s comeback against the Eagles will provide the spark to reignite their season and with a favourable end to the season, they could end with a 10-7 record and make the play-offs.
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The play-off picture
The Seahawks are amongst four teams battling it out for the final two play-off spots in the NFC.
The Rams (8-7) and the Minnesota Vikings are ahead of Pete Carroll’s team due to a better win percentage in conference matches.
Seattle occupy eighth place in the NFC play-off standings at the moment, ahead of the New Orleans Saints (7-8).
The Rams have two games remaining, against the Giants and the 49ers, who may already have the number one seed in the conference locked up by then.
Meanwhile, the Vikings play the Lions twice and the Green Bay Packers.
So, Seattle need to win out and hope one of those teams loses at least one game to make the play-offs.
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Can they win out?
Yes.
First up is a visit to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans, who are already eliminated from play-off contention and have a load of injuries, including impressive rookie QB Will Levis.
Then they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at LUMEN field, a team that have gone from having a record of 7-4 after week 13, to a record of 8-7, including losses to the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, both of whom have 3-10 records.
Mike Tomlin has had multiple issues this season, including the form of starting quarterback Kenny Pickett (who is now injured), the play-calling of former offensive co-ordinator Matt Canada and drama from wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
To end the regular season, Seattle visit Arizona to face another division rival in the Cardinals.
As previously mentioned, they have a record of 3-10 and Seattle have already beaten them once this season, despite having issues with their offence and injuries in the trenches.
Even with Kyle Murray back under centre, the Cardinals are just 2-3 this season.