Seahawks still need one victory to win so much

So it s all come down to this.

After 12 victories in their first 15 games and big play after big play but also some untimely big plays allowed by the NFL s No. 1 ranked defense and an offense that has occasionally tripped over its own inconsistencies and the consistency of their special teams the Seahawks need to beat the St. Louis Rams in their regular season finale at CenturyLink Field on Sunday to clinch all the things they ve already let slip away twice in their past three games

The NFC West title regardless of what the two time defending division champion San Francisco 49ers do Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons or Sunday against the Cardinals in Arizona

A first round bye in the playoffs which is vital for a team that is 14 1 at home the past two seasons and 23 8 in four seasons under coach Pete Carroll

Home field advantage throughout the postseason which also is vital when you consider that the 11 4 and NFC South leading Carolina Panthers are 4 3 on the road the 10 5 New Orleans Saints are 3 5 on the road and the 8 7 and NFC North leading Chicago Bears are 3 5 on the road. The exceptions in this road to ruin routine are the 9 6 and NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles and 10 4 49ers both 5 2 on the road.

The Seahawks had a chance to accomplish all of this in San Francisco in Week 14 but allowed the 49ers to drive 76 yards to a game winning field goal in the closing seconds to take a 19 17 victory. The Seahawks had another opportunity get it done Sunday but allowed the Cardinals to drive 80 yards to a game winning touchdown pass in Arizona s 17 10 victory.

So here we are. The Seahawks play all season has allowed them this third chance to accomplish so much with one more win. But they ll have to do it against a Rams team that has won four of its past six games and also played the Seahawks tough over the past three seasons losing 14 9 in St. Louis in Week 8 this season when cornerback Brandon Browner tipped a fourth down pass incomplete in the end zone on the final play losing 20 13 at CenturyLink Field in last season s finale after the Seahawks had averaged 50 points in their three previous games winning 19 13 in St. Louis in Week 4 last season and losing 24 7 and 16 6 in 2011.

Another loss by the Seahawks coupled with a pair of victories by the 49ers and the Seahawks will enter the playoffs as a wild card team and hit the road in the first round as they did last season when they won a road playoff games for only the second time in franchise history and the first time since 1983.

So the importance of this week s game and preparing properly during Christmas week cannot be overstated.

We played hard but we didn t play defensive end Red Bryant said in the locker room after Sunday s loss to the Cardinals before his voice trailed off. After a short pause he added We wanted to win. I feel like we ve got a special defense and we put a lot on our shoulders and we came up short.

Everything is in front of us everything is still in front of us. That s what s so great about adversity. It s not what happens to you it s how you respond. It s going to be tough and we ll move forward getting ready for St. Louis.

With that said here s a look at three things that worked against the Cardinals and three things that need work as the Seahawks prepare for Sunday s suddenly oh so important game against the Rams

What worked

The Legion of Boom Does the Seahawks secondary get too much credit for the defense ranking No. 1 in the league in average yards allowed (281.3) and average passing yards allowed (173.8) and is second in points allowed (222 one more than the Panthers) Not when you play like they have regardless of who s playing.

Sunday brought two more interceptions by All Pro cornerback Richard Sherman giving him a league leading eight four more interceptions by the Seahawks giving them a league high 26 and one pass that was tipped in the end zone by cornerback Byron Maxwell and intercepted by strong safety Kam Chancellor. Even on the game winning TD pass Maxwell tipped the ball that Michael Floyd somehow managed to catch anyway.

I think Max (Maxwell) did a great job of making him make a spectacular catch All Pro free safety Earl Thomas said. And that s all we talk about. If we re going to get beat they re going to have to be on ESPN about it.

Next man up Sunday it was rookie Michael Bowie starting at right guard for a concussed J.R. Sweezy and Malcolm Smith making a second consecutive start at weak side linebacker K.J. Wright who s out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot.

While Smith had eight tackles and the Seahawks fourth interception Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett had only three tackles and Bowie had a lot to do with that.

The blinders on attitude After a loss when the players were frustrated and could have been furious they were primarily focused. Not on all the things that didn t go right against the Cardinals but on getting back to work to prepare for the Rams.

The next thing we control is this week this week of preparation quarterback Russell Wilson said.

What needs work

Offensive consistency Through 15 games the Seahawks have had 12 touchdown drives of 80 plus yards five rushing and seven passing. They ve also had 37 three and outs. By comparison the 2005 team that went 13 3 during the Seahawks run to the Super Bowl had 38 three and outs through 15 games but also 20 TD drives of at least 80 yards 10 rushing and 10 passing including at least one in 13 games.

With the 2013 edition of the Seahawks offense you just don t know what you re going to get from game to game or even series to series. They ve had five games with no 80 yard TD drives including the last two and just two in the past five games. Sunday they had a season high seven three and outs. The previous high Six in their win over the Rams in St. Louis.

Penalties We ve been saying all season that the Seahawks propensity for penalties would eventually cost them. That happened against the Cardinals when they had nine for a season high 102 yards. Some were questionable calls but penalties for wrong way yards nonetheless. And six of the Cardinals 16 first downs came on Seahawks penalties.

They now have 121 penalties for 1 118 yards both league highs. The club records are 138 penalties (last season) for 1 179 yards (1984).

Finishing It s not how you start it s how you finish. Carroll s mantra has never been timelier. The 4 0 start The 7 1 first half The seven game winning streak between loss No. 1 and loss No. 2 Great stuff. But we re at the finish and the Seahawks need to find a way to finish what they started so impressively.

They ve lost two of their past three games as well as those opportunities to clinch the division and everything that goes with it. In their three losses to the Colts 49ers and Cardinals the offense took late leads only to have the defense surrender even later game winning drives.

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