Seattle Seahawks: 5 takeaways from Week 16 victory over Rams

The Seattle Seahawks defense once again led the way in the Week 16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Late in December, each game has extra meaning towards it. For the Seattle Seahawks, it felt as if everything was on the line. Not only was the NFC West up for grabs, but the number one seed in the NFC was on the line as well. Although the Seahawks are the number three seed, they still have a slim chance of obtaining the number one seed. With a win this Sunday coupled with both a Saints and Packers loss, the Seahawks will clinch the bye week and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But, besides that, this game had a lot of pride on the line. The last time these two teams met in Week 10, the majority of America was convinced that this division belonged to the Rams. The Seahawks looked out of sorts on both sides of the ball and more importantly, Russell Wilson played his worse game of the year.

In Week 16, the Seattle Seahawks looked like the Seahawks from the past. And I am referring to the Super Bowl team, not the team that gets eliminated in the divisional round. The Seahawks played a complete game, but it was the defense that once again led the way in the NFC West clinching game over the Rams.

Here are 5 takeaways from the big win.

At least one home playoff game

Now, this appears as an obvious one since they just clinched the NFC West. But, let’s take a second and examine just how important this really is. Over the last two-three years, the Seattle Seahawks have been on the road in the playoffs. Although they are typically a well-prepared road team and even relish the opportunity to play on the road in January, having at least one home game significantly increases their chances of making a deep playoff run.

When Russell Wilson first took over in 2012, the team saw steady improvement week after week. Eventually, they went on to become the best team in the league and win the Super Bowl with the impressive play of the defense. But, a large reason as to why they were able to get back-to-back Super Bowl appearances was because they clinched home-field advantage. Mostly everyone knows that Lumen Field is home of the 12th man. And when we say Home of the 12th man, we mean it.

In 2013, the Seahawks went 7-1 when playing in front of the 12s. In 2014, they also went 7-1 at home. In 2016 – which was the last time they won the NFC West – they went 7-1 at home. And now, in 2020 the Seahawks once again finished 7-1 at home. What do the 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons have in common? The Seahawks won at least one playoff game in each of those seasons.

Although there are no fans in attendance, there is something about stepping out onto that field in the Pacific Northwest. There is an aura in that atmosphere that causes the Seahawks to play their best football. Under Pete Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks have not lost a single home playoff game. In fact, they are 6-0. This means that Russell Wilson has also never lost a single home playoff game.