Seattle Seahawks rollercoaster review: December edition

The Seattle Seahawks closed out the month of December by clinching the NFC West for the first time since 2016.

Things were looking up for the Seattle Seahawks as they entered the month of December. They were in first place and had a chance to solidify themselves as the top dog in the gritty NFC West. While they closed out the month strong, the beginning was quite concerning.

Coming out of November, a primary focus for the Seattle Seahawks was getting healthy. Entering November, the Seahawks were banged up at crucial positions. Jamal Adams and Chris Carson were two of the many names on the list. As they closed out the month of November, they were getting healthier and healthier. In December, that trend continued upward.

Throughout the first half of the season, the primary concern for this Seattle team was the defense. Their inability to generate pressure coupled with the poor secondary play was resulting in disaster. But, we saw things slowly come together in their win on the road against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football.

Now, that they have wrapped up the month of December, I can confidently say the Seahawks fixed their defensive issues. Both the backend and guys up front have developed the necessary chemistry just in time for the playoffs. Since the embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, this Seattle Seahawks defense now ranks near the top in nearly every category.

As we do in every monthly recap, let’s visit the injury report.

Injury Updates

As alluded to earlier, this Seattle team is getting healthy at the right time. Last year around this time, the Seahawks were bit by the injury bug. Heading into the playoffs, they were shy a couple of linemen and both Carson and Penny suffered season-ending injuries. In the November review, we left off with the following injuries:

• DE Darrell Taylor — still recovering from leg surgery — expected back at practice soon.
• CB Quinton Dunbar — knee injury — out for the season.
• SS Jamal Adams — was a shoulder injury, he is now dealing with broken fingers — still playing at a high level.
• SS Lano Hill — back injury — still on the IR.
• HB Travis Homer — knee — placed on IR.
• G Mike Iupati — suffered a neck injury in Week 15 — was inactive in Week 16.
• HB Rashaad Penny — recovering from ACL — returned in Week 15 against Washington.

Throughout the month of December, key guys like Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Shell suffered injuries that kept them out of practice. In fact, Dunlap was on a snap count and Shell missed a couple of games. But, both of them are healthy as we approach the new year.