The Seattle Seahawks are in the playoffs, much to the chagrin of the rest of the football world. At 7-9, the Seahawks are trend-setters this season as the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record. The Seahawks begin their NFL playoff journey this Saturday against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints at Qwest Field in front of what is sure to be a rowdy 12th man.
The Saints head to Seattle banged-up, missing their two top running backs from 2011. On Tuesday, Chris Ivory hit injured reserve with a foot injury, ending his season. The next day it was Pierre Thomas' turn as he joined Ivory on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Without Thomas and Ivory, the New Orleans running game takes a huge hit, with only Julius Jones and Reggie Bush to carry the load. For a Seahawks defense that has struggled with the run, this is great news.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, are relatively healthy heading into the playoff. The big question that remains for head coach Pete Carroll, however, concerns the most important position on the field. Charlie Whitehurst managed the game well on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, but with Matt Hasselbeck healthy again we're left to wonder who will start this weekend. Carroll continues to play it close to the vest leading up to the game, with all indications pointing to a game-time reveal. We'll go with Hasselbeck as the obvious choice here, for better or for worse.
Can the Seahawks shock the world and pull-off the upset win in front of a raucous 12th man? We'll find out this Saturday as the Seahawks hit the field to battle the New Orleans Saints in the NFL wildcard round on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC.