Seahawks Notebook: Playoff scenarios, Charles Cross still DNP
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 14: Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lumen Field on December 14, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Not only can the Seattle Seahawks take firm control of the NFC West race with a victory on Thursday night over the Los Angeles Rams, they'd clinch a spot in the playoffs in the process.
The Seahawks need only a win or tie this week, or a loss or tie from the Detroit Lions against the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure their spot in the playoffs. If the Lions were to win out, and the Seahawks were to lose out, Seattle could still miss the playoffs as Detroit would hold the conference record tiebreaker between the two teams.
But the sights for the Seahawks are set much higher than just making it into the postseason.
"We’re going to hear every sort of angle of it this week. You’re going to hear, ‘This is another game.’ You're going to hear, ‘This is December football, it’s playoff football’ type of thing. My mindset is, ‘All right, let's just say what it is. Right now, we're fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.’ There's a lot of power in that, especially being in Seattle with a great home stadium," safety Julian Love said.
"That's just where we are, we have a shot to do that. It's a team that we've seen and we lost to in the past. We didn't play our cleanest football, so it was close. We’ve just got to go out and just execute. You can appreciate the hype, you can try not to hide from it, just face it head on. That's kind of how my approach is, embrace the moment."
Run game needs to improve.
After seeing slow improvement over the last month or so, the rushing attack of the Seahawks hit a massive wall Sunday against the Colts.
Seattle managed just 50 total rushing yards, with Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet combining for 48 yards on 17 combined carries against a good Indianapolis run defense.
"It’s got to improve pretty quick," offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said on Tuesday.
"We’ve got to move the ball better on the ground. We’ve got to coach better, we’ve got to block better, we’ve got to help the operation by being a more balanced team."
Eric Saubert on his extension with the Seahawks.
Tight end Eric Saubert signed a one-year contract extension with the Seahawks this weekend ahead of his return to the lineup against the Colts.
Saubert had been out since mid-October with a calf injury sustained in the team's win over the Houston Texans.
"We've been talking about it for a little bit, and then the injury happened. And, you know, I think those guys just handled everything with class and the way it worked out, I couldn't have been happier," Saubert said.
Saubert signed with the Seahawks this offseason on a contract that had the "veteran salary bonus," which allowed him to count less against the salary cap despite making more money. However, those contracts cannot be extended.
Seattle briefly released Saubert from his contract in October before signing him again the very next day. Since the move came before the trade deadline, Saubert didn't need to pass through waivers and was free to re-sign without issue. That paperwork move put Saubert on a traditional contract that was eligible for an extension.
"Dude, it means everything," Saubert said. "Honestly, man, I've been obviously bouncing around the league a lot the past nine seasons and for a team to, you know, express that kind of value. It just means everything. And I love it here, I love my teammates, so hoping to just keep on going in that respect."
Roster move.
The Seahawks waived safety D'Anthony Bell on Thursday to open a roster spot, potentially for the return of receiver Dareke Young from injured reserve. Bell has appeared in 13 games for Seattle this season in a reserve and special teams role. He has 15 tackles and a half sack for the Seahawks this year.
However, with Julian Love back healthy, and Ty Okada proving himself as a quality player through Love's injury absence, the extra safety depth isn't as critical at the moment for Seattle. Bell would almost certainly be re-signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Charles Cross still sidelined with hamstring injury.
Left tackle Charles Cross sustained a hamstring injury on the game-winning field goal from Jason Myers in Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts. Cross had a leg slide out as he did the splits while trying to anchor as a blocker.
"It’s a hamstring, we're just trying to gather the info right now, exhausting all options to see how fast we can get him back," Mike Macdonald said on Monday.
Macdonald did say that he believed it was still "possible" for Cross to play this week against the Rams despite the injury. However, he was listed as not participating in the first two practices of the week for the Seahawks.
Seattle is only holding walkthrough practices with the short week to Thursday night, but Cross was the only player on the roster not listed as a full participant on Tuesday.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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