Seahawks Top Rams To Clinch West, Top Seed, Home Field Advantage

With one last chance to take the NFC West crown and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks leaned on their biggest strengths to keep them at home.

Earl Thomas and the Legion of Boom shut the lights out on St. Louis in a dominant 27-9 victory to close the regular season. With the win, the Seahawks ended the regular season with the best record in the NFC at 13-3. That record won them the NFC West by a game over the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) and clinched the top seed in the NFC, which means the Road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Seattle.

But rather than looking forward to staying at home through the playoffs, ETIII insisted after the game that Seattle must follow the old adage and play one game at a time.

“I don’t think it hit me yet,” Earl said of the finish to the regular season. “I’m just ready for what’s coming next. You’ve got to keep tunnel vision. This is a great stepping stone. We did what we want. But we’ve still got some business left out there.”

St. Louis largely avoided the middle of the field, so No. 29 only got the chance to make two tackles. But the Seattle defense as a whole was stout and the Rams didn’t notch a play longer than 21 yards or a rush of more than seven yards.

The Seattle secondary held Kellen Clemens to just 157 yards passing and intercepted him twice. St. Louis also averaged less than a yard per carry, netting just 13 rushing yards on 18 attempts. ETIII was thrilled at effort by the defense, which yielded just 158 total yards and two third down conversions in 11 tries.

“I think we did a great job,” No. 29 said. “It was a great experience, fun to be a part of. We’re competitors everywhere, from up front [on the defensive line], to the middle, back to us [in the secondary]…. When we’re on it like this, it’s tough to beat us.”

ET nearly added a third pick for Seattle in the third quarter. Deep in Seattle territory, Clemens took a hit as he threw and lofted a ball into the endzone. Earl leapt at the ball but collided with Byron Maxwell and cornerback Richard Sherman. All three men hit the turf, as did the ball—though it did send St. Louis to fourth down.

Despite that missed opportunity, ET lauded the play of the LOB in the victory.

“You can’t put us in a box,” Earl said of the Seattle secondary, which boasts three 2013 All-Pro selections. “We’re just trying to be great. It comes from the heart. It’s not something you can explain. You just feel it.”

Linebacker Malcolm Smith got the game going for Seattle in the first quarter when he returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown to put the Hawks up 7-0. Kicker Steven Hauschka then connected on a pair of field goals in the second quarter, and Seattle held a 13-0 lead at the break.

The Seattle offense, led by strong performances from Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Golden Tate, did its part as well. After the Rams got on the board with a field goal early in the third, Lynch punched in the first offensive touchdown at the end of the third frame to make it 20-3. Wilson then found Tate for a 47-yard score early in the fourth to give Seattle a comfortable advantage.

From there, the defense held St. Louis to just a late touchdown as the Seahawks cruised to the win and claimed the NFC West crown. Seattle finished the regular season at No. 1 in total and passing yards allowed per game, giving up just 172 yards through the air and 273.6 total yard per contest.

Earl finished the season with 105 tackles, two forced fumbles and five interceptions—all career highs. He defended eight passes, the second-highest total for his career. He also started all 16 games and has started all 68 games of his pro career, including four in the postseason.

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In addition to giving the Seahawks homefield advantage, the No. 1 seed grants Seattle a first round bye meaning they get the Wild Card round of the playoffs off as they await their next opponent.

Earl, who will make his fifth playoff start in Seattle’s next game said after Sunday’s win that though they are in great position, the Hawks have a long way to go before they realize their ultimate goal.

“It feels great, but we still have some work to do,” he noted.

Seattle will take on the lowest-seeded team to advance from the two NFC Wild Card matchups. Saturday’s game pits the No. 6 seed New Orleans Saints vs. the No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Sunday’s matchup sends the No. 5 seed San Francisco 49ers to Green Bay to face the 4th seeded Packers.

A Saints win in Philadelphia on Saturday night (5:30 p.m. PT on NBC) would send New Orleans up to Seattle for a rematch of the December 2nd Monday Night Football battle that the Seahawks won 34-7. If the Eagles win on Saturday then the Seahawks will have to wait until Sunday’s game in Green Bay (1 p.m. PT on FOX) to see whether they will face the 49ers, with whom they split two meetings this season or the Packers, who the Hawks beat 17-10 in the preseason.