Injuries hurt 'Hawks more than the loss

You know what?

I think the Seahawks wanted just to mail in that loss to Arizona.

So they tried.

They knew the result wouldn’t mean much.

Really, it doesn’t.

But…

Things went very wrong with the loss of running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise for the season, but as for the NFL standings…

If Minnesota beats the Packers at home tonight, the Hawks’ loss meant nothing whatsoever in terms of playoff seeding.

The Seahawks’ best possible scenario now requires beating the 49ers in next week’s showdown, meaning that both teams would finish at 12-4 — with Seattle clinching the NFC West by virtue of sweeping the 49ers.

If Minnesota beats the Packers tonight, the best Green Bay can do by beating Detroit in its finale is tie the Seahawks at 12-4.

Assuming New Orleans doesn’t get upset by Carolina (unlikely), the Seahawks would earn the No. 2 seed behind New Orleans, and snatch a first-round bye.

They’d be division champions — as would Green Bay — but the Seahawks would get that precious No. 2 seed by virtue of having a better record against common opponents than the Packers.

OF COURSE, all this Theory of Relativity stuff only matters to the Seahawks if two things happen…

First, the Packers need to lose one of their last two games – with tonight the most likely.

If Green Bay wins out, then the loss to Arizona COULD matter, because it would lock the Seahawks out of either the No. 1 or No. 2 seeds.

Second, the Hawks would have to repeat their victory over the 49ers — this time at CenturyLink Field — which only gets harder with Carson out.

And naturally, it also depends on the fitness of all those missing defensive starters.

That game means just about everything in terms of playoff seeding. If San Francisco wins, the Seahawks become a wild card team and, well…

Good luck with that.

So why am I so skeptical about the Seahawks’ effort against Arizona?

We’ve already explained that the game almost certainly will have no bearing on Seattle’s playoff seed.

Remember, the only way it could matter is if the Packers win their last two games, and they’ll have their hands full at Minnesota — where they have a dreadful record in the Aaron Rodgers era.

Then in the Arizona debacle, you could look out and see that the Seahawks were missing about half the starting unit.

Perhaps some of the guys who were held out on Sunday (Jadaveon Clowney, Shaquill Griffin, Duane Brown) could have gutted it out if that were a do-or-die situation.

I didn’t mention safety Quandre Diggs, because I think he needed that extra week to help heal his injured ankle, no matter what.

Then…

Carroll announced after the game that Carson and Prosise are both out for the season.

If there’s any good fortune here, it would be that the Hawks really trust the No. 3 running back, rookie Travis Homer.

Meanwhile, Arizona just went out and enjoyed the misty afternoon.

With the Hawks missing Brown at left tackle (and guard Mike Iupati for part of the game), the Cardinals had a green light to rush Russell Wilson with abandon.

SO WHAT was Pete Carroll’s reaction to being so shorthanded?

I suspect Pete knows the playoff seeding math as well as anyone, and therefore…

Like a very wise turtle, he had planned to pull his head in for safety, and decide to fight another day.

Unfortunately, that didn’t help his running backs.

But even when Carson or Prosise were available, the Seahawks never varied from a completely vanilla offense, which the Cards sniffed out and basically slaughtered at the line of scrimmage.

Seattle didn’t bother trying any protection packages or formations to protect Wilson, so receivers just might get open downfield.

Look, the Seahawks’ postseason fortunes almost completely depend on that visit from San Francisco next Sunday night.

Why push any more of the walking wounded out to give it a shot against Arizona?

Since next week really IS a critical game, the Seahawks protected as many of the injured players as they could, showed off exactly nothing in the way of new schemes on either side of the ball, and…

Simply played the game because it was on the schedule.

I’ll bet Carroll is only upset over the injuries, especially to Carson — and not the defeat.

See, it’s pretty simple…

The playoffs start next week in Seattle.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball each Tuesday.

Steve’s various tales from several decades in sports — “Moments, Memories and Madness” — run on Sundays.