THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks' future isn't as bleak as you might think

Well, that was fun.

The Seahawks have had so few opportunities to just roll over somebody this season, hey, it’s worth some high fives — and maybe a few cold ones.

If you’re thinking playoffs, however, a 33-13 thumping of hapless Houston didn’t really do anything except preserve the grim status quo.

Yes, Pete Carroll’s rallying cry after defeating the 49ers a week earlier was defiant.

“We ain’t dead yet, boys,” he shouted in the winners’ locker room.

The same holds true following this dismissal of Houston, but although the Seahawks aren’t quite dead, they remain in the intensive care unit — with IVs and other assorted live-saving tubes sticking out in every direction.

The monitors are still beeping, but nurses have to check them pretty regularly.

The truth is that Seattle gave away too many chances to win while Russell Wilson was out with that hideous finger injury (and a couple after he returned, because he wasn’t truly healthy enough to be Russ).

BEYOND that, the Hawks’ litany of close losses includes several teams that would vault above them for a wild-card spot via the head-to-head tiebreaker formula — even if Seattle defied the odds to finish 9-8.

Minnesota, New Orleans, Washington.

Those teams are all closer to 9-8 than the Seahawks, and they all hold a tiebreaker edge.

San Francisco is only team that could possibly be involved and lose out to the Hawks on a head-to-head deal.

As we’ve known for a few weeks now, just getting to 9-8 would be almost a “we climbed Mount Everest” sort of accomplishment for the Seahawks, who face the Rams next week and Arizona on the last day of the regular season.

I’ve got to level with you …

Vegas wouldn’t get MY money on a Seattle playoff appearance.

But the message today shouldn’t be all doom and gloom.

Once owner Jody Allen piped up recently and said she wasn’t happy with the state of the team — and that it didn’t appear to be a one-season blip — it has been almost universally accepted that there will be people packing their bags prior to 2022.

Wilson?

Carroll?

GM John Schneider?

All of them?

I don’t have a clue what Jody knows about football, or who has her ear regarding the Seahawks.

Somebody, though, has convinced Ms. Allen that her football club needs a good scrubbing.

FRANKLY…

I disagree.

If Wilson hadn’t gotten hurt — and this applies to ALL franchise quarterbacks in the NFL – the Seahawks almost certainly would be cruising toward the playoffs.

The only loss to a potential wild-card team (with or without Russ) that didn’t come down to a coin-toss finish was a blowout in Minnesota.

I do agree with Jody and her mysterious advisors, one of whom could actually be Schneider, that the Seahawks need a talent infusion at a couple of spots.

Look, the offensive line isn’t so bad that one or two additions wouldn’t help — and in fact, just with an eyeball test it seemed that Jake Curhan might have been an improvement over the injured Brandon Shell at right tackle.

There are plenty of weapons, assuming that Chris Carson comes back healthy (I’m writing off Rashaad Penny despite his 146 yards on Sunday), and receiver Dee Eskridge develops on schedule.

CERTAINLY, they need help with the pass rush, although Darrell Taylor is the real deal and Al Woods is a force in the middle.

Corner isn’t the horror show everyone believes, because rookie Tre Brown looked terrific before getting hurt.

Pro Football Focus gave Brown a coverage rating of 66.3 (which is high) and called him a “bright spot” on a team with very few first-year players on the roster.

Seattle’s special teams remain among the best in pro football, although I’d feel better if Jason Myers wouldn’t keep missing extra-point tries.

This is still a very good football team, as long they can run the ball — giving Wilson a chance to throw it.

No, we didn’t learn much about that against the Texans, who are dead last in the NFL against the rush.

Still, I’m thinking that Wilson (and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron) should get a mulligan on this season because of that finger injury — which effectively cost them five games.

The Seahawks DO need a few good personnel moves during this offseason, Jody, but …

Don’t burn the place down.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”