THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: No playoffs, but what else did you expect?

I’ll admit it, driving to Seattle on the morning of Sept. 8, it was difficult. 

The drive, not so much as I’ve made it more than a few times in recent years. 

But the reason — for the Seahawks' season opener, under a new coach for the first time in a long time — left me with mixed feelings. 

On the one hand, replacing a coach in Pete Carroll — who brought the team the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in 2014, after 14 seasons — felt a little odd. 

Then again, if you follow this team, you come to expect it. 

WHEN ASKED earlier this summer about expectations for this team, I gave an answer that some might find tough to understand. 

I didn’t have any. 

After watching the team be in the mix until they suddenly weren’t, who knew what might happen with this team this year. 

Seattle let linebacker Bobby Wagner walk away — again — and will get to watch him play in the postseason for the Washington Commanders after they clinched a playoff berth last Sunday against Atlanta. 

Had those Falcons won, Seattle's finale Sunday could have meant the difference between the playoffs or staying home. 

Unfortunately, by now, you realize that Seattle won’t be playing after Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams. 

Some blame a loss to the New York Giants at home on Oct. 6 as the main reason for this weekend’s game, and you’d be somewhat correct. 

Seattle had a horrible game that day, as the Seahawks tend to have at least one home game a year that leaves fans wondering just what they watched. 

It happened a few times the year the team won the Super Bowl. And it still happens yearly to most any other team. 

IN RETROSPECT, the Giants game was very winnable and there’s no reason that Seattle lost on that day at Lumen Field. 

But looking at the numbers, Seattle was 3-6 at home this season. 

Yes, really. 

Seattle’s only road loss came to Detroit in late September in a 42-29 game that the Seahawks had chances to keep that game a lot closer than that final score appeared. 

Seeing what we know about Detroit now, that loss doesn’t seem too bad, does it? 

Now, back to the opener. 

If someone told me that Seattle was going to be going for its 10th win of the season, I might have told them they were crazy. 

And that the opponent on that September day, Denver, was going to control its destiny this weekend, maybe even crazier. 

As the season unfolded, and the consecutive losses dropped the team from first to last place in the NFC West in a blink of an eye, nothing really changed as far as expectations went. 

Sure, it might have been nice for the Seahawks to be in the playoffs, with a shot at making a run in the playoffs, but that didn’t quite work out. 

Things will change again sooner than later.

I’d at least expect that. 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.