Geno Smith, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks are headed back to the playoffs.
It became a reality on Sunday night when the Detroit Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers, 20-16, at Lambeau Field. The Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive earlier in the day by beating the Los Angeles Rams, 19-16, in overtime, which left them needing a Lions win or tie to send Seattle to the playoffs as the NFC’s seventh seed.
“We’ve been through a lot and we have taken some shots and we’ve had to bounce back. The resolve has always been there. The juice that it takes to stay up and stay at your best has always been there, and it’s really been a fun year,” Carroll said Sunday night in his appearance on KING-TV in Washington. “That’s why I’m so happy that we get rewarded with an opportunity to do something here.”
The Seahawks (9-8) will head to Santa Clara to play the No. 2-seeded San Francisco 49ers (13-4) in the wild-card round Saturday. Seattle has lost twice this season to its divisional rival — 27-7 in Week 2 and 21-13 in Week 15. The 49ers, winners of 10 straight, have opened as 10-point favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
#Seahawks win.#Lions eliminated.#Packers get the final playoff spot with a win over Detroit tonight.#Packers loss would give Seattle the final spot instead.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 9, 2023
If anyone would like to thank the @Lions organization for beating the @Packers and helping the @Seahawks earn a playoff spot despite being eliminated by the #Seahawks win over the #Rams this afternoon, this is a good place to start:https://t.co/OTCUDjkH8x
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) January 9, 2023