Jim Moore: The Seahawks aren’t that good, but they aren’t that bad, and that’s the problem

The Seahawks have lost five of their last six games and are coming off a two-touchdown defeat to Kansas City but remain surprisingly optimistic about their playoff chances.

I get it because they’re mathematically very much alive and their schedule is easier than the Commanders’ and Giants’, the two teams they’re chasing to earn a wild-card berth.

They aren’t willing to admit what the rest of us can see: the Seahawks aren’t all that good. I mean, they’re not all that bad either, and I think we can agree that they’ve exceeded expectations this year.

Even if they drop their final two home games to the Jets and Rams - which isn’t likely - I’d call the season a success since they were supposed to win only four or five games after Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos.

I’m just torn on what to do now - hope they win their last two games and get the final playoff spot with a 9-8 record or hope they lose them both and improve their draft position because they’re probably a one-and-done playoff team anyway.

It’s certainly debatable. Pete Carroll would tell us about the value of gaining playoff experience even if they lose in the first round.

And you could argue that beating Minnesota in the first round isn’t out of the question since the Vikings appear to be worse than their 12-3 record, winning 11 games by eight points or fewer.

But losing out would be better for the franchise long-term since no one thinks the Seahawks are good enough to make a Super Bowl run this year. The Seahawks have beaten only two teams with winning records - the Chargers and Giants.

If the season ended today, they would draft in the top 5 with Denver’s top pick and 13th with their own pick. Losing out would give them a chance to have two picks in the top 10. They could overtake Carolina, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Cleveland, who are all 6-9, and maybe even Indianapolis, which is 4-9-1.

Granted, at 7-10, they wouldn’t finish with a worse record than all of those teams, but it’s quite possible they could lose their way into the top 10.

The Seahawks were 7-10 last year and had the 10th pick, but they gave that to the Jets in the Jamal Adams trade and New York used it to select Garrett Wilson, who’s had a terrific rookie season with 71 catches for 996 yards and four touchdowns thus far.

If you want to be a good fan instead of a bad fan, I can see that point of view too. History has shown that wild-card teams can get hot and make shockingly good postseason runs, and the teams the Seahawks are pursuing are no great shakes, that’s for sure.

Plus there are actually two playoff spots up for grabs - the Giants at 8-6-1 are the sixth-seeded team, and the Commanders at 7-7-1 are the seventh-seeded team.

The Giants will be the toughest to catch since they just need one more win to close out the Seahawks, and they host the Colts next weekend.

The Commanders have home games against Cleveland and Dallas and need to lose one of the two for the Seahawks to have a chance if they win out.

They’re favored to beat the Browns, whose offense has scored only 39 points since Deshaun Watson returned four games ago. But it’s interesting to point out that teams are 0-13 the week after facing the 49ers this season, and Washington is coming off a 37-20 loss to San Francisco on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks will be favored over the 7-8 Jets, who have had quarterback issues all season long, and the 4-10 Rams, one of most disappointing Super Bowl champions ever. Then again, the Seahawks have shown they can lose to anyone at home, dropping games to the Raiders and Panthers, putting them in this playoff predicament.

If forced to pick one or the other, which way are you leaning - win out or lose out? I think I’ll focus on the future and hope for the worst.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on KJR-FM 93.3, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.