Exactly nobody was projecting these Seahawks to win even seven games this season, let alone nine and making the playoffs. Now that Seattle has clinched the NFC’s last seed and head into a matchup with the heavily-favored 49ers they’re feeling loose and having fun by all accounts.
Speaking with reporters at the VMAC yesterday, wide receiver Tyler Lockett said the team feels they really don’t have anything to lose, per NFL.com.
“I honestly think everybody is just more free. You don’t have to be uptight. You don’t have to be tense. Obviously, we’re going into a playoff game, and you can really make it like, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s the playoffs,’ but it’s different when everybody is telling you that you have to win or it’s a bust type of season, when people thought we were going to win four games… We really don’t have anything to lose. We’re just going to go out there and have fun, go out there and play, and I feel like we’re getting better each and every week.”
To pull off an unlikely upset, the Seahawks will need Lockett and a number of other key players to be on their A-game. Lockett is probably one they don’t have to worry about. He’s been their most-consistent producer on offense for several years now and he’s performed well against the 49ers historically.
In 15 career games against San Francisco, he’s caught 70 of 87 targets (80.5%), totaling 755 yards and eight touchdowns. The Seahawks have a record of 11-4 in those games.
