KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

Ross: No playoffs for the Seattle Seahawks, but so what?!

Jan 8, 2024, 9:58 AM | Updated: 10:15 am

Tyler Lockett...

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett celebrates victory over Arizona Cardinals. (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

No playoffs, but so what?!

In the final two minutes, the Seahawks channeled the Husky playbook.  They took the game down to the last second, but with one big difference: they knew in those final minutes that they were out of the playoffs.

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Tyler Lockett: “People could easily say, ‘Well, I’m not gonna throw my body in here anymore.’ I’m gonna make sure I don’t get hurt.”

My wife and I are listening on the car radio, and Steve Raible’s saying the Bears lost, so that’s what I’m thinking too – there goes the Hawks playoff hopes, so no point in anyone getting hurt.

But that’s not what Tyler Lockett was thinking in the final minutes.

Lockett: “We kept fighting. I mean, obviously, things were at our control. But you know, you don’t want to be a part of any team that gives up.”

And as we’re listening, I can see my wife tearing up, I’m getting a little misty too, but I have to drive… because who does Tyler give the credit to? Everybody but the guy who actually caught those two crucial passes:

Lockett: “Geno did a great job. Zack did a great job. Everybody did a great job doing their part.”

And in the post-game interview – he even provided a little life lesson:

Lockett: “We stuck together, and we fought, and it’s always better to end the season with a win rather than a loss.”

And the cynics will say, “Where was that team during the first three quarters?” But the point he’s making is, that there are times in life when – even if you’re the best at what you do – just as you’re about to grab that big break, it’s snatched away.

Seattle Sports: Seahawks miss playoffs for just 4th time in 14 years under Carroll

And when that happens, you don’t curse your bad luck. You show gratitude that you were good enough to stay in the game and get that close. And as Dave Wyman said to Steve Raible.

Wyman: “I hope Tyler Lockett keeps playing as long as you and I want to keep doing broadcasts.”

Me too, Dave. Me too.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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Ross: No playoffs for the Seattle Seahawks, but so what?!