I thought the Seattle Seahawks were through the worst of their injury woes, having recently returned both Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet to restore their running game to a passable level. Sam Darnold is still here, and with the defense still elite and the new addition of star guard Quenton Nelson, we should be goo ... oh, Darnold is out for some unclear number of weeks? And Nelson needed a knee procedure, what the heck? At least we have Drew Lock, he's alrigh — he's maybe out Week 10 too?! WHAT?!

None of this is catastrophic, but it's ... maybe mildly strophic, at least a touch strophic-er than you'd like for a 5-4 team that is trying to defend the Lombardi Trophy but would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

The Seahawks could run out of real estate if they don't get healthy soon

A Week 9 win over the Cardinals was critical to staving off an even more dire situation, but the Seahawks are still dealing with the stark reality of a crowded NFC playoff picture. One division, the NFC South, is completely irrelevant but is contractually required to send a playoff team. Another division, the NFC North, might be the best division in NFL history with all four of its members currently in the playoffs as of this writing. Given that the San Francisco 49ers have blown the doors off everyone and the NFC East also must occupy a spot, that leaves the preseason favorites, the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, out in the cold.

It's not a completely lost situation, but every game is crucial. They have two more games against the Rams and one against the 49ers remaining, all of which border on must-win status. Their other games are not that hard, but should they need to start QB3 Jalen Milroe against the Raiders next week, things could get spooky quick. The NFC is not a place for a 5-4 team to be meandering around with a third-string quarterback picking up extra losses.

Can Seattle's defense hold the line while they heal up?

The other problem for Seattle is that they just haven't looked like a premium team in a while. Their only impressive wins are over the New England Patriots in a bizarre Week 1 game on a Wednesday and a 20-3 dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs. Otherwise it's the Cardinals twice and the Chargers. They've lost to the Broncos and Commanders, neither of which I think are great teams, and they were so outclassed by the Bears last Monday night that we all anointed Chicago Super Bowl favorites immediately afterward.

The Seahawks defense is their win condition. If it can be the unstoppable unit it was last year and take pressure off the offense, than Seattle can stack enough wins to hopefully pass an NFC North team and get into the postseason. If not, we could be looking at a defending champion ignominiously fizzle out before we even get to Wild Card Weekend.