Seahawks 41, Vikings 20

10 wins.

Remember when that used to be A HUGE deal for us Seahawks fans? In the franchise's 34 Pre-Carroll seasons, the Hawks only hit the 10-win benchmark five times. That averages out to just about once every seven seasons, making "Seahawks win 10 games" the NFL equivalent of Pon Farr (AKA Spock gets REALLY horny). The Knox Hawks only did it twice, and the Holmgren Hawks only achieved it three times. Neither coach marshaled our boys to consecutive 10-win campaigns, but Pete Carroll just did, and it's getting almost impossible to refute the following claim: Right now, we are watching the best team to ever don Seahawk uniforms.

After two blowout wins, that shaky Ram-Buc fortnight seems like the kind of rough patch that Championship teams sometimes have to just plow through on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy (The 2000 Ravens' stretch of FIVE games without an offensive touchdown was an extreme version of this). Seattle now enjoys a 3.5 game lead in the NFC West, and will have the opportunity to all but clinch the #1 NFC seed against New Orleans in two weeks. At this point it would take a collapse of 1986 Jets proportions to keep Seattle from at least nailing down a first-round bye. ONE YEAR AGO we would have all been elated if our Seahawks finished 10-6. Now 10-6 would probably be seen as the most monumental meltdown in Seattle sports history, and that underlines the rapid ascent of expectations among the Twelve Army. Anything less than a trip to XLVIII would be a massive disappointment to most Twelves... For me, anything less than a VICTORY at MetLife Stadium on February 2 will leave my mind a barren, desolate void.

These Seahawks are the best team in football, and they SHOULD win the Super Bowl. Think about that statement for a second. Can you REALLY disagree with it? Are you scared of the Broncos? The Chiefs? The Patriots? The Colts? The Saints? The Niners (Ha ha ha ha ha)? I'm not, and not one soul at the VMAC is either. Why should the rest of the NFL fear US? Let me count the ways...

-We Have Russell Carrington Wilson
As hot young QBs like RGIII and Kaepernick regress, The WolfBadger just keeps improving. Yesterday his passer rating was 151.4 (!), he fired two touchdown passes, and his rocket arm & improvisational gifts were on full display. He's become an absolute assassin in the Red Zone, and if we end up needing a late score to win a playoff game Wilson's track record couldn't possibly inspire more confidence. He seems primed to join Ben Roethlisberger (barf) as the only other 2nd-year QB to win a Super Bowl- But Wilson is way more likely to also snag the MVP award than puke up an awful performance and get bailed out by the officials (Sorry, couldn't resist).

-Marshawn Lynch Will Bury You
Lynch only ran for 54 yards yesterday, but had multiple carries where he turned what should have been a 3-yard loss into a 3-yard gain. Beast Mode's aggression and perseverance are infectious for his teammates and demoralizing to the enemy. His two touchdowns were richly deserved based on effort alone, as would be his first NFL rushing title (right now he trails LeShaun McCoy by only 84 yards).

-We Have Playmakers
Oh look! Golden Tate just took a bubble screen 60 yards! Wow! Did you see that ridiculous catch by Doug Baldwin?!? Damn! Can anyone stop Zach Miller?

Just in time for the playoffs, the Seahawks put Percy Harvin on the field. It was only going to be for a handful of plays, and we couldn't expect fireworks, right? All Harvin did was make one of the best catches you'll ever see to keep a scoring drive alive and run a kickoff back 58 yards to set up ANOTHER Seattle touchdown. With Harvin on the field, the Seahawks are truly a threat to drop 40 points on anyone they play.

-The Defense Will Destroy Your Season And Perhaps Your Career
After tossing three interceptions (including a WTIII pick-6) and absorbing 3+ quarters of brutal punishment, the Vikings yanked Christian Ponder from the game, which probably brought his tenure as Minnesota's QB to a merciful end. Earlier this season, the Seattle defense spearheaded a comeback from a 20-3 deficit in Houston. The Texans haven't won since, and now their star WR clearly wants to skip town.

The Seahawks defense isn't just dominant- They are the destroyers of worlds (oh, they held Adrian Peterson to 65 yards rushing too, by the way).

-The Twelve Army Has You Surrounded
When the Saints were defending World Champions and the Seahawks were The Worst Team To Ever Make The Playoffs (TM), who won that game? Seattle. Why? Well, yeah... The BeastQuake. But also because the game was played at Seahawks Stadium. The Seahawks only need to win their remaining home games to get home field advantage through the NFC playoffs. Russell Wilson is 13-0 at home. It's hard to see ANY team leaving our arena victorious this season, and by late January I expect RW3 to be 18-0 as a starter at home.

Now Seattle gets an extremely well-timed bye week, and 15 days to prepare for the game that will likely decide HFA in the NFC this season. I have zero doubt the Seahawks will prevail over the Saints, and I think the only way we lose another game this season is if we rest our starters for all or part of the season finale v the Rams on December 29.

10 wins.

That's great. But how about 18?

What do you think, sirs?