Dave Boling: Christmas miracle? Under Pete Carroll, Seahawks again find a way to win the fourth quarter

Dec. 24—OK, now it's getting a little magical.

This repeated pulling rabbits out of their helmets.

Crazy, sure. Overly dramatic and flirting with danger by playing it cool for so long? Definitely.

But with another late, game-saving touchdown, after playing possum for much of the day, the Seattle Seahawks have re-inserted the "wild" into wildcard playoff positioning.

Seattle's 20-17 win over Tennessee on Christmas Eve, paired with a Detroit win over Minnesota, lifted Seattle (8-7) into the last playoff spot with two games to go.

For those cynics who contend the NFL outcomes are scripted beforehand, surely no author would dare to repeat such entirely implausible plot twists as the Seahawks have acted out in the past two games.

On Monday night, it was a 92-yard drive in the final minute, led by backup quarterback Drew Lock, to upset the playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles.

Sunday, it was starter Geno Smith (recovered from a tender groin that had sidelined him for two games) leading Seattle 75 yards on 14 plays.

In both cases, a Seattle defense that struggled through much of the game, came up with crucial stops after the offense had taken the lead.

Once again, the outcome validated coach Pete Carroll's Rope-a-Dope strategy.

Logic and the middling performance through the first several months of the season would indicate that the 2023 Seahawks don't have the level of talent to adhere to his oft-stated canon: A team can win any game in the fourth quarter, regardless of the lackluster play that might have preceded.

Possessions are too important in the NFL. Every point is too precious to downplay their value.

Maybe that approach steals some early urgency from the Seahawks. Maybe that only works when the talent level and depth is that of some of the Seahawks' gifted predecessors.

Surely, this season seemed to be slipping away from the lack of full-game consistency.

Even after the win over the Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak with a dramatic spasm of competitiveness in the final quarter, a few questions had to strike Seattle fans on Sunday.

With a wildcard berth still in play, how could the 'Hawks show up and be outcompeted and outperformed by a 5-9 Tennessee team with nowhere to go?

How could they not be entirely and obviously geeked-up from the opening kickoff?

How could they watch the Titans play harder and tougher and with more tenacity?

How could they not be ready to stop Derrick Henry or find a solution to backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill?

In the end, though, none of that mattered. The players who really needed to be brilliant in the deciding moments were.

Smith absolutely lasered the ball into the hands of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jason Smith-Njigba, and found the powerful hands of tight end Colby Parkinson in the end zone for the last touchdown.

Boye Mafe and Dre'Mont Jones each sacked Tannehill to kill the Titans' final chance at moving in for the tying field goal.

Pittsburgh, which defeated the Bengals this week to snap a three-game losing streak and move to 8-7, comes to Seattle next Sunday. And the season ends with a trip to Arizona. The Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFC West Division, but crazy things have happened to the Seahawks in that stadium.

This is a team with flaws, youth in spots, depth issues and not really a reasonable threat to make much of a run even if they do hold onto a playoff bid.

But Carroll and the 'Hawks have nonetheless changed the pervasive narrative when they had lost four in a row: It was time for Carroll to retire. He'd taken this team to unprecedented heights, but, at 72, come on, time for a change.

Carroll had to hear the questions, and maybe had been asking them of himself.

But now? Maybe not. After the stunning win over the Eagles, Carroll was so exuberant in the locker room, he conceded that he "kind of lost my mind in there a little bit."

And when he was finished with his interview obligations, he went back onto the field. The stands were empty, and there he stood, trying to soak up the ambient energy that still vibrated in the stadium.

It seemed such a poignant moment. A solitary man taking stock. Appreciating all that had happened.

That's how magic is. Intangible. Unpredictable. Surely difficult to replicate.

But somehow he and the 'Hawks found a way again.

Perhaps it's unwise to bet against the notion that they can continue to do so.