Follow us:

Player who must step up: RB Rashaad Penny

The fourth-year running back needs to prove he can stay healthy and that he can consistently produce when he gets his chances. He hasn't done either since the Seahawks drafted him 27th overall in 2018. And given that he has missed 30 of a possible 64 games (including playoffs) due to injuries over his career, Penny isn't playing for a big payday in free agency; he probably is playing just to get any sort of payday, and it will almost certainly be from another team. More performances like Sunday's will help. Penny played through a pulled hamstring he suffered two weeks ago and gained 62 yards on 11 touches. -- Brady Henderson

The Seahawks are not a very good team, but they showed real fight in yet another win over the 49ers. That started early, on a fake punt -- from their own 27-yard line! -- that resulted in a 73-yard touchdown run by Travis Homer. It was the spark Seattle needed and it burned through four quarters of a wild 30-23 win at Lumen Field. At 4-8, it's highly unlikely the Seahawks find their way back into the NFC playoff picture, but this version of Pete Carroll's team could cause some havoc for contenders down the stretch. Seattle in a spoiler role feels strange for a team that qualified for the playoffs in nine of the past 10 seasons, but weirdness is the modus operandi of this NFL season.

Winning against the 49ers keeps their playoff hopes alive. But they still have a lot of issues that won't be fixed this year.

As cooked as they look, the schedule sets up in such a way that Seattle could very well salvage a 9-8 finish. Next stop: Houston.

Best-case scenario: The Seahawks appear headed toward a losing record for the first time with Russell Wilson, the only quarterback in NFL history to finish with a winning record in each of his first nine seasons. Still, Seattle can take some solace from Sunday's win, when Wilson played like his old self -- or Russ being Russ, as Seahawks fans might say. Wilson hadn't looked right since returning from finger surgery, but completed 30 of 37 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers. If Wilson builds on that performance and the Seahawks win three of their final five games, it will be an encouraging end to a disappointing season.