NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals — Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

His answer wasn’t quite as immortal as Herman Edwards’ “You play to win the game,” mantra from 2002, but Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald offered a similar notion at Monday’s press conference. The rookie head coach was not ready to talk about what went wrong in the 2024 Seahawks. That will come later — sometime after the season ends on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Here’s what Edwards said 22 years ago:

And here’s what Macdonald said on Monday, two days after the Rams knocked off Arizona to nearly assure themselves of the NFC West title. With a win over Los Angeles on Sunday, the 9-7 Seahawks could tie them in the win-loss column, but Sunday’s NFL results ensured that the 10-6 Rams will enter the the Seahawks matcup playoff-bound due to the strength of victory tiebreaker.

“Right now is not the time to diagnose all that type of stuff,” Macdonald said. “Right now is the time to — ‘Let’s go to work this week, let’s make the best of this opportunity.’ We’ve got one more opportunity to keep taking the field as a team. Put our best foot forward, get to 10 wins, let’s focus on that, and then once the season’s over — which is going to happen earlier than we want — we’ll digest all that stuff and make the proper conclusions.”

This is fairly typical of strong organizations. There is not much concern about draft position being improved slightly. Win or lose, the Seahawks won’t select players first — or last. Depending upon which other teams win and how tiebreaker scenarios shake out, the Seahawks will pick somewhere between the mid-teens and the lower 20s next season. With the draft being far from an exact science, most good organizations value an extra win compared to a few draft slots. Win as many games as you can. Draft where you draft, and develop them.

“The first thing is it’s an opportunity for us to go get to 10 wins and that’s important right now,” Macdonald said. “There’s a standard here of what we’re trying to establish and show off our football character of what type of team we are, what type of people we are, and how we’re going to play.”

While there may be a few players who would have tried to play through injury in a game that means something more than a little extra pride, expect most of Seattle’s starters to play on Sunday as long as the game remains in doubt — even if the season’s end date is not.

“If someone is at risk of making something worse long term, then we’ll definitely consider that,” Macdonald said. “But yeah, guys are going to want to play. If it’s healthy or safe for them to be out there, they’re going to be out there.”

The questions about whether or not to play to win the game include:

Is draft position important? While each year’s draft is littered with misfires, picks are also tradable commodities that can lead to more pick or players.

Should injuries be a concern? A serious injury to a starter could very well linger into the start of the 2025 season. A meaningless win on Sunday could lead to a meaningful loss next season. Also, if general manager John Schneider wanted to move a player such as DK Metcalf for potential draft picks, a player becomes much harder to move when on crutches.

Is there more to learn about young guys? Players such as linebacker Tyrice Knight, cornerback Josh Jobe and guard Sataoa Laumea earned opportunities this season. Sunday could be a chance to rest a starter and look at some end of the bench or practice squad players in game situations to see if they are long-term answers. The Rams, however, may rest some players, so Sunday’s playing time may not be against the best LA has to offer.

As always, let us know what you think about this or anything else Seahawks-related in the comments.