The Seattle Seahawks are a West Coast team with a strong West End of Richmond influence.

With quarterback Russell Wilson (Col- legiate School) and offensive left tackle Duane Brown (Hermitage High School) as leading lights, Seattle has navigated its way to the NFL playoffs for an eighth straight year.

Seattle (10-4) clinched a postseason berth last Sunday with a tense 20-15 vic- tory over the Washington Football Team at FedEx Field. Washington is now 6-8.

To escape D.C. with a victory, Wilson did what he had to do without his usual glitzy passing statistics. Seattle Coach Pete Carroll referred to Wilson’s performance as a “Bart Starr-type game.”

Starr, who guided the Green Bay Packers to numerous championships in the 1960s, was known for winning without eye-popping passing numbers.

Wilson was a modest 18-for-27 in the air against Washington for 121 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 52 yards on six carries, including a 38-yard scamper.

Wilson was never sacked, and only on three occasions did the Washington pass rush reach him for any contact.

At the end of the day, Wilson’s No. 3 jersey was nearly as fresh as during pregame warmups.

“The offensive line — it was great,” Wilson said afterward. “And it all starts with Duane Brown at left tackle. He’s the best in the business.”

Wilson, 32, was Seattle’s third round draft choice out of Wisconsin in 2012.

The 35-year-old Brown, a former Vir- ginia Tech standout, was obtained by Seattle in 2017 from the Houston Texans.

Seattle will play host to the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday, Dec. 27, in a match that could decide the NFC West.

Despite the loss, Washington remains in the pole position for the NFC East title. Washington closes the regular season against a pair of lightweights — the Carolina Panthers (4-10) on Sunday, Dec. 27, and the Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1) on Sunday, Jan. 3.

If Washington wins both games, it is the NFC champ and will host a playoff game. It could still win the division with one remaining loss or even none.

The New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys are both 5-9 and trailing Washington in the NFC East standings. Washington would hold the tie-breaker edge over Dallas but New York would have the tiebreaker advantage over Washington.

Rejuvenated Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins showed why he was Washington’s first-round draft pick — and 15th selection overall — in 2019.

Haskins hit 38 of 55 passes for 295 yards in the comeback effort. Tight end Logan Thomas, a former Virginia Tech quarterback, made 13 receptions for 101 yards.

Haskins began the season as the starter but was benched after some sub-par performances. He was even dropped to third on the depth chart. He was only playing against Seattle because of an injury to Alex Smith.

Washington collected 26 first downs com- pared to the Seahawks’ 16, and outgained the visitors 353 yards to 302. For the most part, Washington controlled the game during the second half after falling behind 20-3.

This Sunday’s Washington game against Carolina will have added drama. Washington Coach Ron Rivera was fired by Carolina on Dec. 3, 2019, after posting a 76-63 record with the Panthers since 2011.

He wasn’t unemployed for long. Rivera was hired by Washington on Jan. 1, 2020.