Seahawks can clinch playoffs; Washington eyes 5th win in row

Updated Dec. 18, 2020 5:11 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SEATTLE (9-4) at WASHINGTON (6-7)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox

OPENING LINE - Seahawks by 3

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Seahawks 7-6; Washington 7-4-2

SERIES RECORD - Washington leads 12-8

LAST MEETING - Washington won at Seattle 17-14 on Nov. 5, 2017

LAST WEEK - Seahawks beat Jets 40-3; Washington beat 49ers 23-15

AP PRO32 RANKING - Seahawks No. 7, Washington No. 15

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE - OVERALL (6), RUSH (11), PASS (7).

SEAHAWKS DEFENSE - OVERALL (27), RUSH (4), PASS (32).

WASHINGTON OFFENSE - OVERALL (30), RUSH (24) PASS (26).

WASHINGTON DEFENSE - OVERALL (4), RUSH (9), PASS (3).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - The Seahawks will clinch a playoff spot for the eighth time in nine seasons with a victory or tie. ... Coach Ron Rivera's Washington team has won four consecutive games to take over first place in the NFC East. ... Seattle is averaging 30.2 points, third in the NFL; Washington puts up 22.1. ... Seattle’s red-zone offense is second best at 74.5% and faces a Washington red-zone defense tied for second-best at 50%. ... Seattle’s defense is giving up 294.8 yards passing, most in the NFL. ... Seattle QB Russell Wilson has career highs with 36 TD passes and 12 interceptions. Wilson's TDs put him No. 2 this season behind Aaron Rodgers’ 39; only Denver’s Drew Lock (13) and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz (15) have more picks. ... Four TD passes against the Jets last week (in just three quarters) gave Wilson five games this season with at least that many. ... Seahawks RBs Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde combined for 142 yards rushing last week vs. the Jets. Neither has run for more than 80 in a game this season. ... WR DK Metcalf is second in the league in yards receiving with 1,180, trailing only Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. ... WR Tyler Lockett needs 114 yards receiving to join Metcalf with more than 1,000; only once in franchise history did Seattle have a pair of receivers with that many yards in the same season: Joey Galloway and Brian Blades in 1995. ... The Seahawks’ 27 sacks in the last seven games lead league in that stretch. New Orleans is next with 22. ... Former Washington CB Quinton Dunbar is expected to return from a knee injury and play for Seattle. ... Seahawks S Jamal Adams has 8 1-2 sacks, already the most in a season by a defensive back since that became an official stat in 1982. ... Washington DE Chase Young, No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, leads rookies with 5 1-2 sacks. Last week against San Francisco, he had a sack, a forced fumble and a 47-yard fumble return for a TD, all in the first half. ... QB Alex Smith (calf), rookie RB Antonio Gibson (toe) and LB Cole Holcomb (concussion) were ruled out. Dwayne Haskins starts at quarterback for Washington. ... Haskins last started in a Week 4 loss to Baltimore. The 2019 first-round pick relieved Smith when he was injured last week against the 49ers. ... TE Logan Thomas, a QB in college, is among three NFC tight ends with at least 45 catches and at least five receiving TDs. ... P Tress Way was NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for a second time this season. ... Fantasy tip: As good as Washington WR Terry McLaurin has been, topping 1,000 yards receiving in his second season, opponents are now focused on stopping him. So he only caught two passes in each of the past two games, with no scores. It is possible he gets back on track against Seattle’s porous pass defense.

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