Russell Wilson: Seahawks team reminds me of 2012

During the summer, the Seattle Seahawks kept talking about how this year felt like 2012. Pete Carroll first made the comparison to the rise of his dominant program. Russell Wilson then took the baton and continued the talk during training camp.

Rarely do offseason narratives have staying power as we press into November.

Yet after Sunday's road shellacking of the Detroit Lions, the Seahawks do own an air of freshness that came with the 2012 team.

It's not a facsimile of Wilson's rookie season, to be sure, but Seattle has the look of a team that could make a run at a Wild Card spot in the tough NFC.

"If we don't shoot ourselves in the foot, there's not too many people that can stop us," Wilson said after Sunday's win, via the Seattle Times. "It really reminds me of 2012, when nobody was really thinking anything and you had young guys who played great and veterans who played great. There's nothing that we can't do."

The Seahawks are on a hot streak, winning four of their last five games following an 0-2 start to the season. Yet, buried behind the undefeated Rams in the NFC West, few are taking Seattle's playoff bid seriously at this point. Perhaps more should.

Wilson noted that if it weren't for a couple of close losses -- defeats by 3 to Denver, 7 to Chicago, and 2 to the L.A. Rams -- the Seahawks' 4-3 record could be even better.

Entering Monday night, the Seahawks own the sixth-best point differential in the NFL at +40.

While the 2012 squad was known for the Legion of Boom defense, Wilson and the offense have burst out in recent weeks. The Seahawks quarterback has thrown for three-plus touchdowns in three straight games, and generated a perfect passer rating (158.3) in Sunday's win. With a ground game able to churn out yards behind Chris Carson, the play-action game has been a force for Seattle in recent weeks.

The Seahawks spent the offseason getting younger. With budding young players like receiver David Moore on offense, an offensive line that has improved immensely, and a secondary that, while not LOB-level, has developed greatly in recent weeks, the plan in Seattle is coalescing into wins.

"At the beginning of season, we were just a young team trying to mesh together. Now we're hitting our groove," defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson said. "You can just feel the energy, feel the vibe, feel the connection -- it feels good."

The real test for the Seahawks lies ahead with games against the Chargers, Rams, Packers and Panthers in the next month. If they come out of that brutal stretch with a winning record, we'll know this 2018 iteration can fairly be compared to 2012.

Asked how his team would fair facing that "gauntlet" stretch, Carroll replied glibly:

"Gosh, I don't know. We'll have to find a way somehow."