It’s back to business

While the current edition of the Seahawks has long fed off the doubts of others, they’ve rarely doubted themselves.

But in the wake of last Sunday’s win over Carolina, which ended a two-game losing streak that was accompanied by the Percy Harvin trade and a litany of stories about locker-room division, some of the Seahawks admitted that they just might have needed a little self-affirmation.

“When you are losing and coaches are on you and everybody is saying things, that puts pressure on you,’’ said linebacker K.J. Wright. “But when you finally get that win and everybody gets relieved, you can just get back to normal and know that we are a good football team and just start stacking these wins on top of each other.’’

That’s the trick now, with the schedule presenting Seattle with two straight home games against teams that will be significant underdogs – today against the Raiders and next Sunday against the New York Giants – a golden opportunity for the Seahawks to truly get back to business as usual.

Seattle enters today’s 1:25 p.m. game at CenturyLink Field as a 15-point favorite, which according to PreGame.com is the highest-spread ever for a team with a 4-3 record. That spread, though, also speaks loudly to the futility of the Raiders, who are 0-7 and riding a 13-game losing streak.

Playing the role of big favorite was something Seattle sometimes struggled with last season, notably when an 0-7 Tampa Bay team came to CenturyLink Field and promptly busted out to a 21-0 lead before the Seahawks rallied to win 27-24 in overtime.

It’s a game some in the Seattle locker room recalled this week as a warning against a letdown.

“I don’t think anybody in here wants to be in that situation again,’’ said linebacker Bruce Irvin. “We’ve just got to come out fast, man, punch them in the mouth early. Let them know how it’s going to be and continue to put it on them all game.’’

Others, though, said Seattle’s current situation – two games behind Arizona in the NFC West and tied for the sixth-best record in the conference – should be all the guard the Seahawks should need against complacency.

“We’re not undefeated,’’ Wright said. “We are fighting to try to win the West and get into the playoffs. So we are staying focused.’’

That should have been easier to do this week with the national NFL media spotlight pointed elsewhere after two straight weekends of glaring straight at the Seahawks as observers sought answers to not only the Harvin trade, but to the team’s sudden struggles.

Most Seahawks felt the Carolina win, ugly as it may have been at times, proved that things are all right.

In fact, some thought it was that ugliness, that Seattle had to claw from behind before scoring the winning touchdown with 47 seconds left, that was as much of a benefit as the win itself.

“I told coach (Pete Carroll) that I believe that was a game we needed at the time,’’ safety Kam Chancellor said this week. “We’ve been battling all season. It’s been close games. And I think a game like that is what creates the tight niche that we have, the bond that we have, and it gets us through the adversity. I definitely believe that was a game we needed.’’