A Grip on Sports: Sunday’s results were not impossible but just improbable enough to make everyone sweat

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Just like we all thought. No worries at all. Win and watch Detroit win. Handily. Ya, right. Sunday cost us at least 12 fingernails.

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• Be honest. There were at least a dozen times between 1:25 p.m. and the end of the game in Green Bay you just said forget it and gave into your despair, right? Or were we alone in that?

Gave into the idea the Seahawks would figure out a way to kick away another home game against a team with a worse record, a worse roster and little to play for? Surrender to the idea Aaron Rodgers was going to lead the Packers down the field on some game-winning drive? Or a yellow piece of linen would drop at some inopportune time at Lumen or Lambeau Field and undermine Seattle’s hopes?

Well, if you won’t admit it, we will.

We figured the proverbial “other shoe” Sunday would drop right on our head. And it would be a size 72½. Quintuple E. Squash any chance of the postseason in its tracks.

And, to be brutally honest, we weren’t mad about it.

The choices were simple. Squeak into the postseason and play … the San Francisco 49ers. Again. In Santa Clara. Where the Seahawks lost 27-7 almost four months ago. Add in the much-more-recent 21-13 loss at home and the 49ers outscored Seattle 48-20 in the 2022 season. And that could easily be the final score again Saturday when the two meet in the wild-card round.

Who wants that?

Besides the odd 49er fan, we mean. We all know a couple, right? Those outliers who live in the Northwest but root for California’s most pretentious team. They probably prefer Napa Valley wines over those produced in Washington as well. Darn snobs.

Anyhow, even if the Hawks pull the biggest upset of the first playoff weekend, the reward is a trip to Philadelphia to face a rested Eagle team that had the best record in the NFC.

The perfect scenario. For pain.

• It wasn’t a perfect Sunday for Seattle fans, however. Yes, the Hawks squeaked by L.A. Detroit rallied and slayed the Packers. All good. But somehow the Denver Broncos figured out a way to win against the playoff-bound Chargers. And cost the Seahawks two spots in April’s draft.

A Bronco loss and Seattle was picking third. Now John Schneider has to wait until the fifth turn. It may just be enough to entice the veteran general manager into a trade. Turning the fifth spot into, say, the 18th overall and two second-round selections. That’s his preferred method of operation anyhow. Now he has an even-better excuse.

• Think that’s bad? How do you think the Houston Texan fans feel this morning? After suffering through a year so awful, a tie was one of the highlights, their team won two meaningless games in the last three weeks. Well, meaningless in every way except the upcoming draft. By winning Sunday, they allowed the Bears to pass them and gain the top pick.

And it wasn’t just any win. The Texans drove the length of the field as time ran down, scored in the waning seconds and then, with no reason to, you know, actually win, converted a two-point play and defeated the Colts 31-30.

Three wins over 18 weeks. How fun. The same number, actually, as the Chicago Bears earned. But the Bears, who defeated the Texans in week three, have the No. 1 pick. Why? Because Houston tied Indianapolis to open the season. That tie was the difference between getting whomever you want or taking what is left.

It’s called losing for winning.

By the way, in a probably unrelated note, Houston fired coach Lovie Smith on Sunday night.

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WSU: It turned out to be a good weekend for Cougar basketball. The women added to the men’s upset in Tucson with a dominating win over Washington in Pullman. (And, yes, we messed up yesterday, listing the game as being at Hec Ed. Our bad.) Charlisse Leger-Walker returned to the lineup and had 26 key points, including 22 in the second half. … Jake Dickert has settled on a defensive coordinator. And it’s someone familiar to local football fans, Jeff Schmedding. The former Eastern Washington d-coordinator returns to the Inland Northwest after stints at Boise State and Auburn. Colton Clark has the story. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, the Cougars’ upset of fifth-ranked Arizona leads of Jon Wilner’s look at the weekend in the Mercury News. … Washington is in a slump, dropping a 73-65 decision at Arizona State. The Huskies have lost five consecutive games. … The women had some key matchups Sunday, with second-ranked Stanford edging rival California, UCLA doing the same to USC, Arizona winning a matchup of top 20 teams by topping Oregon and Oregon State earning a key win over Arizona State. … Back to the men, Oregon’s win at Utah isn’t good for the Utes. … Colorado has improved its rebounding. … Arizona needs to improve on offense after the loss to WSU. … Oregon State is struggling. … In football news, every team in the conference has a reason to be optimistic about next season. And a reason to worry. … Some folks think Colorado has attracted the top transfer class. … Oregon picked up the promise of another key defensive player. … Arizona lost a starting linebacker. … The national title game is tonight in Los Angeles. Georgia is a huge favorite over TCU.

Gonzaga: The key to GU’s comeback win Saturday night? Nolan Hickman’s play on the offensive end and everyone picking up the physicality on the defensive side. Jim Meehan takes a look back. … Elsewhere in the WCC, BYU is ready to welcome Drew Timme and the Zags to the Marriott Center for one last time.

EWU and Idaho: The FCS season is over. South Dakota State won its first title, stomping North Dakota State 45-21.

Seahawks: Dave Boling was at Lumen Field on Sunday and he has this column on the Hawks’ win as well as the happy result later that evening. … How did local players fare this NFL season? Taylor Newquist delves into that in the final S-R column for the season. … The 19-16 overtime win means the Hawks finished the regular season 9-8. … How important is Geno Smith to the future? Hopefully not too much because we don’t believe he will be back. He’s headed to free agency. … Bruce Irvin won’t be back either. … Kenneth Walker III topped 1,000 yards. … There are always grades. … Bobby Wagner returned to the stadium he made his place of business for years. And neither he nor the Rams ruined the Seahawks’ chances. Though he did have a bit part in a key overtime play. … We’re pretty sure some Seahawks drank a toast to the Lions. … The 49ers will be a tough out even with their third-string quarterback at the controls. Brock Purdy has been good.

Mariners: With the signing of A.J. Pollock, the M’s have improved their lineup. And they kept their “surplus” of pitching intact.

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• We watched much of the Hawks. Then had to nap. Listened to the final quarter and overtime. Avoided much of the game in Green Bay. Not because of our nerves or anything. We just had other responsibilities. Yep, that’s our story and we sticking to it. Until later …