The Seattle Seahawks are still well-positioned to win the NFC West and potentially earn a bye, but they faced a tough defeat on Sunday. The offensive line was ravaged by Tampa Bay, allowing the Buccaneers‘ secondary to dominate Russell Wilson and Seattle's passing game all day. This is how bad it was: mid-way through the third quarter, the Seahawks had one passing yard. One.

The defense stood their ground after a rough start, holding Tampa to two touchdowns that were both scored in the first quarter. Still, they weren't running at full tilt; three starters, Michael Bennett, Earl Thomas, and DeShawn Shead, were all out Sunday.

Luckily for the Seahawks and their fans, that won't be the case much longer, according to head coach Pete Carroll.

Huge boost for Seattle

From Carroll's Monday morning interview on 710 ESPN Seattle, via John Boyle:

Pete Carroll on 710 ESPN Seattle says Michael Bennett “has a chance to play” this week. “This is the week he should come back.”

Pete Carroll on 710 ESPN Seattle says Earl Thomas and DeShawn Shead could come back this week. Said Shead was close to playing Sunday.

Bennett underwent knee surgery at the end of October, and while the initial return timetable was two-to-three weeks, he has missed five games.

Shead was out this Sunday with a hamstring injury, and Thomas missed the first game of his career while recovering from his own hamstring issue.

With all three set to come back, Seattle's defense could be completely healthy entering the playoffs. That's a scary prospect for the rest of the league.