Look, I’m on vacation and I’m at the point in that vacation where I’d like to do nothing more than sleep for 12 hours a night, so I’m filling up on coffee and jumpstarting my brain a little bit with some writing. This post won’t win any Internet awards in the field of blogging.

So, here we are! Week 17! This is unfamiliar territory for the Seahawks. Usually, we’re still playing for something; I remember maybe one of the Super Bowl seasons where we had similar discussions – “should the Seahawks rest their starters?” – and I’m always, as usual, on the fence.

I do think there’s something to the idea of a wild card team like the Seahawks staying sharp. I think it’s usually a different type of animal entirely when you’re talking about the top two seeds of a conference getting a week off; those teams are usually so good, the break doesn’t do a thing to their momentum. But, I think the Seahawks – especially with the 49ers loss so fresh in their memories – need to keep this train rolling in the right direction.

But, that doesn’t mean I want any and all Seahawks to play this week. Guys like Sweezy and Thompson and whoever else needs a rest should absolutely take another week off! I could also do without Fluker and Baldwin and anyone else who’s spent the majority of this season on the injury report!

The thing I’m okay with – that I feel like a lot of fans are against – is playing Russell Wilson this week. For starters, I’d like to see him go out there WITHOUT Baldwin and see how he holds up. You never know when we might lose Doug in the Wild Card round or something, and it would be nice to see how we respond in those situations. But, overall, I’m with the coach: you don’t play scared. You don’t play tentative. If you’re healthy, you play, regardless of what week it is.

Now, that doesn’t mean I need Wilson out there all 60 minutes! Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than okay with playing him just a quarter, or a half, or maybe one or two series into the third quarter (like we would in the third pre-season game or something), but unless that 5-seed is seriously on the line, I don’t know if we need to go balls out.

That means taking an insurmountable first half lead, like we should, because we’re going up against the worst record in football. Or, it could mean the Bears – playing at Minnesota concurrently tomorrow – taking an insurmountable lead, and us following suit. It’s a worst-case scenario situation if we’re in a tight one, as are the Vikings, and we’ve got to scramble all game for a victory.

The worrier in me will be cringing throughout. I certainly don’t like Ethan Pocic starting, as he’s sure to give up at least one big hit a quarter on our helpless quarterback! Let’s just play smart out there, fellas! Hold if you need to hold! Get down instead of taking that extra hit! Let’s run the ball a ton, keep that clock moving, and get out of there with an easy win!

My prediction? Something like a 27-13 victory for the Seahawks. Then, the real fun begins!