THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Still a lot to play for Seahawks

The Seahawks have lost five of their last six games.

And yet …

Somehow, some way, they insist that the light gleaming at them from the end of the tunnel is NOT an onrushing train.

“It could turn out … that these last two games are enormous for us, obviously,” said Pete Carroll, whose team hosts the Jets and Rams to wrap up the regular season.

“We’re playing the championship game of the season against the Jets this week. That’s how we’re going to approach it.”

Quarterback Geno Smith, who struggled in last Saturday’s 24-10 loss to the Chiefs, in large part because receiver Tyler Lockett was sitting out (surgery for a broken bone in his hand), echoed the optimism of his boss. “We had a tough stretch, but that’s in the past," Smith said. “That has to be in the past. “We have to evaluate this stuff really hard, but we look forward to these next two games.”

Might as well.

Seattle (7-8) still has a fighting chance to sneak into the playoffs.

If you haven’t memorized the math yet, it’s actually pretty simple.

The Seahawks must beat the Jets and Rams at Lumen Field.

No choice there.

AND THEN …

Both Washington and Green Bay must lose at least one of their final two games.

And …

Like the Hawks, the Commanders (Cleveland and Dallas) and Packers (Vikings and Lions) play their last couple at home.

Washington is the only one of the trio to control its own destiny — sitting at 7-7-1 while the Packers and Seahawks are each 7-8.

Who says a tie is like kissing your sister?

Seattle has the easiest schedule of this little group scrambling for the NFC’s final playoff spot, since the Jets have a mess at quarterback and the beat-up Rams are missing most of their impact players.

However, you don’t need an Einstein equation to tell you that the Seahawks’ problem — besides having to win two games in a row, which they haven’t done since Oct. 30-Nov. 6 — is that they also need BOTH Washington and the Packers to lose a game somehow.

As for the Seahawks themselves …

Sure, playing without Lockett (and No. 3 wideout Marquise Goodwin for a chunk of the game in Kansas City), threw a wrench into the passing game.

Seattle made what seemed like endless trips deep into Chiefs territory, and got almost nothing until a garbage-time TD pass to tight end Noah Fant.

The Seahawks actually outgained the 12-3 Chiefs, a legit Super Bowl contender, by churning up 333 yards to Kansas City’s 297, but …

You got the distinct sense that Patrick Mahomes and his pals were just mailing in this win like a Christmas card.

I mean, by the time they’d strolled off to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, they had 10 first downs to precisely ONE for Seattle.

Then, when the Seahawks came out with some fight during the second half, the Chiefs stopped a few drives and then breezed the length of the field for the killer TD — with a ridiculously easy 52-yard throw from Mahomes to Travis Kelce the big play.

To say this result was never in doubt would be a huge understatement.

IF ONE thing surely bothered Carroll and his staff more than other issues, it almost HAD to be enduring another game in which his team got whipped at the line of scrimmage.

On key plays.

Plus …

The Seahawks just can’t tackle.

During the game telecast, viewers were allowed to gawk at a chart that showed a startling stat…

More than 20 percent of the yardage Seattle has surrendered this season has come after contact.

If you’re not a football stats whiz, I can help you here …

That’s a HELL of a lot of missed tackles.

The Seahawks need serious help across the front seven (and the interior of the offensive line), and you could make a safe wager that plenty of picks from this looming draft-choice haul will be spent on very large men who are capable of knocking other very large men on their backsides.

Bottom line, Carroll and GM John Schneider need to follow up that terrific 2022 draft with another one — and thanks to a hideous season by the Broncos, they’ll have the high draft choices to pull it off.

As for the playoffs, yeah, the Seahawks could still make it, but…

It would mostly be a pride thing, a reward for proving all the doubters wrong.

For the longer term, though, I suspect the folks in charge have already learned plenty about what’s on the roster — and what needs to be added.

Isn’t it obvious?

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”